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miacontemporary.bsky.social
MIA: Contemporary Art (Bot)
@miacontemporary.bsky.social
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Sharing artworks from the Minneapolis Institute of Art's Contemporary Art department. Not associated with the Minneapolis Art Institute.
Automated thanks to @andreitr.bsky.social and @botfrens.bsky.social
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miacontemporary.bsky.social
Fog https://collections.artsmia.org/art/18524/
The painting is an interpretation of fog done in the abstract idiom in tones of white, grey and blue. Unframed. Muse's "Fog" (1960-1962) is indicative of the Abstract Expressionist period that was prominent in Western art from the late 1940's through the 1950's. Muse took up art after he left military service as a young man. He taught art in Newark, New Jersey, and his most famous pupil was the painter, Grace Hartigan. While most of Muse's later works are in gouache on paper this mid-career painting is representitive of his abstract style. Fog is one of the few paintings by Muse that are avaible to be studied. A fire destroyed his studio in the 1970's, which contained works from the 1950's, 60's and 70's.
December 2, 2025 at 3:15 PM
miacontemporary.bsky.social
Model of Granite Seating for Labyrinth https://collections.artsmia.org/art/12086/
Painted base with corner of labyrinth; one square 'bench' at back PR corner; separate cardboard cutout of a male figure can be positioned to sit on bench
December 2, 2025 at 1:45 PM
miacontemporary.bsky.social
#20 https://collections.artsmia.org/art/89574/
see previous exhibition catalog for illustrations of all 50 paintings Artist commentary: During the New Year celebrations one of the activity was to have bulls fight. All the villagers would come out to see the brutal event. If a bull died, the villagers would get a free feast.
December 2, 2025 at 12:43 PM
miacontemporary.bsky.social
#14 https://collections.artsmia.org/art/89568/
see previous exhibition catalog for illustrations of all 50 paintings Artist commentary: Laos was already under the control of the French. The French needed money to run their colony. Opium was a great cash crop for the French. Since the Hmong lived on land that was good for cultivating opium, they were encouraged to grow as much opium as possible. When collecting taxes the French preferred opium to cash.
December 2, 2025 at 9:49 AM
miacontemporary.bsky.social
Moll https://collections.artsmia.org/art/114499/
full-length portrait of a woman with straight blonde hair standing in a landscape wearing a dark purple jacket with fuschia trim, short white skirt with purple dots and blue shoes; mounted on aluminum stretchers with aluminum "frame" (applied before painting was completed) British artist Chantal Joffe is a talented young painter who, while building on art historical traditions in painting and portraiture, has found her own voice within those genres. Her paintings tend to be dominated by girls and young women who exude the complexities of female sexuality. The young woman in Moll could be described as elfin-faced, with haunting eyes and a Lolita-like sensuality. Seemingly small in stature, she is a ten-foot giantess who can't be contained by the painting. She looms out at the viewer, anxious, intelligent, and strangely seductive. A similar description could be made of Ernst Ludwig Kirchner's Seated Girl (Franzi Fehrmann), painted exactly 100 years before the Joffe. Both artists convey a clear attraction to using adolescents in their paintings and are drawn to the sensual qualities of their models. The artists also share distinct stylistic similarities, including strong color, harsh contour lines, and a deliberate and forceful use of brushstroke, announcing the intent to reveal raw emotion without apologies. For artists coming of age in the 21st century, the history of art is widely accessible via books, museums, art galleries, and the internet. Joffe is certainly familiar with the work of early 20th century German Expressionist painters such as Kirchner, as well as the great figurative painters working in the second half of the 20th century. While painters and sculptors have responded to the work of their predecessors throughout time, the ease with which earlier styles and images can be assimilated is greater than ever.
December 1, 2025 at 7:50 PM
miacontemporary.bsky.social
#44 https://collections.artsmia.org/art/89598/
see previous exhibition catalog for illustrations of all 50 paintings Artist commentary: The New Year not only changed from outdoor to indoor, but many of the activities were added while others disappeared. The ceremonies and bull fights have been replaced by beauty pageants and dance contests.
December 1, 2025 at 4:07 PM
miacontemporary.bsky.social
#41 https://collections.artsmia.org/art/89595/
see previous exhibition catalog for illustrations of all 50 paintings Artist commentary: After acquiring enough English skills from attending night schools, many of the parents found minimum wage jobs doing assembly line work. Our parents worked 14-16 hours per day but we’re still poor.
December 1, 2025 at 2:26 PM
miacontemporary.bsky.social
Return to E https://collections.artsmia.org/art/65019/
abstract pattern of linear shapes in pinks, white, maroon, blues and green; green diagonal at right
December 1, 2025 at 10:36 AM
miacontemporary.bsky.social
Nimo, Sumiya, and Bisharo harvesting flowers and vegetables at Hope Community Garden https://collections.artsmia.org/art/127308/
portrait of three seated women surrounded by plants, flowers and signage; single seated woman on left wearing yellow head scarf, blue shirt, pink floral skirt and leans on purple arm rest; sign reading 'HARVESTING BASICS' with text and drawings in ULC; two seated women on right- one with white scarf and black dress with yellow and pink flowers, PL arm around seated woman on right, who wears blue striped head scarf, red top and blue and pink gradated long skirt, both sitting on purple bench; orange hanging lamp in URC; groups of flowers with signs/ labels in foreground; lattice with climbing plant with blue flowers in background on left As part of their work with people and place, Hope Community manages 7,500 square feet of growing space in the Phillips neighborhood. Their three communal gardens and hands-on workshops engage people of all ages in food-related activities promoting health, culture, community, and land stewardship. For her portrait of Hope Community, the artist worked with the young female leaders who care for their community gardens. The sitters represent two generations of Somali immigrants and are pictured wearing the hijab—a headscarf traditionally worn by Muslim women. Surrounded by symbols of sustenance and self- sufficiency, these women embody the bonds of care between family, friends, and community. Sitters from left to right: Nimo Mohamed, Sumiya Olson, Bisharo Jama
December 1, 2025 at 8:33 AM
miacontemporary.bsky.social
Untitled (You and Your Health) https://collections.artsmia.org/art/126252/
old textbook ("You and Your Health") with paper and cardboard glued over pages and some pages torn out; cover is an old shipping bill of lading with vertical brown wavy lines painted over it; back cover has a line drawing in pen of a portrait of a man with a blue Afro hairstyle; various abstract imagery inside book
November 30, 2025 at 7:01 PM
miacontemporary.bsky.social
Untitled https://collections.artsmia.org/art/127188/
primitive abstract image; four columns of overlapping green and blue triangles emerging from yellow bowl-shaped form at bottom; fuchsia background over green; bring pink and plum brushwork across top; green column at R Like many contemporary Japanese painters, Hiroshi Sugito was trained in the traditional Japanese painting style known as Nihonga. The Nihonga technique utilizes ground pigments made of natural materials such as minerals, shells, and coral applied to handmade paper or silk. Sugito achieves a visual similarity to this technique in his paintings by using layers of oil and/or acrylic paint. An important figure of Japanese painting in the 1990s, Sugito’s imagery employs childlike imagery as a springboard to create pictures that subtly oscillate between strange and beautiful, familiar and estranged. His delicate works at once convey a sense of delightful reverie and eerie displacement. Describing his process, Sugito has said, “I start moving my brush like walking into the woods, away from everything, and I want words and meanings to lose their power and just fade away.”
November 30, 2025 at 5:17 PM
miacontemporary.bsky.social
With Red https://collections.artsmia.org/art/20697/
Abstraction.
November 30, 2025 at 1:29 PM
miacontemporary.bsky.social
Moses Xing the Delaware https://collections.artsmia.org/art/4860/
Abstraction. Mixed media on seven panels of canvas applied to one larger white canvas.
November 30, 2025 at 10:52 AM
miacontemporary.bsky.social
1965/1-∞ Détail 1 1,127,688 - 1,151,103 https://collections.artsmia.org/art/10552/
How do you visualize time' For the Polish artist, Opalka, time was more than the calendars and clocks we use to set our daily lives. Time was the pulse of his life approaching his death within the vastness of infinity. From the very first moment until the day he died, when he had reached well past 5500000 (no commas marred his work), Opalka's daily task was to paint numbers and whisper their names into a tape recorder. His day would end with a simple photograph of himself next to the completed painting. Each work was called a “detail” and all had the same title, “Opalka 1965/ 1-∞."
November 30, 2025 at 8:37 AM
miacontemporary.bsky.social
Wise Elders Portraiture Class at Centro Tyrone Guzman with En Familia hay Fuerza, mural on the history of immigrant farm labor to the United States https://collections.artsmia.org/art/127307/
group portrait of seven people all holding pieces of paper with line drawn portraits; man in center kneeling wears tan pants, blue shirt and glasses; first on right is man wearing baggy blue shorts, green shirt, sneakers and blue hat; second figure from right is woman wearing red shirt, blue and pink flowered dress with brown purse at hip; third figure from right is woman wearing light blue t shirt and purple pants who stands behind kneeling man; fourth figure from right is woman wearing green, orange, white and red printed dress, short hear and green bracelet on PR wrist; fifth figure from right is woman in light purple shirt, dark blue pants and light blue shoes; sixth figure from right is man standing in back with blue shirt, gray hair and glasses; faded colorful background depiction various figures; red checkered floor with black and purple designs Centro Tyrone Guzman’s Wise Elders Program provides culturally and linguistically responsive services to support the holistic health and independent living of Latino seniors. Elders play an important role in their community, transmitting their wisdom and Latino culture to younger members. During her residency in Minneapolis, artist Aliza Nisenbaum taught a portrait drawing class to the Wise Elders, asking them to draw each other and their loved ones. Here, the Wise Elders are shown with their own artistic creations against a mural depicting the history of migrant laborers in the Midwest. The painting is a testament to the Wise Elders’ unique character as individuals, their life experiences, and the collective wisdom they impart to their community. Sitters from left to right: Melissa Benitez, Jesús Cazares, Sol, Juana Gonzales Moreno, Nicanor Torres Marcos, Minerva Cazares, Elena Valencia de los Santos, Roberto Arista
November 29, 2025 at 7:08 PM
miacontemporary.bsky.social
Pleas and Thank Yous: 100 True Stories https://collections.artsmia.org/art/5749/
Genre. Figural. African American.
November 29, 2025 at 4:49 PM
miacontemporary.bsky.social
Maquette https://collections.artsmia.org/art/61956/
black steel; curving, zigzag-edged and rough edged forms extending upward
November 29, 2025 at 2:21 PM
miacontemporary.bsky.social
#50 https://collections.artsmia.org/art/89604/
see previous exhibition catalog for illustrations of all 50 paintings Artist commentary: 5000 years ago the Hmong lived on the basin of the Yellow River. Today the trail of the Hmong migration goes through China, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Burma, South America, France, Australia, Canada and America. Where the trail leads to, no one knows.
November 29, 2025 at 10:52 AM
miacontemporary.bsky.social
#32 https://collections.artsmia.org/art/89586/
see previous exhibition catalog for illustrations of all 50 paintings Artist commentary: Reaching the Mekong River, the boarder between Laos and Thailand, was very difficult. After coming close many never reached the river. Those that had made it across tell stories of seeing babies trying to nurse on rotting corpses not knowing that their mother is already dead.
November 29, 2025 at 9:49 AM
miacontemporary.bsky.social
Gratta Cielo https://collections.artsmia.org/art/50491/
nine roughly hewn pieces of stainless steel welded together; 2 surfaces painted orange
November 28, 2025 at 7:51 PM
miacontemporary.bsky.social
Model of Pavilion for Labyrinth Terrace https://collections.artsmia.org/art/12084/
Model of pavilion with person inside; six small painted wood squares are completely removable; model of MIA glass facade with windows drawn in felt-tipped pen
November 28, 2025 at 5:02 PM
miacontemporary.bsky.social
Down from the High Country https://collections.artsmia.org/art/3314/
Landscape
November 28, 2025 at 1:10 PM
miacontemporary.bsky.social
Mississippi Delta https://collections.artsmia.org/art/111030/
triptych; two smaller panels at left, larger panel at right; each panel framed separately; abstracted image of a river with broken bridge, scarecrow-like figure with chicken, and floating houses, car, table and chairs, bed, lamp Armajani's drawing captures the disaster that befell the Gulf Coast and New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. All of the destructive forces of water are unleashed when a great flood occurs. Waters overflowing banks, dykes, and levees contaminate water and sewage treatment facilities making tap water undrinkable. Industrial waste, agricultural chemicals and other pollutants get added to the mix and flow into neighborhoods. Water shortcircuits electrical systems, turning out the lights, shutting down refrigerators and freezers, leaving little to eat. A dining table with empty plates, a bed, and a house, the comforts of home, flow downstream. A car floats by upside-down, no longer a means of escape. Upstream the bridge has collapsed. Crows survey the catastrophy, ignore the scarecrow, and wait to exploit the carnage.
November 28, 2025 at 10:36 AM
miacontemporary.bsky.social
Untitled https://collections.artsmia.org/art/31987/
November 28, 2025 at 8:38 AM
miacontemporary.bsky.social
Again: A Meeting House https://collections.artsmia.org/art/26405/
Abstraction. *(Not Narcoossee Neither is this Watervliet)
November 27, 2025 at 6:01 PM