Winner of Venice Biennale Golden Lion Makes First U.S. Appearance In Tennessee

Oliver Payne and Nick Relph, who were awarded the Venice Biennales Golden Lion for best artists under the age of 35 last month, will hold their first solo exhibition in the United States at the Knoxville Museum of Art from August 8 - December 7, 2003.

Knoxville, TN (PRWEB) August 1, 2003 -- Oliver Payne and Nick Relph, who were awarded the Venice Biennales Golden Lion for best artists under the age of 35 last month, will hold their first solo exhibition in the United States at the Knoxville Museum of Art from August 8 - December 7, 2003.

The work of Payne, 26, and Relph, 24, will be the first show for the KMAs Suburban exhibition series which is devoted to showcasing emerging artists from around the world.

According to officials with the Venice Biennale, the duo were awarded the Golden Lion for having created a work that does not regard neither yesterday, nor tomorrow, but above all today, the present time in the most immediate sense. Their work reflects urban culture, and the suspicion between generations is authentic, abstract and closely observed. It tells of solitude and courage of the young generations in a universal language."

The KMA exhibition will consist of two videos shown simultaneously. The first, The Essential Selection, is actually a trilogy of films that is part documentary, part music video and part manifesto. The three films include:

Driftwood, the earliest work in the trilogy, the narrator considers the physical and psychic terrain of London - from the lycanthropic youth who coat the city with graffiti to the ghosts of old Soho. While skateboarding is the focal point of their journey, the film questions the uses of urban archaeology and monitoring civil behavioral control devices.

House and Garage, the second in the series, takes a more collage-like approach to film-making. The artists state, it is the point where the city meets the country, drifting between domestic space and local recreation centers and the awkward space where young and old meet."

The third installment is Jungle, which examines the pettiness of regional politics in rural England, the fading British farming aristocracy and the malignant sense of fear that lies beneath the surface of the rural idyll.

The second video projection at the KMA exhibit will be Mixtape, a musical celebration of youth, self expression and the raw energy of life. Set to Terry Rileys 1968 remix of Harvey Avernes song Youre No Good, the film is colorful, brash, fun, heavy - a mix of contradictions. Mixtape is a complex onslaught of image and sound with performance.

The museum chose the video work of Nick and Oliver as the inaugural exhibition in our new emerging artist series, because it epitomizes a new generation of visual artists and a new direction for the museum," said Todd D. Smith, director of the KMA. The freshness, excitement and frustration with the status quo that characterize their work parallels the museum's new vision and initiatives."

Beginning in September, the KMA will add a programming component to the Suburban exhibition series. Suburban Thursdays will provide a more social atmosphere in which to get to know the museum and the new programs. Entertainment will include local DJs and performers and provide a venue for alternative music and art groups.

About the Knoxville Museum of Art:
The Knoxville Museum of Art is located in downtown Knoxville at 1050 Worlds Fair Park. Beginning July 1, the museum will be open Tuesday and Wednesday from noon to 8 p.m., Thursday and Friday from noon to 9 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to - 5 p.m. Free admission on Tuesdays from 5-8 p.m. Limited free parking is available.

For more information, please contact Margo Clark Carpenter, at 525-6101, ext 224.

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