Uncertain States of America Traveling Exhibition Reaches Sérignan

The traveling exhibition 'Uncertain States of America' arrived at Le Musée in Sérignan, France, running from June 24 to September 23, 2007. Curated by Gunnar B. Kvaran (director of the Astrup Fearnley Museum in Oslo), Daniel Birnbaum, and Hans-Ulrich Obrist, the show focuses on American artists born after 1970. Over two years, the curators traveled across the United States, reviewing a thousand artist dossiers and selecting about forty for this exhibition. The show had previously been held in Oslo, Reykjavik, Prague, London, New York, and Beijing. The title references the uncertain times, and the works are described as strange, unsettling, and humorous, with a strong formal line. Notable pieces include Frank Benson's hyperrealist sculpture 'Human Statue' (a nude man painted silver pretending to be a statue), Hannah Greely's coat rack made of bone fragments evoking a serial killer's living room, Anthony Burdin's 'Woodoo Room' with black-light drawings and videos reminiscent of 'The Texas Chain Saw Massacre' and 'The Blair Witch Project', Cristina Lei Rodriguez's floor sculpture covered in a gooey extraterrestrial-like acrylic cascade resembling a jewel, Reena Spaulings' walled-off flag symbolizing a blocked horizon, Kori Newkirk's frozen landscape, and Karl Haendel's large wall installation linking Valentine's Day, personal history, and the Big Bang in an absurd diagram. In a video, Haendel parodies Joseph Beuys by discussing love with a rabbit named Joe Rainbow.