Research Catalog

Title

The puppet show / curated by Ingrid Schaffner and Carin Kuoni ; with contributions by John Bell [and others].

Publication

Philadelphia, Pa. : Institute of Contemporary Art, University of Pennsylvania, 2008.

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Additional Authors

• Schaffner, Ingrid.
• Kuoni, Carin.
• Bell, John, 1951-
• University of Pennsylvania. Institute of Contemporary Art.

Description

127 pages : illustrations (chiefly color); 24 cm

Summary

"The Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) is pleased to present "The Puppet Show," a group exhibition that looks at the imagery of puppets in contemporary art. International in scope, "The Puppet Show" brings together 29 artists and several generations, as reflected by works that range from a 1974 installation by Dennis Oppenheim to a new animation by the Swedish artist Nathalie Djurberg. The exhibition concentrates on sculpture, video and photography. Some of the works involve actual puppets (marionettes, shadow puppets, hand puppets) and artists performing as puppeteers. Other images evoke topics associated with puppetry (manipulation, miniaturization, agency, control). Collectively these works show puppets to be a provocative and relevant imagery - one that moves deep into social, political and psychological terrains." "The puppet show takes as a historic point of departure one of the first episodes of avante-garde art history: Alfred Jarry's 1896 play Ubu Roi that was conceived as a puppet show. Ubu's reign continues with the work of the South African artist William Kentridge in collaboration with the Handspring Puppet Company. More recently, puppets have taken hold of pop consciousness by way of films, theater, computer games and animation. On a more political note, current events and national leadership raise questions of agency that cogently relate to puppets. Together with these collective points of reference, "The Puppet Show" poses a larger cultural question: why do puppets matter now?"--Jacket

Subject

• Puppets > Exhibitions
• Puppet theater > Exhibitions
• Puppet theater
• Puppets
• Puppe Motiv
• Philadelphia, Pa
• Philadelphia <Pa., 2008>

Genre/Form

• exhibition catalogs.
• Exhibition catalogs
• Exhibition catalogs.
• Catalogues d'exposition.

Note

• "Published on the occasion of the exhibition "The puppet show," Institute of Contemporary Art, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, January 18-March 30, 2008"--p. [5].
• Artists in the exhibition: Guy Ben-Ner, Nayland Blake, Louise Bourgeois, Maurizio Cattelan, Anne Chu, Nathalie Djurberg, Terence Gower, Dan Graham and Japanther, The Handspring Puppet Company, Pierre Huyghe, Christian Jankowski, Mike Kelley, William Kentridge, Cindy Loehr, Paul McCarthy, Annette Messager, Matt Mullican, Bruce Nauman, Dennis Oppenheim, Philippe Parreno and Rirkrit Tiravanija, Laurie Simmons, Doug Skinner and Michael Smith, Kiki Smith, Survival Research Laboratories, Kara Walker, Andy Warhol, Charlie White.

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical references.

Contents

Acknowledgments / Claudia Gould -- Acknowledgments / Ingrid Schaffner and Carin Kuoni -- Preamble and précis : an atomic introduction to "The puppet show" / Ingrid Schaffner -- Playing with a lack of control / John Bell -- Tyranny of the copy / Terence Gower -- The puppet theater is the epic theater / Jena Osman -- Their own / John Pemberton -- The inner puppet / Allen S. Weiss -- Sources / Ingrid Schaffner -- Puppet philosophy : notes on puppets and figures / Carin Kuoni -- The "as-if" reality of puppet theater / Jane Taylor -- The regenerative legacy of Alfred Jarry's Ubu roi / Michael R. Taylor -- Works in the exhibition -- Puppet storage.

ISBN

• 0884541134
• 9780884541134

LCCN

2008923222

OCLC

• ocn183262912
• 183262912
• SCSB-1492521

Owning Institutions

Princeton University Library