Human Rites

We all have our weird little rituals and obsessions, so this upcoming exhibit should be interesting to a lot of  people out there.  The Bass Museum of Art is holding an exhibit titled Human Rites from June 25 to October 3, 2010 exploring the concept of rituals and art.

This exhibition examines ritual through art; and it also examines art through ritual, depending on your point of view.   From mundane human activities to sacred practices, from the past through the present, rites and rituals have been pervasive subjects in  artistic practice.  

Human Rites will present works such as 15th  century devotional polychrome statues of Mary and 16th century altarpieces alongside works by renowned contemporary artists. This juxtaposition of works circumscribes the timelessness of rituals, expressed historically and anthropologically in religious, as well as other contexts.

Works of art in this exhibition also reflect both the subconscious and premeditated human need for rituals in our every day lives. 

Artists in the exhibition include: Thomas Hirschhorn, Priscilla Monge, El Anatsui, Erwin Wurm, Mark Dion, Christian Boltanski and Cesar Trasobares, and others.

Curated by Silvia Karman Cubina, Bass Museum of Art Executive Director and Chief Curator, and Steve Holmes, Adjunct Curator, Bass Museum of Art. This exhibition is the second of three exhibitions in The Endless Renaissance  series  at the Bass Museum, that began with the exhibition The Endless Renaissance in 2009 and will conclude with a publication in 2012.