Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art (BMoCA) Announces Two Summer Exhibitions

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BMoCA’s two Summer 2022 exhibitions feature artists who expand the possibilities of their materials and invite viewers to discover the unexpected in each work. Grossly Affectionate explores hybridity and challenges binaries, such as human/nonhuman, hard/soft, and organic/synthetic, through the work of seven artists. For DEEP END, Sofie Ramos has created a site-specific installation in which she animates the inanimate and gives alternate existences to abandoned objects. Both exhibitions will be on view at BMoCA from June 23–September 5, 2022.

Curator Pamela Meadows says, “Visitors will initially experience the humor and explosive energy of Grossly Affectionate and DEEP END before uncovering surprising elements. The artists embrace a fearless sense of play with materiality and create works that elicit a range of reactions—from joy and laughter to disbelief and aversion. The works on view talk to one another, creating a memorable experience and dialogue between the artists’ distinct practices.”

Daisy May Collingridge, Flying, digital photograph, 2021. Image courtesy of the artist

Grossly Affectionate
Exhibiting Artists: Kate Casanova (Denver, CO), Cristóbal Cea (Santiago, Chile), Daisy May Collingridge (London, England), Sam Grabowska (Denver, CO), Mr. Hanimal (Denver, CO), Jennifer Pettus (Aurora, CO), and Estevan Ruiz (Denver, CO). The exhibiting artists play with and push against the possibilities and limitations of their materials. Each artist alludes to bodily form, while abstracting its appearance. As a result, the works evoke interpretations and undertones that reference a body, but are amorphous and oppose definitive categorization. Grossly Affectionate presents the idea that a body can be a host of things: an architectural structure, a virtual space, a landscape, and even a humorous costume. The pieces are often unsavory yet oddly charming, strangely familiar, and consistently intriguing. Click here for the artists’ biographies and more information.

Sofie Ramos, DEEP END, latex and acrylic paint on found objects, wood, fabric, foam, paper, cardboard & walls/floor + sound, 2022. Image courtesy of the artist.

Sofie Ramos: DEEP END
Sofie Ramos paints found household items, such as couches and lamps, and re-presents them as characters in her wildly imaginative installations and stop-motion animations. She transforms each object by “cleaning” it in house paint in order to cover up memories and histories to render the object anew. In her installations, she piles these painted objects into architectural spaces, allowing them to sprawl, stretch, and stack on top of one another in truly immersive, one-of-a-kind experiences. Ramos encourages viewers to consider personal associations with the objects in her jam-packed installations. As she recreates and re-presents familiar objects, they become simultaneously strange and more likable than the original objects. Disguised as funhouses of color and cheer, Ramos’ work explores the unstable balance between comfort and anxiety and between safety and confinement in intimate spaces.

Upcoming Exhibition Programs

On-Site Opening Reception

Thursday, June 23
5-6pm member preview
6-8pm free public reception

Artist Talks

Join BMoCA’s Summer 2022 Exhibiting Artists for a variety of talks throughout the exhibition.
Thursday, July 14, 6-7:30pm
$12/$8 members
Exhibiting Artists Kate Casanova, Sam Grabowska, Mr. Hanimal, Jennifer Pettus & Estevan Ruiz discuss Body/Form in-person at BMoCA.
Thursday, July 28, 6-7pm
Free
Exhibiting Artists Cristóbal Cea & Daisy May Collingridge discuss Body/Form via Zoom.
Thursday, August 25, 6-7pm
Free
Exhibiting Artist Sofie Ramos discusses her exhibition DEEP END via Zoom.

Create Your Own No-Sew Soft Sculpture

Saturday, August 13, 11am-1pm – Join local seamstress and embroidery artist Steffie Notion in-person at BMoCA to explore your own idea of the body in all of its forms. This exhibition is generously supported by Todd Reed of Todd Reed Inc. and Stephanie & R. Alan Rudy. BMoCA’s annual exhibition fund is graciously underwritten by the Scintilla Foundation, Nicky Wolman & David Fulker, Sue Schweppe, City of Boulder, Boulder Arts Commission, Scientific & Cultural Facilities District, Colorado Creative Industries, and National Endowment for the Arts.

About BMoCA

Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2022, Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art (BMoCA) inspires creativity and fosters community through contemporary art. BMoCA is a non-collecting institution that presents exhibitions and programs that stimulate active participation in the global dialogue about contemporary art.

The museum serves over 140,000 people each year with 15–25 exhibitions and over 200 programs presented for audiences of all ages and backgrounds. BMoCA’s 7 unique education outreach programs engage audiences of all ages with creative and contemporary art experiences with a focus on ensuring participants gain knowledge about the themes and techniques of contemporary art while appreciating their own abilities to create art. 6 of the 7 education programs are offered free of charge.

BMoCA is located at 1750 13th Street in downtown Boulder, Colorado. The museum is open 11am–5pm Tuesday–Sunday. Admission $2 for adults; free for youth under 12 and BMoCA members. Admission for all is free on Saturdays. BMoCA.org / 303.443.2122.