contemporary flânerie: reconfiguring cities (2009)

 

March 7 - April 12, 2009

Oakland University Art Gallery, Rochester MI

curated by Vagner M. Whitehead

 

In Modernity, the flâneur, while strolling around his streets, participated in the depiction of a changing city, playing simultaneously active and detached roles. The flâneur and his city maintained a symbiotic relationship, where one helped (re)define the other. In view of current trends in globalization, immigration and technology (i.e., Web 2.0), one's positioning is more fluid than ever before.

With such mobility, one must experience any given place as both a tourist and potential resident. With this in mind, what roles do contemporary flâneur and flâneuse play? How do they reconfigure/re-inscribe their urban experiences? How does flânerie in art relate to GPS systems, virtual reality, surveillance, mapping, MMPORGs, and social networking? This exhibition, with special focus on photography, video and computer-based art, seeks to explore these notions.

A sixty-page, full-color catalogue featuring all participating artists and related essays, depicted above, accompanies this exhibition. Catalogues are available for purchase at the Oakland University Art Gallery for $10 plus $5 shipping within the US and $8 shipping to Canada (click here).

Featuring: Daniel Blochwitz, Christophe Boete, Eirini Boukla, Penelope Cain, Sean Capone, Antonia Carrara, Claude Chuzel, George Drivas, Jeremy Drummond, Jörn Ebner, Flore Gardner, Lutz Gregor, Henry Gwiazda, Claire Hodge, Leon Johnson, Masayo Kajimura, Cyriaco Lopes & Terri Witek, Richard Metzgar, Richard O'Sullivan, Valeska Maria Populoh, Glynnis Reed, Alexander Reyna, Ryan Roa, Stephen Schulz, Olja Stipanovic, Sylvia Winkler & Stephan Koeperl, Jody Zellen.