Institute of Contemporary Art opens new fall exhibits

Chapter houses aren’t the only places to find sleeping frat boys near Penn’s campus — one of the Institute of Contemporary Art’s new fall exhibits features their sculpted counterparts.

The grand opening of the ICA’s fall exhibits on Friday, Sept. 19 attracted over 700 guests from the Philadelphia community, New York and Penn.

“There was so much positive energy. The museum was really packed. People were talking, laughing, dancing,” ICA Director of Marketing and Communications Jill Katz said. “A lot of people were walking by seeing happy people having a lot of fun.”

The ICA has been closed since mid-August , when it shut down to renovate and prepare for its four fall exhibits: “Dear Nemesis,” “Readykeulous by Ridykeulous: This Is What Liberation Feels Like,” “Easternsports” and “Burn the Diaries.”

“Typically, we take artwork from all over the world. Our exhibits support both emerging artists and more famous ones,” ICA Communications Associate Becky Huff Hunter said.

Through the first floor entrance of the museum is the “Dear Nemesis” exhibit. From sculptures of sleeping frat boys, to a painting of a redneck from upstate New York entitled “Captain Awesome,” to depictions of well-known literary characters as presidents, Nicole Eisenman’s work reflects personal experiences and political motifs.

“People were just really drawn to the sculptures and ‘cloud’ of smaller paintings and prints,” Hunter said , referring to the cloud-shaped formation of paintings on the wall.

On the other side of the floor is “Readykeulous by Ridykeulous,” a collection of letters, paintings, drawings, videos and objects from a diverse group of artists, many of whom attended the opening. The works are emotionally charged and discuss issues of feminism and sexual identity, often in humorous ways.

The other two exhibits are on the second floor where the museum’s terrace provides guests a venue to eat, drink and socialize. “Easternsports” by Alex De Corte and Jayson Musson is a four-channel film — a cinematographic piece in which four films are shown simultaneously on separate panels — depicting themes of race, gender and class. It is projected in a colorful room with flooring designed like Amish quilts and a slew of oranges appropriate for the citrus perfume that permeates throughout the room.

Next door, “Burn the Diaries” features photographs and a centerpiece diary, both by Moyra Davey . Unlike most photograph exhibits, Davey’s works are not in frames. Instead, Davey folded the photos, mailed them through regular postage and pasted them on the ICA’s wall with bright adhesives.

These exhibits are open to the public for free admission until Dec. 28 , when the ICA will close to prepare for its winter exhibits.

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