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FOR 2-23

KUTLUG ATAMAN’S ‘PARADISE’ AT ORANGE COUNTY w/1 cut

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NEWPORT BEACH, CALIF. — On March 11 the Orange County Museum of Art (OCMA) will premier “Paradise,” a large-scale video installation by Turkish artist Kutlug Ataman, that will be on view through June 3.

Filmed primarily in Orange County, the work focuses on the notion of “paradise” often associated with this region and presents interviews with 24 people who live in and contribute to the area’s contradictory personalities. The project is the first presentation of Ataman’s work on the West Coast and is co-commissioned by OCMA.

“The commission and presentation of ‘Paradise,’ Kutlug Ataman’s exploration of myth and reality in Southern California, is the result of a unique and ambitious international partnership, and reflects the increasing interest in our region as a global cultural center,” said OCMA Director Dennis Szakacs. “Southern California, and Orange County increasingly, exert a particularly strong influence on the American consciousness, and the ideas born here often come to represent both the vitality and the banality of American culture. Kutlug Ataman’s ‘Paradise’ embraces this duality and seeks to understand paradise less as a concept and more as an expression of unfettered individual freedom and creativity.”

Ataman’s work often explores the worlds of people with unusual obsessions or life stories, from a Turkish transvestite to an English horticulturalist who is the world’s foremost expert on the amaryllis, to six people who believe that they have been reincarnated.

“‘Paradise’ is told through words of 24 typical and atypical Californians, each of whom plays a role in the construction of paradise and is filmed in a wide-screen format suggestive of Hollywood films.

“‘Paradise’ is installed in two concentric circles of monitors with a changing central figure, 24 people in total. Each is audible only through earphones, necessitating one-on-one interaction with each storyteller. Ataman presents this circle of personalities and ideas and weaves parable about paradise in America.

The exhibition will be accompanied by a full color catalog featuring photo of the interviewees taken on location by Ataman and essays.

The museum is at 850 San Clement Drive. For information, www.ocma.net or 949-759-1122.

N.C. WYETH HOUSE, STUDIO TOURS RESUME APRIL 1 IN CHADDS FORD, PENN, 1 cut

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CHADDS FORD, PENN. — The restored home and art studio of American illustrator N.C. Wyeth reopens for public tours on April 1. Tours depart from the Brandywine River Museum by shuttle Tuesday through Sunday at timed intervals through November 18.

In 1911, with the proceeds from his illustrations for Treasure Island, Wyeth purchased 18 acres of land on Rocky Hill in the village of Chadds Ford. Possessed of “the most glorious sight in the township,” Wyeth built his home and studio overlooking the valley. Here he set down roots, which for nine decades have nourished a family of great creativity. He lived there until his death in 1945, and Mrs Wyeth continued to live in the house until 1973.

The Brandywine River Museum now owns the house and studio, as well as thousands of items that were part of the life of the Wyeth family and props that were part of the engrossing career of N.C. Wyeth. Tours allow visitors to experience the environment where Wyeth created many of his memorable works of art and the house where he raised his five gifted children. The N.C. Wyeth House and Studio is a National Landmark and a member of the Historic Artists’ Homes and Studios group of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Admission is $5 per person in addition to museum admission. Children under 6 are not permitted on the tour. Admission is free for Brandywine Conservancy members. The tours last approximately one hour and are offered at timed intervals, Tuesday through Sunday. Reservations are not required.

Transportation to the House and Studio is by Brandywine River Museum shuttle bus only. The tour is handicapped accessible. For information, www.brandywinemuseum.org or 610-388-2700.

 

 

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