![\"MagdalenaFernandez\"](\"http:\/\/vaearts.org\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/MagdalenaFernandez.png\")
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
\nTuesday, July 28, 2015
\nTHE MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART, LOS ANGELES, PRESENTS
\nMAGDALENA FERN\u00c1NDEZ
\nTHE FIRST MAJOR U.S. MUSEUM EXHIBITION OF WORK BY THE INFLUENTIAL VENEZUELAN ARTIST<\/p>\n
October 3, 2015\u2013January 3, 2016
\nMOCA Pacific Design Center
\n8687 Melrose Avenue
\nWest Hollywood, CA 90069<\/p>\n
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LOS ANGELES\u2014The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, presents Magdalena Fern\u00e1ndez, the first major museum exhibition of the artist\u2019s work presented in the United States. Organized by Alma Ruiz, Magdalena Fern\u00e1ndez features six videos and one site-specific installation by the artist at MOCA Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood.<\/p>\n
A well-known and influential Venezuelan artist, Fern\u00e1ndez has built her practice upon the foundation of Latin American modernist abstraction that took root in her native country at the beginning of the 20th century. Fern\u00e1ndez\u2019s multidisciplinary work incorporates light, movement, and sound, following traditions established by renowned compatriot artists Gego (1912\u201394), Alejandro Otero (1921\u201390), and Jes\u00fas Rafael Soto (1923\u20132005).<\/p>\n
Fern\u00e1ndez\u2019s artistic practice is deeply connected to the natural world, especially the tropical fauna and flora of her hometown of Caracas, as well as to formal modernist sensibilities. Her extensive background in graphic design\u2014acquired as a student at the Instituto de Dise\u00f1o Fundaci\u00f3n Neumann, and later as a designer in the studio of minimalist Italian architect-designer A.G. Fronzoni (1923\u20132002)\u2014has greatly influenced the visual, sensorial, and experiential aspects that distinguish her work. Art historian Julia P. Herzberg describes Fern\u00e1ndez as \u201cone of the most innovative exponents of contemporary geometric abstraction in the Americas.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the video 1pm006 (Ara ararauna) (2006), Fern\u00e1ndez creates temporary disorder in an otherwise disciplined composition of vivid blue, yellow, and green geometric shapes abruptly shifting in concert with the strident sounds of the macaw, a tropical bird found in native Venezuela. 1pmS011 (2011), a video from the Mobile Paintings series, uses the sound frequencies of frogs, birds, and a crowing rooster to animate abstract geometric imagery. In this work, Fern\u00e1ndez layers rows of white dots of varying dimensions over a black background to achieve a moir\u00e9 effect. The video alludes to Jes\u00fas Rafael Soto\u2019s early optical works, specifically D\u00e9placement d\u2019un \u00e9l\u00e9ment lumineux (1954). Fern\u00e1ndez\u2019s installation 2i015 (Luci\u00e9rnaga) (2015), created for this exhibition, activates the stairs leading up to the second-floor gallery. Reminiscent of fireflies, the flickering LED lights in this dramatic work will guide visitors through a darkened environment to create the effect of walking in an open field on a summer night.<\/p>\n
The method Fern\u00e1ndez uses to title her works is both scientific and intuitive. Each work that she makes within a specific year is numbered sequentially beginning with the numeral 1. Lowercase letters, as the second component of her titles, indicate the medium of the artwork; for example, e represents estructura (structure) and i stands for instalaci\u00f3n (installation). Fern\u00e1ndez also uses lowercase initials to designate particular series, such as pm for pintura m\u00f3vil (mobile painting) or dm for dibujo m\u00f3vil (mobile drawing). When referencing artists, she will include their initials; PM signifies Piet Mondrian and S is for Jes\u00fas Rafael Soto. The last three numbers of her titles indicate the year the work was completed; e.g., 006 for 2006 and 011 for 2011. Finally, scientific names of relevant animals are included in parentheses. As one becomes familiar with Fern\u00e1ndez\u2019s system, the titles and the process of decoding them offer a way to further engage with her constellation of ideas.<\/p>\n
Magdalena Fern\u00e1ndez (b. 1964, Caracas; lives and works in Caracas) has been featured in solo and group exhibitions at galleries and museums throughout the world, including Instituto de Canarias Cabrera Pinto, Canary Islands, and the Bronx Museum of the Arts, New York (both 2014); Museo Universitario del Chopo, Mexico City (2012); Haus Konstructiv, Zurich, and Muzeum Sztuki, Lodz, Poland (both 2010); and Cisneros Fontanals Art Foundation, Miami, and Museo de Arte Contempor\u00e1neo, Caracas (both 2006). In 2009, she represented Venezuela at the 53rd Venice Biennale.<\/p>\n
Magdalena Fern\u00e1ndez is organized by curator Alma Ruiz and The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles.<\/p>\n
Generous support for MOCA Pacific Design Center is provided by Charles S. Cohen.<\/p>\n
Additional support is provided by The Philip and Muriel Berman Foundation and The Venezuelan American Endowment for the Arts.<\/p>\n
In-kind media support is provided by KCETLink.<\/p>\n
Image credit: Magdalena Fern\u00e1ndez, 2i015 (3D rendering), 2015, LED lights, dimensions variable, rendering by aptoverde.info, courtesy of the artist<\/p>\n
Please check moca.org for updates on related programing.<\/p>\n
RELATED PROGRAMS\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n MEMBERS\u2019 OPENING<\/strong> ART TALK: MAGDALENA FERN\u00c1NDEZ AND ALMA RUIZ<\/strong> THE MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART, LOS ANGELES (MOCA)<\/strong> MEDIA CONTACTS Eva Seta,\u00a0Communications Coordinator
\nFriday, October 2, 7-9pm
\nMOCA Pacific Design Center
\nFREE for MOCA members; no reservations necessary
\nINFO 213\/621-1794 or membership@moca.org<\/p>\n
\nSunday, October 4, 3pm
\nWest Hollywood Council Chambers
\n625 N. San Vicente Blvd.
\nWest Hollywood, CA 90069
\nFREE<\/p>\n
\nAbout MOCA: Founded in 1979, MOCA\u2019s vision is to be the defining museum of contemporary art. In a relatively short period of time, MOCA has achieved astonishing growth with three Los Angeles locations of architectural renown; a world-class permanent collection of more than 6,800 objects, international in scope and among the finest in the world; hallmark education programs that are widely emulated; award-winning publications that present original scholarship; groundbreaking monographic, touring, and thematic exhibitions of international repute that survey the art of our time; and cutting-edge engagement with modes of new media production. MOCA is a not-for-profit institution that relies on a variety of funding sources for its activities.
\nHours: MOCA Grand Avenue (located at 250 South Grand Avenue in downtown Los Angeles) is open Monday and Friday from 11am to 5pm; Thursday from 11am to 8pm; Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 6pm; and closed on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA (located at 152 North Central Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90012) has the same hours as MOCA Grand Avenue during exhibitions. Please call ahead or go to moca.org for the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA exhibition schedule. MOCA Pacific Design Center (located at 8687 Melrose Avenue, West Hollywood, CA 90069) is open Tuesday through Friday from 11am to 5pm; Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 6pm; and closed on Monday. The MOCA Store at MOCA Grand Avenue (located at 250 South Grand Avenue) is open Monday through Wednesday and Friday from 10:30am to 5:30pm; Thursday from 10:30am to 8:30pm; and Saturday and Sunday from 10:30am to 6:30pm.
\nMuseum Admission: General admission is free for all MOCA members. General admission is also free for everyone at MOCA Grand Avenue and The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA on Thursdays from 5pm to 8pm, courtesy of Wells Fargo. General admission is always free at MOCA Pacific Design Center. General admission at MOCA Grand Avenue and the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA is $12 for adults; $7 for students with I.D. and seniors (65+); and free for children under 12.
\nMore Information: For 24-hour information on current exhibitions, education programs, and special events, call 213\/626-6222 or access MOCA online at moca.org.
\n***<\/p>\n
\nSarah Stifler,\u00a0Chief Communications Officer
\n213-633-5363 –\u00a0sstifler@moca.org<\/p>\n
\n213-633-5322 –\u00a0eseta@moca.org<\/p>\n
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