Contested Territory January 30, 2011

All genres of art -- whether painting, sculpture, photography, or video -- come to a point in their histories where so much has been done and so much has been achieved that it is a challenge for artists to find new approaches that allow us to see them afresh. It is exactly this challenge that motivates many artists and sets apart true innovation and commitment. Such struggles are frequently visible in the objects themselves, where the process and material involved in the making of the work are inextricably entangled with the commentary or content. This exhibition, using works drawn from the MCA's collection, explores the continued conversation between history and present as well as the artist's ongoing duel with tradition as they test themselves, their materials, and the tradition of painting to keep it relevant and alive.