Las Vegas Residency 2017
About
2017 marks the second edition of Zabludowicz Collection's artist residency programme in Las Vegas, USA. Five international artists have been invited to engage with this unique cultural location and direct research for work in response to their experiences of the city. As a globally famous tourist destination, a centre for conferences and trade fairs focussed on technology and industry, and a functioning city built upon an area of outstanding natural beauty, Las Vegas provides a fascinating array of opportunities for artists to develop their ideas and practices. The residency initiative emerges out of the Zabludowicz family’s ownership of real estate in Downtown Vegas, and their longstanding interest in exploring how different aspects of contemporary visual culture might coexist in the city. As part of the residency, artists are encouraged to connect with art museums and education courses based in the city.
Participating artists Sarah Cwynar, Casey Jane Ellison, Matthew Day Jackson, Hannah Perry, and Puppies Puppies share an interest in how concepts of artifice and authenticity are negotiated both in our individual lives and through visual culture at large. Residencies will take place over four weeks from January 2017.
Hannah Perry will be working with collaborators to develop new work inspired by representations of the body and desire in the context of leisure and tourism industries.
Casey Jane Ellison is expanding on recent research, using Las Vegas performance residencies as an entry point for examining how female agency is altered by fame and commodification.
Sara Cwynar will be filming various locations in and around Las Vegas, including the Hoover Dam and the Strip, as research to inform a future project.
Puppies Puppies continues the production of ongoing work, expected to debut at this year’s Whitney Biennial, inspired by debate surrounding the Second Amendment of the American Constitution.
Matthew Day Jackson has developed a proposal for a two-part live performance and film project that has emerged in direct response to a specific location in Las Vegas.
Zabludowicz Collection currently organise bi-annual artist residencies in two contrasting locations, Las Vegas, USA, and the island of Sarvisalo, Finland. Residencies are invite-only and artists are provided with ongoing curatorial support throughout.
