Material World

May 19, 2013 – January 4, 2015

From recycled plastics and bound clothing to woven silks and charred tree limbs, Material World illustrates the wide range of materials and techniques used by contemporary artists. Largely drawn from the museum’s collection, with key loans from local collections, this exhibition illustrates the inventiveness of artists from many cultures and geographies. This group of emerging and internationally recognized artists pushes traditional notions of textile art, sculpture, painting, photography, and installation art to new limits.

Sometimes subversive in their use of materials, the artists in this exhibition address issues such as natural disasters, environmental waste, urban sprawl, and gender inequality as they further challenge our concepts of what art can be.

Recent acquisitions by Shinique Smith, Leonardo Drew, Tucker Nichols, and Ernesto Neto will be on view for the first time ever.

Material World was part of the summer 2013 campus-wide exhibition Spun: Adventures in Textiles.

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Hamilton Building, Level 4
Included in general admission

Lucas Samaras, Reconstruction #20, 1977. Sewn fabrics; 87 x 85 in. Denver Art Museum; National Endowment for the Arts, Dayton Hudson Foundation, Alliance for Contemporary Art M/M Edward Strauss, M/M Donald S. Graham, and anonymous donor, © the artist. Detail.

Chuck Close, Lucas/Rug, 1993. Silk and linen; 80 x 66-3/4 in. Denver Art Museum; Funds from 1994 Alliance for Contemporary Art Auction, © the artist.

Agustina Woodgate, No Rain No Rainbows, 2011. Stuffed animal skins and thread; 114 x 192 in. Lent by the artist. © the artist; Courtesy Spinello Projects, Miami.

Material World, at the Denver Art Museum

Material World, at the Denver Art Museum

Material World, at the Denver Art Museum

Material World, at the Denver Art Museum

Material World, at the Denver Art Museum

Material World, at the Denver Art Museum

Material World, at the Denver Art Museum

Spun: Adventures in Textiles is organized by the Denver Art Museum. Funding is provided by the generous donors to the Annual Fund Leadership Campaign and the citizens who support the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD).

Material World is organized by the Denver Art Museum. Funding is provided by Vicki and Kent Logan, the generous donors to the Annual Fund Leadership Campaign, and the citizens who support the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD).