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SEQUENCE:18656914
CREATED:20090701T204800Z
DESCRIPTION:Moby-Dick is the second show in a trilogy of Wattis Institute exhibitions 
 that are based on canonical American novels. The first, The Wizard of Oz, 
 was presented in fall 2008; the third will be The Adventures of Huckleberry 
 Finn, in fall 2010. All three stories have major themes related to 
 exploration and (self-)discovery, and the corresponding exhibitions 
 function as metaphorical journeys through which the audience experiences 
 various notions of America's reality, both contemporary and historic. 
 Established and emerging contemporary artists from around the world are 
 invited to address the key themes of the books and the historical moments 
 in which they were written. Many of the artists create new commissions 
 specifically for the shows.\n\nThis investigation of America and its 
 realities through the lens of literature by means of artworks, artifacts, 
 and historical documents is unique to the Wattis Institute. Moby-Dick will 
 encompass a wide range of works, including sculpture, film, video, drawing, 
 and photography.\n\nPARTICIPATING ARTISTS:\n\nKenneth Anger, Mark Bradford, 
 Marcel Broodthaers, Angela Bulloch, Tom Burr, Edgar Cleijne and Ellen 
 Gallagher, Tacita Dean, Trisha Donnelly, Marcel Dzama, Felix 
 Gonzalez-Torres, Rodney Graham, John Gutmann, Katsushika Hokusai, Evan 
 Holloway, Peter Hutton, Colter Jacobsen, Brian Jungen, Buster Keaton, Mateo 
 Lopez, Jorge Macchi, Kris Martin, Henrik Olesen, Paulina Olowska, Damián 
 Ortega, Kirsten Pieroth, Tim Rollins and K.O.S., Richard Serra, Andreas 
 Slominski, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Orson Welles, Richard Wentworth\n\nHerman 
 Melville's epic novel Moby-Dick, first published in 1851, is one the most 
 mythologized American stories. From its famous opening line, "Call me 
 Ishmael," the tale of Captain Ahab's obsessive pursuit of the whale 
 Moby-Dick is as familiar as Dorothy and her travels to the Land of Oz, 
 although Melville's book is less widely read and perhaps more multifaceted 
 than L. Frank Baum's. Moby-Dick is notable, and sometimes criticized, for 
 its convoluted narrative, complex structural devices, and lengthy passages 
 devoted to the mundane details of the whaling industry. Despite its mixed 
 reception upon publication, however, it has become firmly entrenched in the 
 popular psyche and the canon of American literature.\n\nMoby-Dick is based 
 on Melville's own experiences at sea, particularly the months he spent in 
 1841–42 on the whaling ship Acushnet. It is also believed to be 
 influenced by contemporary accounts of the sinking of the Essex, a 
 Nantucket whaling ship destroyed in 1820 by a sperm whale off the coast of 
 South America, and the killing of the white sperm whale Mocha Dick in the 
 late 1830s. In the novel, Ishmael narrates his voyage on the Pequod, 
 commanded by Captain Ahab, who is relentlessly pursuing Moby-Dick. During a 
 previous encounter the whale had destroyed Ahab's boat and taken his leg. 
 Ahab's failed quest for revenge, and the plight of his doomed crew (except 
 Ishmael, who survives), is the primary narrative thread.\n\nThe novel's 
 structure and the Wattis Institute's experimental curatorial approach have 
 much in common. Both investigate how narrative and ideology, essential 
 components of literature and curatorial practice alike, are conveyed. They 
 are also analogous in their examination of the relationships between reader 
 and narrator, audience and curator/artist.\n\nIn addition to the featured 
 artworks, the exhibition will include a large display of the well-known 
 illustrations by Rockwell Kent made for the 1930 Lakeside Press edition of 
 Moby-Dick and various 19th-century whaling artifacts such as harpoons, 
 scrimshaw, and maps. Together these components will reflect the novel's 
 myriad themes and issues, including religion and faith; obsession, death, 
 and defeat; race, class, and social status; friendship; homosexuality; 
 absurdity (in both characters and ambitions); naive utopias; and, of 
 course, humanity and humor.\n\nFounding support for CCA Wattis Institute 
 for Contemporary Arts programs has been provided by Phyllis C. Wattis and 
 Judy and Bill Timken. Generous support provided by the Phyllis C. Wattis 
 Foundation, Grants for the Arts / San Francisco Hotel Tax Fund, Ann Hatch 
 and Paul Discoe, and the CCA Curator's Forum.\n 
 https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/07/01/18605062.php
SUMMARY:CCA Wattis presents Moby Dick
LOCATION: CCA Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts\nEighth Street\nSan Francisco, 
 USA\n94107
URL:https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/07/01/18605062.php
DTSTART:20090922T180000Z
DTEND:20090922T190000Z
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