VCU news

By Maura Scanlon and Megan Ardery / Isabel Sinistore

The Institute for Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University presents “Nir Evron: Projected Claims” from Nov. 6, 2015, to Jan. 17, 2016, at the university’s Depot Gallery, 814 W. Broad Street. The ICA is curating various projects throughout the city of Richmond and beyond while its building is under construction in Richmond’s downtown arts district. This exhibition, ICA Curator Lauren Ross’ first for the institution, examines the architecture and built environment of Israel and the broader region through photography and film.

In conjunction with the presentation of “Projected Claims,” Evron is in residence at VCU’s acclaimed School of the Arts during the fall 2015 semester, teaching in the Department of Photography and Film.

Working in film, video and photography, Evron explores the intersections of history, culture, politics, identity, religion and shifting borders, primarily focused on his native Israel and its areas of conflict. “Projected Claims” examines these sweeping forces through landscape, architecture and city planning. The exhibition will feature a combination of new and recent works, including three projected videos — “In Virgin Land,” “Oriental Arch,” and “A Free Moment” — as well as selections from “Threshold,” a series of doubly exposed black-and-white photographs. Evron shot this series in Rawabi, a Palestinian city under development in the West Bank. Evron’s photographs layer double exposures of windows and doorways of the city’s buildings under construction. The artist’s focus on architectural thresholds echoes the fragile status of the city, itself on the threshold of existence, and demonstrates the artist’s mastery of film, video and photography, combining technical craft with rigorous conceptual exploration.

“Nir’s work is an excellent precedent for the thought-provoking contemporary art from around the world that we plan to present at the ICA,” says Director Lisa Freiman, Ph.D. “Art touches upon many diverse aspects of contemporary life. We’re committed to sharing today’s most dynamic art with the general public, while at the same time cultivating strong involvement with faculty and students from a range of disciplines throughout the university. We are very pleased to partner with the School of the Arts to bring Evron to VCU and to Richmond.”

Evron’s work focuses on sites in states of growth and decline, whose locations and histories make them inextricably bound with the politics of contested ownership and function. For example, “Oriental Arch” and “A Free Moment” were both filmed at sites in Jerusalem that changed control after the Six-Day War in 1967. “In Virgin Land” explores claims to the Holy Land throughout the course of history.

“I am incredibly excited to bring Nir Evron’s work to Richmond,” says Ross. “The strange beauty of the work is immediately captivating, but it is Nir’s subtle yet powerful engagement with complex subjects that truly resonates.”

The ICA, under construction at one of Richmond’s most visible intersections, will be a combination exhibition and performance space, laboratory and incubator for the presentation of visual art, performance and film by nationally and internationally recognized artists. Designed by Steven Holl Architects, the ICA is a non-collecting institution that presents an array of different media and practices, mirroring the VCU School of the Arts’ cross-disciplinary approach.

Ross curated “Nir Evron: Projected Claims” during her tenure at the Philbrook Museum of Art in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on view from May 3 to Oct. 17 with support from The Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation and The Artis Grant Program. Ross expanded the exhibition for the ICA’s presentation at the Depot Gallery with additional support from The Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation and Altria Group. Evron’s residency at VCU is made possible by the Israel Institute, which is dedicated to enhancing knowledge and study of modern Israel, and by the VCU Global Education Office through a 2015-16 Quest Impact Award.

“Nir Evron: Projected Claims”

The Depot Gallery, 814 W. Broad St.

Opening reception: Friday, Nov. 6. from 5 p.m. – 8 p.m.

Gallery talk by the artist: Wednesday, Nov. 18, at 5:30 p.m.

Pictured above: “Threshold (frame #24),” 2015, Archival inkjet print. Courtesy of the artist and Chelouche Gallery, Tel Aviv.

For more information about the ICA, please visit ica.vcu.edu 

About the artist
Nir Evron (b. 1974, Israel) lives in Tel Aviv. He has had solo exhibitions at LAXART in Los Angeles; the Center for Contemporary Art, Tel Aviv; Herzeliya Museum of Contemporary Art; among other venues. His work has been included in group exhibitions at such venues as The Israel Museum, Jerusalem and Neuberger Museum of Art, and has been included in many international exhibitions, including the 19th Biennale of Sydney (2014); The International Center of Photography Triennial in New York (2013); and the 6th Berlin Biennale (2010). His work is in the collections of Deutsche Bank, Frankfurt; The Israel Museum; and The Tel Aviv Museum. Evron is the 2015 recipient of the Miron Sima Prize for the Visual Arts, a biannual prize awarded to Israeli artists. Evron received his BFA in photography and media from Bezalel Academy in Jerusalem and his MFA from the Slade School of Art in London. Since 2007, he has been a professor of photography at Bezalel. He is represented by Chelouche Gallery, Tel Aviv.

About the Institute for Contemporary Art
The Institute for Contemporary Art (ICA) at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) is a non-collecting institution that showcases a fresh slate of changing exhibitions ranging from innovative visual and performing arts to various forms of design and film. Part exhibition and performance space and part laboratory and incubator, the ICA provides a place to explore new ideas, objects, experiences and materials related to the central issues of our time. Mirroring the cross-disciplinary approach at the VCU School of the Arts (VCUarts), one of the nation’s leading art schools, the ICA creates a new environment for artists from around the world to test unconventional ideas and inspire audiences from throughout Richmond and around the world. This dynamic setting supports a mix of artistic vision, creative collaboration, and community engagement with the goal of questioning assumptions, encouraging critical discourse, and illuminating our lives.

The 3-story, 41,000 square foot building, sited at Richmond’s busiest intersection on the corner of Belvidere and Broad streets directly off of Interstate 95, will form a gateway to the university and the city. Designed by Steven Holl Architects, the ICA will feature dual entrances—one facing Richmond and the other fronting VCU’s campus. The first floor of the ICA includes a large gallery, cafe, shop, and open forum for community events. The second floor holds an additional two galleries and a "flexible learning space" for educational programming that will be open to the public free of charge. The third floor features a dramatic, 35-foot tall gallery for oversized installations and suspended artworks, as well as the administrative suite and boardroom. The lower level holds art storage and prep areas, a wood shop, a green room for performers, a lower lobby for visitors, the catering kitchen, and additional offices for staff. Additionally, the ICA building will include a 250-seat auditorium for screenings, performances, and a variety of programs designed for the entire Richmond community. To date, the ICA has just $2.2 million remaining in its capital campaign. An endowment campaign is ongoing.

About VCU and VCU Health
Virginia Commonwealth University is a major, urban public research university with national and international rankings in sponsored research. Located in downtown Richmond, VCU enrolls more than 31,000 students in 226 degree and certificate programs in the arts, sciences and humanities. Sixty-seven of the programs are unique in Virginia, many of them crossing the disciplines of VCU’s 13 schools and one college. The only academic medical center and Level I trauma center in the region, VCU Health comprises five health sciences schools (Allied Health Professions, Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy), VCU Medical Center, Community Memorial Hospital, Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU, VCU Massey Cancer Center and Virginia Premier. For more, please visit www.vcu.edu and vcuhealth.org