Author Description

"are you experienced? explores immediacy and immanence in the practices of some of the world's leading artists; highlighting a recent approach in contemporary art wherein the experience of the work is all-encompassing. To be present with the work is to understand it. This catalogue accompanies an exhibition of the same name, on view at the Art Gallery of Hamilton through summer and fall 2015, curated by Melissa Bennett, Curator of Contemporary Art at the Art Gallery of Hamilton. The show takes the viewer on a journey through which affect, evocation, empathy, synesthesia, the unconscious and sensual perception live together, providing a context for both reflection and engagement. Beyond the physical presence of the artworks, the exhibition explores subtle themes such as transcendence, and the ways in which an artwork can be both immanent and starkly present, while engaging with conceptual or political undercurrents. The featured artists, which include Olafur Eliasson, Do Ho Suh, Hadley & Maxwell, Jessica Eaton and more, incorporate intuitive gestures within their practices, with the resulting sensory experience in mind. Contributors include Melissa Bennett, Jennifer Fisher and Jim Drobnick, and Gabrielle Moser."--Publisher's description.