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Contact: Stacey Czar, Public Relations Director
Contemporary Arts Center
Lois & Richard Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art
44 East Sixth Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202
Tel: 513.345.8415 E-mail: pr@CACmail.org
www.ContemporaryArtsCenter.org

New Lobby Installation Makes Kaplan Hall Sing and Glow
João Paulo Feliciano's Installation: The Blues Quartet
is the Newest Installation to Transform CAC's Windowed Public Space

May 18 @ 6:30 pm through September 17, 2007

CINCINNATI-Portuguese artist and musician João Paulo Feliciano is the latest artist to transform the Contemporary Arts Center's Kaplan Hall into a public exhibition space. His visual-aural crossover installation The Blues Quartet explores the ways light and sound interact with their environment in the CAC's expansive, windowed lobby.
The installation features two multi-media interactive works and two graphic wall installations. The title work in the exhibition The Blues Quartet consists of four different lamps at the corners of a table-top stage with planes of transparent blue Perspex dividing the space into four sectors. The lights flicker and blink in response to music played through an iPod programmed by Feliciano and a diverse roster of musicians, curators, composers and artists.

The colorful reflections, patterns, mingling of light, tint and sound create a bewildering and surprising choreography. Because the effect is unpredictable, the installation is truly part sculpture, part event. This somewhat random system takes on a personality, changing its form and light quality with its environment and surroundings.

The exhibition continues with the works Kaleidoscopic Blues Machine, a self-contained video kaleidoscope; Blues For Christmas, a group of 15 collages made from photo sessions featuring The Blues Quartet; and The Blues Quartet Poster Series, an installation of posters covering Kaplan Hall's prominent main wall facing Sixth Street.

This installation marks the fourth Kaplan Hall exhibition. The street-level lobby has hosted the works of Tony Oursler, SIMPARCH and Katharina Grosse since it was first designated as exhibition space.

The work opens with an Artist's Reception and discussion. The discussion is at 6:30 pm in the Performance Space. The reception follows in Kaplan Hall. This event is FREE and open to the public.

In addition to this new installation in Kaplan Hall, Feliciano brings another work of his to the Sara A. and Patricia M. Vance Education Center: The UnMuseum®, Discussion Brings Enlightenment. Two lamps on a table flicker in response to one another in a humorous "conversation." One is a Modernist, the other a Romantic, and their dialogue mirrors the lamps' style.

Feliciano's UnMuseum® installation Discussion Brings Enlightenment opens with an Artist's Reception Saturday, May 19, 1-3 pm.
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About João Paulo Feliciano
João Paulo Feliciano (born 1963, Portugal) has exhibited and performed around the world as an artist, designer and musician. His music projects include the bands Tina and the Top Ten and No Noise Reduction. Both performed extensively throughout Portugal in varied venues and once opened for Sonic Youth in Lisbon. Feliciano's artwork would later be used as an alternate cover for Sonic Youth's Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star. Recent solo exhibitions of Feliciano's work have been held at Culturgest and Cristina Guerra Contemporary Art, Lisbon and Museu de Arte Contemporanea, Serralves. Feliciano participated in the 2004 Sao Paulo Biennial, Brazil and has exhibited in numerous venues throughout Europe and South America. This exhibition is his first museum exhibition in the United States.

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Events celebrating this exhibition

Friday, May 18, 2007, 6:30 - 10 pm, The Performance Space and Kaplan Hall, FREE
Artist's Reception and Discussion: The Blues Quartet by João Paulo Feliciano
Following his artist talk at 6:30 pm, please join João Paulo Feliciano in Kaplan Hall to celebrate his new installation in Kaplan Hall The Blues Quartet.
OPENING

Saturday, May 19, 2007, 1-3 pm, The UnMuseum®, FREE with Museum admission
UnMuseum® Artist's Reception: Discussion Brings Enlightenment by João Paulo Feliciano
Come celebrate the opening of Discussion Brings Enlightenment, a whimsical new artwork in the UnMuseum® by João Paulo Feliciano. Enjoy refreshments and a sweet surprise from Take the Cake.
OPENING

Saturday, September 15, 8 pm, Kaplan Hall, $5
The Blues Quartet Live Performance
A remarkable group of international musicians performs live with João Paulo Feliciano and his sound-and-light sculpture.
SPECIAL EVENT

Exhibition-related merchandise available in the CAC Store. Members save 10%.







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About the Contemporary Arts Center
Founded in November 1939 as the Modern Art Society by three visionary women in Cincinnati, Contemporary Arts Center was one of the first institutions in the U.S. dedicated to exhibiting the art of our time. In May 2003, the Center relocated to its first free-standing home, the Lois & Richard Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art, designed by Zaha Hadid. Throughout its distinguished history, the Center has earned a reputation for stimulating thought and introducing new ideas by presenting the work of diverse artists from around the world, including hundreds of now-famous artists such as Laurie Anderson, Jasper Johns, Louise Nevelson, Nam June Paik, I.M. Pei, Pablo Picasso, Robert Rauschenberg, Kara Walker and Andy Warhol. CAC focuses on new developments in painting, sculpture, photography, architecture, performance art and new media, presenting eight to 12 exhibitions and 20 to 40 performances annually.
Hours
Monday: 10 am-9 pm (5 pm-9 pm free admission)
Tuesday: Closed
Wednesday - Friday: 10 am-6 pm
Saturday & Sunday: 11 am-6 pm
Admission
Adults $7.50; Seniors (65+) $6.50; Students w/ID $5.50; Children (3-13) $4.50
Members and Children under 3 free. Annual memberships start at $45.
The CAC receives ongoing support from the Fine Arts Fund, Ohio Arts Council, City of Cincinnati and AllOver Media.


2006-2007 Fine Arts Fund Partners:
Procter & Gamble, GE Aircraft Engines, Fifth Third Bank, Macy's Inc./MCCS, Cinergy Corp., Convergys Corporation, U.S. Bank, The Kroger Company, Western & Southern Financial Group, American Financial Group and Related Entities, Cincinnati Bell, E.W. Scripps, Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc., Cincinnati Financial Corp.

For more information, visit www.contemporaryartscenter.org.

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