USA Today called Oklahoma City “a veritable outdoor gallery” when it declared the city the best place to view public art in America. Now, Oklahoma Contemporary is bringing murals indoors with Abstract Remix, an exhibition of the work of homegrown Abstract Expressionists who use the large-scale format of muralism as a medium for their giant concepts.
Abstract Remix focuses on non-figurative murals that convey the ideas of things rather than realistically depicting them. As the 20th century Abstract Expressionist Jay Meuser once wrote, “It is far better to capture the glorious spirit of the sea than to paint all of its tiny ripples.”
Abstract Remix is installed in the Mary LeFlore Clements Oklahoma Gallery, a space dedicated to showcasing Oklahoma artists, and the artists painted their murals directly on the walls. Associate Curator Pablo Barrera said, Abstract Remix returns murals to their interior roots: from cave paintings to religious frescos of the Renaissance period, murals were largely an indoor phenomenon. In some ways, the Great Depression-era Works Progress Administration’s embrace of outdoor muralism and the graffiti movement of the 1970sliberated mural artists to create more public art.
Additional Abstract Remix coverage:
Oklahoma City artist Rhianna Deck goes big with hometown murals
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Works of abstract expressionism come together for big impact
The Oklahoman
Abstract Remix
Oklahoma Gazette
