A large-scale and site-specific art installation tagged, “Memory Ship” by Savannah-based artist Chris Nitsche will open on Friday, November 7 at the Spartanburg Art Museum in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
The ship is created from salvaged and reclaimed wood. The 50-foot ship’s hull will bisect gallery walls and offer viewers access to several portals within the ship to see small vignettes that express the artist’s ideas and associations with memory. Included in the exhibition will be Nitsche’s drawings, based on deconstructing the familiar ship form and his smaller found-object sculptures.
Memory Ship will be unlike anything SAM has exhibited in the past. “One of my goals when I began working at SAM last fall was to bring extraordinary contemporary art into the galleries,” Elizabeth Goddard, Executive Director of SAM, said. “My professional background includes years of curating contemporary art, and it is incredibly relevant to today’s culture. I love art history, but I can really sink into the ideas contemporary artists bring to the foreground of visitor’s experiences. Memory Ship will not only be visually stunning and impressive, it will be conceptually accessible to all whom engage with it because we all have memories and can relate to the memories of others individually as well as collectively. SAM is very fortunate to provide visitors with such an impactful exhibition, and working with Nitsche has been an honor.”
For more information call (864) 582-7616. Editor’s note: At the opening, a reception will be from 5:00 to 8:00 pm and at 6:30 pm, artist Nitsche (www.chrisnitsche.com) will speak about his work.
