9 Screens

In 2008 The Museum of Modern Art invited artist Nicolas Guagnini to examine the institution’s inner workings, share his comments, and design a project based on his critique. Guagnini observed that MoMA could create more opportunities for artists by installing artworks in the Museum’s interstitial spaces (outside the galleries) and become more topical and current in its programming by compressing the amount of time (usually several years) required to plan and realize an exhibition. Guagnini identified the nine information screens in the Museum’s lobby as an ideal site for an exhibition redressing his concerns, and he invited a group of New York artists to join him in making work for it.

The New York–based artists and collectives in the exhibition are Fia Backström, Alejandro Cesarco, Bernadette Corporation, John Pilson, and Union Gaucha Productions (which Guagnini cofounded). The videos run between twelve minutes and over three hours in length, and cover a range of styles and content, from what happens in the non-exhibition spaces of the Museum to a day in the life of a lawyer. Each video will be shown on a continuous loop for a three-week duration during the run of the exhibition.

Screening schedule:

February 3–22: Alejandro Cesarco, Turning Some Pages
February 24–March 15: Union Gaucha Productions, As Long as It Lasts
March 17–April 5: Bernadette Corporation, The Big Clock
April 7–26: John Pilson, Frolic and Detour
April 28–May 17: Fia Backström, Misty Harbor—at your leisure