Eternal Youth
Images
Larry Clark, Untitled (KIDS), 1995. Chromogenic development print; 16 × 20 in. (40.6 × 50.8 cm). Collection Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, gift from The Howard and Donna Stone Collection, 2002.16.1
Photo: Michal Raz-Russo, © MCA Chicago
Wolfgang Tillmans, The Cock (Kiss), 2002. Chromogenic development print; 24 × 20 1/8 in. (61 × 51.1 cm). Collection Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Joseph and Jory Shapiro Fund by exchange, 2006.15. © Wolfgang Tillmans. Courtesy of David Zwirner, New York, Galerie Buchholz, Cologne/Berlin, and Maureen Paley, London
Photo: Michael David Rose, © MCA Chicago
Dawoud Bey, Carrie I, 1997. Internal dye diffusion transfer print; six parts, each: 30 3/4 × 23 3/8 in. (78.1 × 59.4 cm); installed: 61 1/2 × 70 1/8 in. (156.2 × 178.1 cm). Collection Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, restricted gift of Jane and Gary Wilner, Anita Blanchard and Martin Nesbitt, Lynn and Allen Turner, James Reynolds, Sandra P. and Jack Guthman, and members of the New Group, 2002.80.a–f
Photo: Nathan Keay, © MCA Chicago
Francesca Woodman, On Being An Angel, Providence, Rhode Island, Spring 1977, 1977. Gelatin silver print; sheet: 8 x 10 in. (20.3 x 25.4 cm). Collection Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, gift from The Howard and Donna Stone Collection, 2002.73. © 1977 Francesca Woodman
Photo: Nathan Keay, © MCA Chicago
Melanie Schiff, Spit Rainbow, 2006. Chromogenic development print; 29 × 39 1/2 in. (73.7 × 100.3 cm). Collection Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, restricted gift of Kay and Malcolm Kamin and Kay Torshen in honor of the MCA's 40th anniversary, 2007.34
Photo: Nathan Keay, © MCA Chicago
Jack Pierson, Ocean Drive, 1985. Edition 2 of 25; chromogenic development print; 30 x 20 in. (76.2 x 50.1 cm). Collection Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, restricted gift of The Dave Hokin Foundation, 1995.119.6. © 1985 Jack Pierson
Photo: Nathan Keay, © MCA Chicago
Tim Gardner, Untitled (Bhoadie with St. Alphonsus statue), 1999. Watercolor on paper; framed: 16 13/16 × 18 5/16 in. (42.6 × 46.7 cm). Collection Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, gift of Carla Emil and Rich Silverstein, 2014.43. © Tim Gardner, courtesy of 303 Gallery, New York
Photo: Nathan Keay, © MCA ChicagoAbout
Eternal Youth explores the concept of coming-of-age as a crossroads in art history: how have artists represented youth since the twentieth century? In particular, since the 1990s, images of youth in the western world have elicited both desire and fear, responding to social, cultural, and political shifts such as HIV awareness and gender bending transition. This exhibition examines the different ways youth is portrayed—as simultaneously innocent and desirous—revealing the treatment of young bodies as sexualized, radical, and medicated objects.
This survey of works, comprised mostly of the MCA's collection, starts with photographs by Larry Clark from his now infamous Kids series (from a major gift by the Howard and Donna Stone Collection), and the movie of the same name, which was released in 1995. Written by Harmony Korine and coproduced by Gus Van Sant, the film tells the story of a single day in the life of a group of sexually active teenagers in New York City and offered breakout roles for actors Chloë Sevigny and Rosario Dawson.
The works gathered together for this exhibition—by Dawoud Bey, Mona Hatoum, Thomas Hirschhorn, Jack Pierson, Wolfgang Tillmans, and Francesca Woodman—stretch from analog culture into the utopic digital age. Accompanying programming includes talks and an online debate about art, youth, and society at large.
This exhibition is curated by Omar Kholeif, Manilow Senior Curator and Director of Global Initiatives, with Grace Deveney, Curatorial Assistant.
It is presented in the Sylvia Neil and Daniel Fischel Galleries on the museum’s second floor.
Installation Images
Installation view, Eternal Youth, MCA Chicago, Mar 11–Jul 23, 2017
Photo: Nathan Keay © MCA Chicago
Installation view, Eternal Youth, MCA Chicago, Mar 11–Jul 23, 2017
Photo: Nathan Keay © MCA Chicago
Installation view, Eternal Youth, MCA Chicago, Mar 11–Jul 23, 2017
Photo: Nathan Keay © MCA Chicago
Installation view, Eternal Youth, MCA Chicago, Mar 11–Jul 23, 2017
Photo: Nathan Keay © MCA Chicago
Installation view, Eternal Youth, MCA Chicago, Mar 11–Jul 23, 2017
Photo: Nathan Keay © MCA Chicago
Installation view, Eternal Youth, MCA Chicago, Mar 11–Jul 23, 2017
Photo: Nathan Keay © MCA Chicago
Installation view, Eternal Youth, MCA Chicago, Mar 11–Jul 23, 2017
Photo: Nathan Keay © MCA Chicago
Installation view, Eternal Youth, MCA Chicago, Mar 11–Jul 23, 2017
Photo: Nathan Keay © MCA Chicago
Installation view, Eternal Youth, MCA Chicago, Mar 11–Jul 23, 2017
Photo: Nathan Keay © MCA ChicagoGallery Text
Artist listing
The artists featured in Eternal Youth include:
- Sophia Al-Maria (American, b. 1983)
- Kai Althoff (German, b. 1966)
- Dawoud Bey (American, b. 1953)
- Jennifer Bornstein (American, b. 1970)
- Larry Clark (American, b. 1943)
- Chuck Close (American, b. 1940)
- Eric Fischl (American, b. 1948)
- Tim Gardner (American, b. 1973)
- Nan Goldin (American, b. 1953)
- Felix Gonzalez-Torres (American, 1957–1996)
- Group Material
- Ann Hamilton (American, b. 1956)
- Mona Hatoum (British, b. Lebanon, 1952)
- Paul Heyer (American, b. 1982)
- Thomas Hirschhorn (Swiss, b. 1957)
- Andrew Holmquist (American, b. 1986)
- Judith Hopf (German, b. 1969)
- Rashid Johnson (American, b. 1977)
- Allen Jones (British, b. 1937)
- Algimantas Kezys (American, b. Lithuania, 1928–2015)
- Jeff Koons (American, b. 1955)
- Elad Lassry (Israeli, b. 1977)
- Jumana Manna (American, b. 1987)
- Robert Mapplethorpe (American, 1946–1989)
- Mariko Mori (Japanese, b. 1967)
- Joshua Nathanson (American, b. 1976)
- Bruce Nauman (American, b. 1941)
- John Neff (American, b. 1974)
- Eddie Peake (British, b. 1981)
- Jack Pierson (American, b. 1960)
- Rob Pruitt and Jack Early (American, b. 1964; American, b. 1962)
- Herb Ritts (American, 1952–1992)
- Torbjorn Rodland (Norwegian, b. 1970)
- Daniela Rossell (Mexican, b. 1972)
- Erika Rothenberg (American, b. 1950)
- Thomas Ruff (German, b. 1958)
- Melanie Schiff (American, b. 1977)
- Xaviera Simmons (American, b. 1974)
- Alec Soth (American, b. 1969)
- Sam Taylor-Wood (British, b. 1967)
- Wolfgang Tillmans (German, b. 1968)
- Ryan Trecartin and Lizzie Fitch (American, b. 1981; American, b. 1981)
- Amalia Ulman (Argentinian, b. 1989)
- Francesca Woodman (American, 1958–1981)
Joe Ziolkowski (American, b. 1960)
Funding
Generous support of Eternal Youth is provided by The Pritzker Traubert Collection Exhibition Fund, Martin Fluhrer and John Williams, and Dr. Daniel S. Berger and Mr. Scott Wenthe.