BAM Opens The Rudin Family Gallery with Inaugural Exhibition by Glenn Kaino

In his first Brooklyn exhibition, Glenn Kaino inaugurates The Rudin Family Gallery with When A Pot Finds Its Purpose. The gallery is BAM's first dedicated visual art space and nests within the recently completed BAM Strong-a unique array of expanded BAM spaces along Fulton Street. As part of BAM's 2019l Next Wave Festival, the Los Angeles-based conceptual artist was invited to activate the gallery by guest curator Larry Ossei-Mensah, who chose Kaino for his commitment to self-reflection, deep inquiry, and a focus on social justice in every aspect of his practice.

When A Pot Finds Its Purpose utilizes the idea of "repotting" as an overarching concept to challenge and question current social and political constructs. It considers whether our democratic mechanisms are in need of re-thinking and what happens when the status quo is no longer acceptable. The exhibition questions how we can leverage our successful past to plant seeds of new ideas for the future.

Two works anchor the dialogue around these inquiries: Blue, an introspective installation consisting of a series of simulated waves that demonstrate an optimistic simultaneity of both collective and individual identity and action; and Spill, a sculptural installation in the form of a tipped-over pot that was created in the same manner-and with the same dimensions as-the Liberty Bell.

With these thought-provoking works Kaino underscores the suggestion that there is no one-size-fits-all model for freedom, democracy, and equality; that there are dynamic forces that twist, turn, stretch, and must reinvent themselves often, lest they perish from lack of resources. The exhibition posits that it is our responsibility as a society to constantly be attuned to the needs of these systems in order to ensure that they are able to properly evolve and grow.

"I'm deeply honored and grateful to Glenn Kaino for collaborating with us on the inaugural exhibition to launch the The Rudin Family Gallery at BAM Strong," said Ossei-Menseh. "When A Pot Finds Its Purpose is a provocation that invites all who experience the exhibition to take stock and evaluate the critical issues impacting our society. It is a call to action-imploring each of us to not be satisfied with the status quo, but to be proactive participants in shaping the discourse that is defining a generation."

"It's thrilling to bring Glenn Kaino-an artist internationally renowned for his dynamic and visceral installations-to Brooklyn to inaugurate the new Rudin Family Gallery space," said BAM Artistic Director, David Binder. "His works combine stunningly tactile elements with bold social concepts that squares brilliantly with BAM's Next Wave ethos; creating a meditative experience that is at once profoundly intimate, candid, and communal."

Photo: Glenn Kaino and Larry Ossei-Mensah