James Holmberg: Forever and Eric Carroll: G.U.T. Feeling, Vol. 2

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Minneapolis, July 14, 2014 – This summer, the Minnesota Artists Exhibition Program (MAEP) presents two new exhibitions: James Holmberg’s “Forever” and Eric Carroll’s “G.UT. Feeling, Vol. 2,” both opening July 17 at the Minneapolis Institute of Art (MIA). The first includes new paintings and a site-specific installation that explores how art gives form to human experience; the latter is a series of collages, photographs, and sculptures based on grand unifying theories that attempt to explain the world.

 
Holmberg, a multi-media artist known for his expertly crafted paintings and sculptures, has created a new series of work composed of fine art and construction materials. “Forever” offers a glimpse beneath external surfaces by building up and then surgically peeling back layers to expose supporting structures. For Inside (2014), Holmberg has cut an 8-by-15 foot hole in the gallery wall to reveal the studs and structural column that support the building. With this massive site-specific installation, he offers a glimpse of past experiences, which dovetails with his ongoing interest in concepts of absence, transparency, and recovery. His new installation and paintings mark a dramatic change from his earlier work, particularly his evolving interest in how art’s relationship to architecture illuminates how fragmentary perceptions are the grist for memory and behavior.

 
Holmberg graduated in 1993 from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design in Minnesota, in addition to showing in several venues across North America, James has received a Visual Arts Fellowship from the Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts, a Career Opportunity Grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, and received a MCAD/Jerome Artist Fellowship. In addition to these awards, James has received three A.I.G.A. Illustration Awards of Excellence and has spent a residency at the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts. His works are found in several public and private collections.

 
G.U.T. Feeling, Vol. 2 is the second installment of Carroll’s ongoing project “G.U.T. Feeling”. The exhibition revels in the absurd striving of science’s grandest theories – the search by fringe and mainstream scientists alike for a single explanation of the universe. The often humorous combinations of images are meant to bridge shifts of scale, from epic to mundane, and to acknowledge the impossibility of proving complex scientific theories. Two gallery-length tables emphasize the connection between his photographs and obsolete technologies once used to visualize scientific observation. A future installment of Carroll’s “G.U.T. Feeling” will appear in McSweeney’s in 2015.

 
Carroll currently teaches at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota. His work has been exhibited widely, including the New Orleans Museum of Art, the Camera Club of New York, the Museum of Contemporary Photography, and SF Camerawork. He has participated in residencies with the MacDowell Colony, Rayko Photo Center and the Blacklock Nature Sanctuary, and was the winner of the 2012 Baum Award for Emerging Photographers. He is represented by Highlight Gallery in San Francisco.

 
Related events
An opening reception for both shows will be held Thursday, July 17 from 7 to 9 p.m. Additionally, an Artist Talks takes place in the MAEP galleries on Thursday, August 21 at 7 p.m.
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Press Contacts: Tammy Pleshek, (612) 870-3171; tpleshek@artsmia.org
Emma Bauer, (612) 870-6364; ebauer@artsmia.org
About the Minneapolis Institute of Art
Home to over 85,000 works of art representing 5,000 years of world history, the Minneapolis Institute of Art (MIA) inspires wonder, spurs creativity, and nourishes the imagination. With extraordinary exhibitions and one of the finest wide-ranging art collections in the country—Rembrandt to van Gogh, Monet to Matisse, Asian to African—the MIA links the past to the present, enables global conversations, and offers an exceptional setting for inspiration.

 
General admission to the MIA is always free. Some special exhibitions have a nominal admission fee.
Museum hours: Sunday, 11 a.m.–5 p.m.; Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.; Thursday, 10 a.m.–9 p.m.; Monday closed. For more information, call (612) 870-3000 or visit artsmia.org.