For a lot of people the art world can seem inaccessible. It's a playground for the artists and a salesroom for the well-heeled. Across the city, institutions are attempting to overcome this insularity with free museum admission and fun parties. But when art is sold at fancy fundraisers or auctions, very few eyes see it. That's not the case with MTV: ReDefine. Starting March 22, the works being sold at the fundraiser will be on display at the Dallas Contemporary.
Obviously, the main event is the auction on April 4 that benefits both the Dallas Contemporary and the MTV Staying Alive Foundation, a charity that supports HIV prevention projects. But when Kenny Goss and Joyce Goss began planning the event, they wanted it to be more just an exclusive party. More than 100 works of art will be on display by internationally-renowned artists, the likes of Damien Hirst and Jonathan Yeo.
"The wealthy people who can afford to go to these things shouldn't be the only people who get to see the art," Kenny says. " Very seldom will you see the work of so many artists like this in one room. The work of some pretty important artists will be on display and we want people, students, anybody to have the chance to see it."
There are quite a few local artists on display as well, including Michael Mazurek and Michelle Rawlings and the auction is being held online simultaneously. For both Joyce and Kenny, this presents an unparalleled opportunity to bring attention to local artists.
If you can afford the $500 ticket, the event sounds pretty kickass. Richard Phillips curated the rock 'n' roll theme and there are auction items like a chance to meet Paul McCartney and a studio tour with Damien Hirst. But if you haven't lost that much change in your couch recently, you can browse the work at the DC until April 4 or online at paddle8.com.
In the meantime, here are paintings from three local artists that will be on display as part of the exhibition:
Mazurek is a conceptual artist based in Dallas, who is one of the madmen behind Dallas Biennial 14.
Local painter/gallerist Peña just closed a show of his own work at the Dallas Contemporary, as well as an exhibition at Ware:Wolf:Haus, the Trinity Groves gallery he manages.
Rawlings is an experimental artist, who, yes, happens to be the mayor's daughter. Her work has been displayed throughout the city and earned her quite a bit of buzz.
