WHAT: “Joshua White and Gary Panter’s Light Show”
WHEN: Through April 29, Wednesday, Saturday & Sunday 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Thursday & Friday 11:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m
WHERE: Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, 4454 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, Michigan
WHY THIS SHOW MATTERS: There couldn’t be a more perfect synesthetic artistic marriage than Joshua White and Gary Panter, who have currently transformed the Museum of Contemporary Art in Detroit's 22,000-square-foot space into a backlit funhouse of neon light and tricks for the eye — the largest exhibition in the instititon's history. The duo’s partnership is a fusion of White’s transcendent, era-defining audio-visual environments — he's famous for his work at Woodstock and the Filmore East — and Panter’s expressionist comic characters and wacky set design, like those created for “Pee-Wee’s Playhouse.”
The exhibition is designed to be an immersive environment for viewers from the moment they walk through the entrance; the mouth of a kooky large-toothed face — straight from the depths of Panter’s massive vault of characters — swallows viewers and spits them out into the world of the light show. The space is dimly lit so that propped up cut-outs and lighted corners can come to life vividly under black lights; the projections are both intense and playful, challenging the eye wit bright color. Panter’s custom wallpapers are peppered throughout the show, providing the backdrop for projected drawings on the large free-standing sculptures. “The sculptural elements I designed serve as stations for Joshua's light effects and designs," Panter told ARTINFO when asked how the different elements of the show work together. "I designed wallpaper that would animate under various lighting conditions so that we had destinations in the space that change under the actions of Joshua's light art.”
The exhibition also includes a variety of ephemera charting the careers of both artists, from Panter’s “Jimbo” comics to original elements from early Joshua Light Shows. Various elements change based on the performances of invited guests, ranging from bands to video artists. The space doubles as a musical stage for artists to perform within, as Monster Island (the band formed by Destroy All Monsters founder Cary Loren) did on February 10th. The exhibition is an experiential venture that can only be described as a one-of-a-kind trip, produced by the countless alchemies White and Panter work up in harmonious motion as “Joshua White and Gary Panter’s Light Show.”
To see images of the environments in “Joshua White and Gary Panter’s Light Show” at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, click on the slide show.