March 13–September 11

On view in the Main Gallery during the WISCONSIN WILD AND TAME series, this major group exhibition presents the work of twenty-four artists who venture into the realm of magic realism.

Magic realism developed as an art movement in the years after World War I when many American artists began to explore the interconnections between the material and the imagined. Evidenced in literature, painting, and film, magic realism encompasses a range of subtly different concepts, yet all share an acceptance of the supernatural in an otherwise rational world. In the visual arts, the genre is often typified by remarkable detail and sharp focus, but the conventions of realism are slightly adjusted such that the everyday becomes more psychologically charged, and the familiar transforms into something unsettling and strange.

Many historians cite John Wilde (1919–2006)—painter, draughtsman, and printmaker of fantastic imagery—as one of the pioneers of magic realism in Wisconsin. A Wisconsinite at his core, Wilde referenced his home state in his work in indirect ways, opting to focus on the mood of the Midwestern landscape rather than specific geographic coordinates. Several of his paintings are included in the exhibition.

This exhibition takes the legacy of Wilde as its starting point and explores the ideals of magic realism through a wide variety of techniques and media, including print, painting, video, sculpture, and fiber-based works.

Artists in the exhibition are: Jennifer Angus (Madison), Peter Barrickman (Milwaukee), Cecelia Condit (Milwaukee), Gary John Gresl (Brown Deer), Sheila Held (Wauwatosa), Maeve Jackson (Milwaukee), Romano Johnson (Madison), Tom Jones (Madison), Truman Lowe (Madison), Shane McAdams (Cedarburg), Denis Nechvatal (Madison), Will Pergl (Milwaukee), Joanna Poehlmann (Milwaukee), Karl Priebe (1914–1976), Rafael Salas (Ripon), T.L. Solien (Madison), Simon Sparrow (1925–2000), Fred Stonehouse (Milwaukee), Lynn Tomaszewski (Milwaukee), Tom Uttech (Madison), Jason Vaughn (LaCrosse), Michael Velliquette (Madison), Jason Yi (Milwaukee).

For more information about the exhibition and the John Michael Kohler Art Center follow the link HERE.