X
ON VIEW MAY 27—SEPTEMBER 3, 2012
THE GEFFEN CONTEMPORARY AT MOCA

Ends of the Earth: Land Art to 1974 is the first large-scale, historical-thematic exhibition to deal broadly with Land art, capturing the simultaneous impulse emergent in the 1960s to use the earth as an artistic medium and to locate works in remote sites far from familiar art contexts. Organized by MOCA Senior Curator Philipp Kaiser and co-curator Miwon Kwon, Professor of Art History at UCLA, the exhibition highlights the early years of untested artistic experimentations and concludes in the mid-1970s before Land art becomes a fully institutionalized category. Rather than romanticizing notions of "return to nature" or an "escape from culture", the exhibition provides a comprehensive overview that reveals the complexity of the movement's social and political engagement with the historical conditions of its time. Ends of the Earth exposes Land art as a media practice as much as a sculptural one, focusing on the extent to which language, photography, film, and television served as an integral and not a secondary or supplementary part of its formation. Over eighty artists and projects from United Kingdom, Japan, Israel, Iceland, Eastern and Northern Europe, as well as North and South Americas are included in the show. Ends of the Earth: Land Art to 1974 is organized by The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, in collaboration with Haus der Kunst, Munich.

Major support is provided by Barbara Kruger and L&M Arts, LA. The exhibition is also made possible by Kathi and Gary Cypres. Generous support is provided by Suzanne and David Johnson. Additional support is provided by The Kwon Family Foundation and John Morace and Tom Kennedy.

WEBSITE CREDITS:Concept and direction by Bret Nicely. Editorial contributions by Elizabeth Hamilton and Lily Siegel. Site design and developement by OKFocus, produced by Ways & Means. Special thanks to Google Earth for guidance during the development of this project.