Cameron Braatz’s “Rings.”
In terms of sheer size and prestige, the largest arts event in the city took place late last winter when the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art (MMoCA) unveiled its collaboration with one of the biggest international names to hit Madison in some time: Jaume Plensa. His show Talking Continents filled the museum’s State Street Gallery with a magical array of figures crafted out of letters from alphabets across the world.
On display at MMoCA until Feb. 3 is Frida Kahlo: Pitahayas, an exhibition displaying a beguiling still life with fruit by the beloved and mercurial modernist painter. Painstakingly researched by MMoCA curator Mel Becker Solomon, the piece has been established as critical to the canon of one of North America’s greatest artists.
Other Madison-based museums transported gallery-goers across the globe. Early in 2018, Ancestral Modern: Australian Aboriginal Art from the Kaplan and Levi Collection debuted at the Chazen Museum of Art. The show featured work by artists from the 1960s and beyond who have returned to the sleek, abstract stylings of indigenous Australians.
Michael Kienitz
Kienitz’s “Svinafellsjokull Glacial Tongue.”
Currently showing at the Chazen until Feb. 4, Iceland’s Vanishing Beauty: Photographs by Michael Kienitz, allows visitors to take in full views of Iceland’s breathtaking and endangered natural splendor.
Other galleries found worthwhile work closer to home. The James Watrous Gallery displayed New Midwest Photography this fall, a show that featured 10 artists from Wisconsin and nearby states. The photos were haunting, uplifting and poignantly truthful.
As many art enthusiasts learned this year, not all standout shows have to take place within the confines of a traditional gallery. This summer ushered in the return of the beloved UW-Madison Biennial Neon Light Show. Balance, exhibited in the wonderfully weird Stock Pavilion, displayed works of 50 traditional sign-makers and neon artists, and many UW students.
Dylan Brogan
Artwork by Faisal Abdu’Allah at the Madison Municipal Building.
After extended construction (and a $30 million budget), the historic Madison Municipal Building received a beautiful modern facelift. Complete with a roof replacement, new windows, architectural remodeling and preservation of the building’s historic feel, the updated building is a sight to behold — and a work of art in itself. To celebrate the reopening, the city of Madison hosted Municipal Restored, offering free tours of the updated space, live music and video, and more. But the beauty of this one is that you can experience it anytime you want. It’s ours.
