There are few spaces that are more intimate than the inside of a person’s car. From a dirty gym bag or that ticket you got last week, this space often reveals some of our less-than-glamorous personal attributes. This may be why Black Cube — a “nomadic contemporary art museum” that produces pop-up installations — is hosting an interactive event where guests are invited to peer (or even sit) inside an artist’s car.
Titled Drive In: Personal Space, the installation will be an intimate exhibit with a focus on cars in relation to identity. It will also hit upon other themes such as cars and class and cars in relation to the community. Currently, 12 Denver artists are scheduled to participate at the event on Saturday, August 19 at the soon-to-be-developed S*Park in RiNo Arts District. The installation, curated by Cortney Lane Stell and Ruth Anne Bruno, is intended to be incredibly immersive.
“Similar to how a curator would place art within a typical exhibition, the cars will be arranged in various formations with consideration to how the viewer experiences the art, in a way that creates an immersive experience, and with the best possible viewing of each art installation,” said Stell. This includes hosting the event at night where the cars will be lit from the inside (overhead lighting will also be provided).
According to Stell, the goal of the event is to invite viewers “to participate in thought-provoking conversations regarding how society views and uses cars as not only a form of transportation but as an extension of identity, economy and much more.”
Black Cube also plans on hosting two more events like it in the coming fall. Both concepts are in the works but one is scheduled to use donated cars shown at a local junkyard whereas the other will be an art fair of sorts, similar to London’s Art Car Boot Sale. The latter will take place in a parking lot in the Golden Triangle and will explore the concept of artists as entrepreneurs.
Over 30 artists in total will participate in the exhibits. For the August 19 event, the participating artists are as follows: Amber Cobb, Graham Eschen, Tobias Fike, Kate Gonda, Lucas McMahon, Dimitri Obergfell, Zach Reini, Nick Silici, Gretchen Schaefer, Laura Shill, Kristen Sink and Mario Zoots. The exhibit is free and open to the public. It can be viewed between 7 and 10 p.m. on August 19 at the construction lot at 2606 Lawrence Street on 26th Avenue between Lawrence and Arapahoe. The dates for the other two have yet to be announced.