“Unsettled amasses 200 artworks by 80 artists spanning 2,000 years to explore the geography of frontiers characterized by vast expanses of open land, rich natural resources, diverse indigenous peoples, colonialism, and the ongoing conflicts that inevitably arise when these factors coexist. Through a broad selection of art and artifacts, the story of the Greater West– a super-region bounded from Alaska to Patagonia, and from Australia to the American West– unfolds through this landmark exhibition.” — Nevada Museum of Art
“The artists selected for Unsettled foretell the world’s future while simultaneously looking back to honor indigenous ancestors who created cultures and made places here millennia before it was declared ‘unsettled.’ The title of the show is intentionally ambiguous and resonates on many levels depending on the chosen meaning of the term,” said Northrup. “The works presented reverberate with one or more meanings of the adjective ‘unsettled,’ including lacking stability; worried and uneasy; liable to change; unpredictable; not yet resolved; not yet paid; and having no settlers or inhabitants.”

Chris Burden, All the Submarines of the United States of America, 1987, Cardboard, vinyl thread, typeface, Overall: 158 x 216 x 144 inches. Dallas Museum of Art purchase with funds donated by the Jolesch Acquisition Fund, The 500, Inc., the National Endowment for the Arts, Bradbury Dyer, III, Mr. and Mrs. Bryant M. Hanley, Jr., Mr. and Mrs. Michael C. Mewhinney, Deedie and Rusty Rose, and Mr. and Mrs. William T. Solomon. “Chris Burden: Extreme Measures” at New Museum, New York, 2013. Courtesy New Museum, New York. © Chris Burden. Image courtesy of The Chris Burden Estate and Gagosian. Photo: Benoit Pailley.

Emily Carr, Vanquished, 1930, Oil on canvas, 36 1/4 x 50 3/4 inches. Collection of the Vancouver Art Gallery, Emily Carr Trust, VAG 42.3.6. Photo: Trevor Mills, Vancouver Art Gallery.

Bruce Conner, CROSSROADS, 1976, digitally restored 2013, 35mm, black and white, sound, Duration: 37 minutes (converted to video). Original music composed and performed by Patrick Gleeson and Terry Riley, Restored by UCLA Film & Television Archive. Courtesy Conner Family Trust and Kohn Gallery. © Conner Family Trust.

Minerva Cuevas, Cardinal Points, 2007, Wall painting/lighting, Circle: 51 3/16 inches diameter, Light: left, 45 9/32 inches, right, 69 11/16 inches, top, 55 1/8 inches, down, 74 13/16 inches. Courtesy of the artist and kurimanzutto, Mexico City. © Minerva Cuevas. Photo: Estudio Michel Zabé.

Sonia Falcone, Campo de Color (Color Field), 2012, Installation, dimensions variable. Courtesy of the artist. © Sonia Falcone Art.

Ana Teresa Fernández, Erasing the Border (Borrando la Frontera), 2013, Oil on canvas, 48 x 72 inches. The Bedford Cherubino Collection.

Nicholas Galanin, Things Are Looking Native, Native’s Looking Whiter, 2012, Digital photograph, 30 x 40 inches. Anchorage Museum Collection, Museum Purchase, Rasmuson Foundation Art Acquisition Fund, 2012.21.3.

Brian Jungen, 1980, 1970, 1960, 2007, Polyester, metal, painted wood on paper sonotube, Variable dimensions. 1980: Art Gallery of Ontario, Purchased with the assistance of The David Yuile and Mary Elizabeth Hodgson Fund, 2007, 2007/17. 1970: Art Gallery of Ontario, Promised Gift of Rosamond Ivey, AGOID.103514; 1960: Art Gallery of Ontario, Promised Gift, AGOID.103513. All © Brian Jungen 2017. Photo: Craig Boyko.

Ed Ruscha, Lost Empires, Living Tribes, 1984, Oil on canvas, 64 x 64 inches. The Marciano Collection, Los Angeles. © Ed Ruscha.
Unsettled is organized by the Nevada Museum of Art, and curated by its Curatorial Director and Curator of Contemporary Art JoAnne Northrup, in collaboration with Ed Ruscha.
Exhibition will travel to Nevada Museum of Art, August 26, 2017-January 21, 2018; Anchorage Museum, April 6-September 9, 2018 and Palm Springs Art Museum, October 27, 2018-February 18, 2019.
Images courtesy Nevada Museum of Art.
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