Situation Comedy: Humor in Recent Art
on view from September 9 - December 31, 2005

The human condition has been the subject of comedy for eons, from ancient Greek theater to the daily comic strip. During the past five to ten years, however, humor has turned up with increasing frequency in contemporary art, perhaps satisfying an urgent need among artists and audiences alike to reflect upon the absurdity of daily existence. The traveling exhibition Situation Comedy: Humor in Recent Art presents more than fifty works - video and sound installations, paintings, sculptures, drawings, and photographs - by younger as well as more established contemporary artists working primarily in North America and Europe.

Curated by Michael Rooks, curator at The Contemporary Museum, Honolulu and Dominic Molon, Pamela Alper associate curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, Situation Comedy is the first large-scale exhibition in the United States devoted to this subject. The exhibition is accompanied by an illustrated catalogue written by the curators and includes a story excerpted from David Sedaris' acclaimed book Me Talk Pretty One Day. Situation Comedy premieres on September 9th at The Contemporary Museum, Honolulu. After its Hawaii premiere, the exhibition will travel to the Chicago Cultural Center, the Winnipeg Art Gallery, Winnipeg, Manitoba, and the Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale.