On view in SARATOGA SPRINGS @ the TANG MUSEUM

In 1980, artist Stan VanDerBeek (1927-1984) recalled a dream he had of the ideal exhibition space: a dark room with “projected images, movies, and stills everywhere,” which he playfully referred to as “amazement park.” Suspended by a wire device, the viewer swings through the space as “images like snowflakes…fly past.” The experience would “reinforce by way of visual metaphors that the whole life experience is about sharing.”

Amazement Park is a yearlong exhibition that combines work by the influential filmmaker and artist with work by his daughter Sara VanDerBeek (b. 1976) and son Johannes VanDerBeek (b. 1982). Taking inspiration from Stan VanDerBeek’s dream exhibition, Amazement Park presents an experimental studio-like space that will change every month. Works by each artist will be on view, from never before seen Stan VanDerBeek drawings from the 1950’s to new photographs and sculpture by Sara and Johannes VanDerBeek. The evolving nature of the project mirrors the spirit of their work, which shares a common interest in re-combination and collage, and ephemeral materials and architectural forms. Over the course of the year, a multi-layered picture of influence and experimentation will emerge.

This project is organized by Malloy Curator of the Tang Museum Ian Berry in collaboration with the artists and supported by the Friends of the Tang.