News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Steve Christensen
LUMA
312.915.6164
schris6@luc.edu

CHICAGO, November 22, 2010 -

The Loyola University Museum of Art (LUMA) will open the exhibition Benjamin Bergery: Epiphanies on Saturday, December 4. This new media installation by Paris-based artist Benjamin Bergery, with technology by Jim Campbell, consists of two works based on gospel stories of the birth of Christ and will be on view at LUMA through January 16, 2011.

Light Annunciation uses light rhythms to evoke the angel's announcement to Mary that she will give birth to the son of God. Epiphany Triptych uses a looping low-resolution movie projected onto luminous screens to show the story of the Magi bringing their gifts to honor the baby Jesus.

Epiphanies has a contemplative mood that is connected to a range of visual references, including Renaissance frescos and early cinema. The intent is to update the Renaissance tradition of storytelling frescos through the use of digital textures informed by a cinematic vocabulary and lighting. The ambiguity of low-resolution images and abstract light patterns is intended for the religious subject, as it encourages interpretation and conveys the mysteries of the gospels.

Bergery was a pioneer of interactive video art when he taught at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the 1980s. He has also worked in Hollywood and taught at the University of Southern California. He wrote a reference book about cinematography called Reflections: 21 Cinematographers at Work. Bergery returned to installation art in 2005, seeking to combine his knowledge of filmmaking and digital technology with new media art designed for churches. He completed a series of collaborations with his friend and fellow artist Jim Campbell, most of which were installed in the vast Church of Saint-Sulpice, a 17th-century landmark on Paris's Left Bank that is known for its Delacroix paintings.

To learn more about Bergery's work, please visit www.benjaminbergery.com.

Public Programs:

Opening Reception for Benjamin Bergery: Epiphanies
Friday, December 3, 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
LUMA Members and Loyola Faculty, Staff, and Students: Free/Non-Members: $15

Epiphanies: Meet the Artist
Tuesday, December 7, 6 p.m.
LUMA Members and Loyola Faculty, Staff, and Students: Free/Non-Members: $4

Benjamin Bergery is a media installation artist based in Paris. As a cinema journalist and teacher, he has taught at MIT and the University of Southern California and has worked at Atari, LucasFilm, and Panavision. He has led dozens of seminars, master classes, and conferences on cinema and media technology in the United States and Europe. Join us for an evening with the artist and gain insight to his work in the exhibition Epiphanies, on view at LUMA through January 16. Bergery will give an illustrated talk about the process of creating new media art that uses low-resolution moving images and rhythms of light to evoke rather than represent.

Please RSVP for both events by sending an e-mail to luma@luc.edu or calling 312.915.7608.

About LUMA
Opened in 2005, the Loyola University Museum of Art is dedicated to exploring, promoting, and understanding art and artistic expression that illuminates the enduring spiritual questions of all cultures and societies. As a museum with an interest in education and educational programming, LUMA reflects the University’s Jesuit mission and is dedicated to helping people of all creeds explore the roots of their faith and spiritual quests. Located at Loyola University Chicago’s Water Tower Campus, the museum occupies the first three floors of the University’s historic Lewis Towers on Chicago’s famous Michigan Avenue. For more information, visit the museum’s website at LUC.edu/luma.

Art illuminating the spirit!

-LUMA-