`Showing Off’ is at museum’s leading edge

The Denver Art Museum’s modern and contemporary collection is featured in a new installation of 53 recently acquired, or promised, works added over the past seven years. The exhibit, “Showing Off,” fills the fourth floor at the Hamilton Building, illustrating a broad variety of style and technique.

Artists included include Nick Cave, Leonardo Drew, Eric Fischl, Ben Jackel, Sol LeWitt, Agnes Martin, John McEnroe, Julian Opie, Nam Jun Paik, Shinique Martin, Stacey Steers and Mark Wallinger and more. About 25 works have not been displayed previously.

Of interest: Joseph Staskevetch’s “A Beautiful Fall,” a 12-foot-square 2013 conte crayon drawing on watercolor paper –; a traditional technique and materials, blown up to fill a wall. It tells the story of a king who committed suicide rather than be captured by the enemy. The craftsmanship is exquisite.

One can’t miss “Pay Attention” by Colorado artist Ben Jackel. Suspended from the ceiling, it’s a huge halberd, crafted from wood-waiting for a mythical giant to wander by and grab it for battle.

On a side wall, one finds a small, blinking, colorful construction built around an antique pay phone. The title grabs the visitor: “Lady Secretary, Bilingual, Will Travel.” The artist is the famous Nam Jun Paik.

American artist Leonard Drew, born 1961, lives in San Antonio and created a piece that is difficult to classify. “Number 162” is on the wall, but would probably classify as a relief sculpture, with tree roots bristling from the bottom and a composition of metal, wood, paint, gouache, thumbtacks, ink, graphite and paper. Earthy and intriguing.

“Untitled,” a delightful work by Nick Cave, came into the collection after the successful 2013 exhibition of his work and was created for that exhibit. One can’t help but smile at it.

Ortiz sculptures

Also included in “Showing Off” is “Revolt 1680/2180: Virgil Ortiz,” a collection of 31 ceramic sculptures by Cochiti artist Ortiz, who is the next featured artist in the museum’s ongoing plan to present new work by contemporary American Indian artists. He designed a striking installation for this series that blends history with today’s world. His figures bring traditional Cochiti art into the 21st century.

Consider the Blind Archer Series, focusing on Tahu, a legendary woman blinded by invaders, who honed her skill with bow and arrow and developed a band of blind archers –; a long-ago super heroine.

Ortiz, born in 1969, grew up in a creative environment at Cochiti Pueblo, according to his website. With a grandmother, Laurencita Hererra, and a mother, Seferina Ortiz, who were both well-known pueblo potters, he was raised among storytellers and artists. He learned to collect and process clay, gather plants for paint and produce clay figures, which have carried on into his revolt series.

They commemorate the 1680 Pueblo Revolt against the Spanish, which drove out 400 Spanish and about 2,000 settlers from New Mexico. And they make a statement.

Ortiz is also a fashion designer and carries pueblo design into the non-native art and interior design world with a line of carpets.

He hopes to create a studio to teach pueblo children traditional Cochiti culture –; and how to build a bridge into the other, non-native world.

If you go

“Showing Off” is exhibited on the fourth floor of the Hamilton Building, Denver Art Museum, on 13th Avenue between Broadway and Acoma Street. The Cultural parking garage is on 12th Avenue, just west of Broadway. For information on admission, hours, programs: denverartmuseum.org, 720-865-5000.

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