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For Immediate Release Contact: Becki Gervin, 408.961.

5814
January 11, 2011 bgervin@montalvoarts.org

Montalvo’s New Exhibition Explores Issues of


Ownership of Discarded Waste

Cease & Desist features costumes created from candy


wrappers and an installation made from water bottle labels

SARATOGA, Calif. - What happens to your packaging after you've consumed


what is inside? Is it your property or does it still belong to the company?
These are just some of the thoughts behind Montalvo's new exhibition, Cease
& Desist, which opens on January 28 in the Project Space Gallery. As a
component of Montalvo's 18-month thematic program Natural and Creative
Capital, which addresses the sustainability of our natural and cultural
environments,Cease & Desist features works by Los Angeles based artist
Carrie Ungerman and San Jose, Calif., based artist Charlotte Kruk, as well
as an art-making space for the public, and will be on view until April 17.A
free opening reception will be held at 7 p.m. on Friday, January 28.

The inspiration behind the title of this exhibition comes directly from Kruk's
interaction with Mars, Inc., the company that owns candy such as M&Ms and
Snickers. When the company learned of Kruk's creations - dresses and
matador outfits made entirely of candy wrappers bearing its candy's names -
Mars sent Kruk a "cease and desist" letter, notifying her she was not allowed
to continue producing these works of art.
Kruk's traditional Spanish matador costumes made from candy wrappers
celebrate the public's insatiable sweet tooth and defies the power of the large
candy corporation. Many works of art have been created from found objects
by masters of modern art such as Marcel Duchamp, Pablo Picasso and Robert
Rauschenberg, but what happens when art objects include the repurposed
trademark of a major corporation? As a society, we are encouraged to
reduce, reuse, and recycle, however the laws around brand name usage
leave the parameters around the reuse of product packaging unclear.

Cease & Desist also includes a site-specific installation by Ungerman that


examines consumption behavior around drinking water. Ungerman'slarge-
scale installations, sculpture and drawings use common materials ranging
from the natural to the manufactured including thread, discarded water
bottles and adhesive vinyl tape. The artist collects, amasses and manipulates
these materials with a focus on placement and toward the material itself.
These culturally encoded materials are presented and pared down to reveal
their inherent qualities of color, texture and form. Working with a preliminary
visual "plan" and using elements that have been collected or made in the
studio, Ungerman's work will be created on-site at the Project Space Gallery,
as she takes into consideration the architecture and balancing specificity and
fluidity. The works, ultimately ephemeral, become physical evidence of a past
or remembered experience, place or action.

The final component of this exhibition belongs to the public. Visitors are
invited to participate in the act of turning trash into objects of delight, either
to leave behind for the next visitor or to be taken away to display in other
venues. Supplies for the participatory component of this exhibition will be
made available by Resource Area for Teaching (RAFT) of San Joseand
Scrounger's Center for Reusable Art Parts (SCRAP) of San Francisco.

The Project Space Gallery is located next to the Box Office at Montalvo
Arts Center, 15400 Montalvo Road, Saratoga, Calif. The gallery is open from
11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday through Sunday, or by appointment.
About Montalvo’s Natural and Creative Capital theme:
Natural and Creative Capital, Montalvo Arts Center’s 2010-11
multidisciplinary thematic arts program, explores concepts of sustainability in
our natural and cultural environments. This 18-month program features
visual and performing arts coupled with conversations and literary arts
programs that invite audiences of all ages to contemplate a sustainable
future. Visual artworks feature renewed thinking by artists about the use of
cast-off materials, new works that reflect the many wonders of the natural
world, the possibilities of a sustainable future, and works that capture the
challenges facing our planet. The performing arts challenge and ignite
passion for change; featuring new works of dance and music that will both
inspire and engage. Education and public programs encourage exploration
and engagement with the environment – particularly the 175 acres that
comprise Montalvo’s extraordinary grounds and rustic hiking trails.

About Montalvo Arts Center


Montalvo Arts Center is an oasis of culture and nature that fulfills its mission
by creating and presenting arts of all types; by nurturing artists; and by
using its historic Villa, buildings and grounds in innovative ways that engage
people in the creative process. Montalvo embraces Silicon Valley’s leadership
in innovation by being an inspirational catalyst that connects artists,
community and visitors so they can experience and celebrate the creative
process. Montalvo’s programming includes: an annual theme-based arts
program; music and performance; education and public programs; new
media and visual arts; and the Sally and Don Lucas Artists Residency
Program. Located in the Saratoga foothills in the midst of Silicon Valley,
Montalvo occupies a Mediterranean-style villa on 175 stunning acres, which
Senator James Phelan left to the people of California for the encouragement
of promising students in the areas of art, music, literature and architecture.
Montalvo celebrates its centennial in 2012. For more information about
Montalvo Arts Center, call 408.961.5800 or visit www.montalvoarts.org.

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