FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
October 21, 2002

CONTACT: Cira Pascual Marquina, (515) 271-1994, cira.pascual-marquina@drake.edu

LUCIO POZZI WILL TRANSFORM GALLERY INTO CONCEPTUAL ART PLAYROOM
ANDERSON GALLERY TO PRESENT NEW SITE-SPECIFIC INSTALLATION

Opening Nov. 15, 2002, and on view through Dec. 19 at Drake University's Anderson Gallery, "Lucio Pozzi INDOOR GAMES" presents a major site-specific installation by Italian born artist Lucio Pozzi, a pioneer of performance art and installation who is based in New York City.

Engaged with an art that is democratic, collaborative and experimental in nature, Pozzi considers himself "a painter who pursues painterly concerns in other media as well." His exhibitions often include video, installation, photography and performance and are rooted historically in Conceptual art and Process art as well as traditional painting.

At the Anderson Gallery, Pozzi will create a site-specific installation, which is a main strand in his diverse artistic practice. The installation, called "INDOOR GAMES," is a single, multi-part work consisting of panels in four basic colors (red, blue, green, and yellow) as well as large-format photographs of infants and images of war that are juxtaposed on either side of the gallery. To create the complex work, the artist will join forces with a group of 10 student collaborators. The exhibition will be accompanied by a public lecture on Nov. 14 and a public performance on Nov. 15, the night of the opening.

Born in 1935 in Milan, Italy, Pozzi studied architecture in Rome, where he practiced design and art for more than eight years. He came to the United States invited by the Harvard International Summer Seminar in 1962. Shortly after, his art began to appear in galleries such as Leo Castelli, the premier New York gallery at the time, and John Weber, a gallery known for supporting avant-garde practices.

Since his earliest beginnings as an artist in New York, Pozzi has had numerous solo and group exhibitions including one of the first "Projects" solo exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, as well as installations at P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, New York, and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago. He has been included in the major international exhibition Documenta, Kassel as well as the U.S. Pavilion of the Venice Biennale. Pozzi's work is in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, New York, and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago.

According to exhibition's curator, Cira Pascual Marquina, "We are extremely lucky to have Lucio Pozzi's work at the Anderson Gallery. Pozzi is an artist of extraordinary merit, whose work, being collaborative, is especially fitting for an educational institution." Pascual Marquina is director of the Anderson Gallery, and assumed this position last year.

Pozzi's Nov. 14 public lecture is titled "The Next 475 Years of My Art and Life." A committed educator who teaches at the School of the Visual Arts in New York, Pozzi will discuss his work and share his thoughts and ideas about the place of art in contemporary society and the emergence of what he calls "surrogate standards such as novelty, originality and consistency." The lecture will take place at 7 p.m. in room 336 of Harmon Fine Arts Center.

On Nov. 15, following a brief gallery talk, Pozzi will initiate a performance titled "Playrooms." Described by the artist as "a series of mysterious events and actions," it is a new semi-improvisational collaboration with student artists, musicians and actors. Pozzi has carried out performances in Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States. Assemblages of sites, ideas, people and actions, Pozzi's performances are rooted in Dadaist theater of the 1920s as well as John Cage's interventions of the 1960s. The Judson Church events in New York and Pierre Boulez's performances at the Center for Experimental Music in Paris are other important influences. The performance will take place at 6:30 p.m. at the Anderson Gallery. All events associated with "Lucio Pozzi INDOOR GAMES" are free and open to the public.

Pozzi has received numerous grants and awards including a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship. He founded the magazine New Observations in 1981 and was its publisher until 1988. Pozzi continues to write art criticism for a variety of periodicals.

The Anderson Gallery is located in the Harmon Fine Arts Center, 25th Street and Carpenter Avenue in Des Moines. Gallery hours are noon to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. For images of the work or further information about the exhibition and the gallery, call (515) 271-1994, send an email message to cira.pascual-marquina@drake.edu, or visit www.drake.edu/andersongallery/pozzi.html.

PUBLICATION
The Anderson Gallery will publish an artist's book and a companion illustrated catalogue documenting "Lucio Pozzi INDOOR GAMES" in January 2003. The publication will include images of the installation at the Anderson Gallery as well as an essay by Chris Gilbert, associate curator at the Des Moines Art Center, and an interview with the artist by Anderson Gallery Director Cira Pascual Marquina. To receive a complimentary copy of the publication, send an e-mail message to andersongalleryinfo@drake.edu.

FUNDING
"Lucio Pozzi INDOOR GAMES" is supported in part by a grant from the Iowa Arts Council and a gift from an anonymous donor. In-kind support is provided by Perry Paint and Glass, central Iowa's official Benjamin Moore supplier. Additional funding comes from the Jules Kirschenbaum Anderson Gallery Fund.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS
(All events/programs are free and open to the public)
Exhibition Dates: November 16 -- December 19, 2002
Thursday, Nov. 14, 7 p.m.: "The Next 475 Years of My Life and Work," a lecture by Lucio Pozzi, Harmon Fine Arts Center, Room 336
Friday, Nov. 15, 5 to 7 p.m., Opening Reception
Friday, Nov. 15, 6 p.m., Artist Gallery Talk
Friday, Nov. 15, 6:30 p.m., "Playrooms," a performance by Lucio Pozzi in collaboration with Drake University's Art & Design, Theatre and Music Departments

ABOUT THE ANDERSON GALLERY
The Anderson Gallery, a non-profit exhibition space at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, was founded in 1996 to exhibit and support innovation in art and design. The gallery aims to enrich the cultural life of the University and area communities through diverse and challenging exhibitions, educational programs and publications.

As a showcase for art and design exhibitions, the Anderson Gallery's humanistic and interdisciplinary interpretation of art and culture is an essential component of the University's academic programs and the Department of Art and Design. The gallery offers area residents, visitors, and students from all disciplines the opportunity to participate in the current discourse and historical context surrounding art and design.

CONTACT
General Information: (515) 271-2268
Administrative Office: (515) 271-1994
Fax: (515) 271-2558
Email: andersongalleryinfo@drake.edu
Web site: www.drake.edu/andersongallery

ADDRESS
Anderson Gallery
Drake University
Harmon Fine Arts Center
25th Street and Carpenter Avenue
Des Moines, IA 50311

The main entrance to the Anderson Gallery is on 25th Street, on the street level of Harmon Fine Arts Center (red brick building on the northwest corner of 25th and Carpenter). Free, two-hour parking is available on 24th and 25th Streets.

GALLERY HOURS
Tuesday through Sunday
Noon to 4 p.m.
Free admission to the Anderson Gallery and its programs