BETWEEN BEAUTY AND BEWILDERMENT, THE MENIL COLLECTION PRESENTS ALLORA & CALZADILLA: SPECTERS OF NOON

Early Christian texts describe acedia as a demon that besieges the soul at noon, when the day listlessly drags and delirious visions momentarily reign in the blinding light. On view through June 20, 2021, summer solstice, the Menil Collection presents a major exhibition of seven sculptural works by the artists Allora & Calzadilla that revolve around this concept, serving as a manifestation of noon’s hold over humankind and as a metaphor for the uncertainties defining our time. Created specifically for the Menil Collection’s main building, Allora & Calzadilla: Specters of Noon uses sounds, cast shadows, and novel sculptural materials to evoke an awe-inducing atmosphere.

Rebecca Rabinow, director of the Menil Collection, said: “Since its founding, the Menil has supported substantial collaborations with contemporary artists who use our permanent collection as a jumping-off point for new work. We are proud that our relationship with Allora & Calzadilla has given rise to such an astonishingly inventive, profoundly thoughtful, and poignantly beautiful new exhibition.”

The Puerto Rico-based artists visited the Menil Collection repeatedly over the course of four years to develop this exhibition and studied the museum’s renowned archives and holdings of Surrealist works of art. They explored the historic role that Surrealism played in the Caribbean in the years surrounding World War II, including its pivotal role in anti-colonialism, and the movement’s fascination with the importance of noon. Jennifer Allora and Guillermo Calzadilla extended their research by connecting this history to the current moment by seeking out shared connections between Houston and their own home of San Juan, both port cities that have been deeply impacted by energy commerce and the effects of a changing climate. A

A soundscape, organized by Grammy Award winning, Pulitzer Prize-winner, and Oscar nominated avant-garde composer David Lang, permeates the gallery space, augmenting the hypnotic atmosphere of disorientation that the artists are creating. Lang worked closely with the artists to develop an eight-hour cycle of constantly evolving sounds that run daily in the exhibition, and according to Lang, “sonically sculpt the day.” A combination of instrumental, vocal, and electrical recordings, the sounds respond to and activate the works of art on view.

Michelle White, senior curator at the Menil Collection, shared, “The struggle to generate the artistic forms and vocabulary to probe and understand the delirium of the present is the basis of Allora & Calzadilla’s most recent work. Drawing from the history of Surrealism and the unsettling visual strategies of strange juxtaposition that defined the movement, they address these themes by transforming the galleries into a land of displacements, hybridity, and unexpected convergences. As we developed and installed this show, the social injustices that the artists have devoted their career to examining have been evermore revealed and amplified by new traumas being posed by weather catastrophes, civil unrest, and the current pandemic. As such, Allora & Calzadilla’ s project provides an urgent lens and proposes that there is great potential found in moments of disorientation and mystification.”

Since 1995, Jennifer Allora (b. 1974, United States) and Guillermo Calzadilla (b. 1971, Cuba) have built a research-based practice that responds critically to the intersections between culture, history, and geopolitics. The duo produces interdisciplinary works combining performance, sculpture, sound, video, and photography. Allora & Calzadilla live and work in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and have exhibited their work in exhibitions around the world. In 2011, they represented the United States at the Venice Biennale.

The Menil Collection

1533 Sul Ross Street

Houston, Texas 77006