Boots Contemporary Art Space is pleased to announce the 2009/2010 International Artist in Residence, Wilhelm Neußer.

BIRDHOUSEINCATTREE      February 19th – March  2010

Opening reception February 19th 6:30pm- 10:00pm

For his upcoming show at Boots, opening February 19^th, 2010, Neußer embarks on an unusual expedition in the wild world of domesticated animals. With the notion of “bird house in cat tree” the artist presents the animal lover as architect, thereby revealing our desire to construct nature.

Boots Contemporary Art Space is pleased to announced that Theaster Gates has been selected for the 2010 Whitney Biennial. Theaster Gates opened our 2009 – 2010 exhibition season with Holiness in 3 parts.  Theaster’s success is a testament to the vision and mission of Boots Contemporary Art Space. We congratulate Theaster in his achievement and wish him continued success.

KETC, LIVING ST. LOUIS Producer Anne-Marie Berger visit Boots Contemporary Art Space

The opening of the Theaster Gates exhibition, Holiness: In 3 Parts, was a night filled with 3 dynamic performances. Orron Kenyatta, started the evening off with lyrical poetry. The Zion Temple Baptist Church Choir, from St. Louis, then uplifted us with powerful gospel songs. Part three is when Theaster Gates and The Black Monks of Mississippi performed songs that told the story of Dave the slave potter. These performances were surrounded by Gate’s minimal sculptures that were constructed out of objects that he found in his own backyard. Also included in the exhibit are two shoeshine chairs and a video of shining shoes accompanied by a Buddhist-like audio chant. If you missed the opening don’t worry below is a video that contains highlights from the evening.   Holiness: In 3 Parts will be on display until 10.16.2009. For more information please click on the link

Today is my last day at Boots because I am going back to Boston College to pursue my art history degree. It was an unique experience, one that showed me the behind-the-scenes workings of an non-profit artist run space, the ins and outs of publishing BootPrint, and meeting international artists. Knowing little about the arts in St. Louis, Boots exposed me to all the exciting art thats currently happening throughout the city. I highly recommend anyone who is interested in working within the arts to check out internship opportunities here at Boots Contemporary Art Space. Although I’ll be in Boston, be sure to attend the opening exhibition, Holiness: In 3 Parts solo show by Theaster Gates on the 18th of September. 

While in India, Juan William Chávez, the director of Boots, had the chance to visit an amazing space, the Appejay Media Gallery. Its mission is to “showcase high quality, experimental work in new media and emerging technologies from India and abroad.” Even though it is currently undergoing restoration, Juan was given a private tour of the space. Appejay projects new media onto unique surfaces; they range from projections on basic video screens, to intricate projections on the glass facade of the building and on hanging tarps in the outside courtyard. One past exhibiting artist at Appejay is Shilpa Gupta, who, interestingly enough, also recently exhibited at the New Museum when I saw the The Generational: Younger than Jesus exhibition. Click here to check out Appejay’s website.

Asma Kazmi (far left) and the Birthday Girl

Director Juan William Chávez  was invited to India by artist Asma Kazmi, who has been working in Delhi for the summer on her recent project involving the Hijra community. Kazmi recently exhibited her work at Boots in the spring of 2009  in her exhibition titled, Relation-Chute II: Meditation on My Slaughter.

In her new project, Kazmi has been working with Hijras, a transgender community who see themselves as belonging to a third sex, often dress as women, and live in the margins of society. For more information about Hijras, go to this Wiki link.

Juan got a brief glimpse into the complex life of the Hijra community when he was invited to a birthday party at their hostel, located in a neighborhood of Old Delhi. At this celebration, 30 hijras were dressed for the occasion:  full makeup on, hair done, and jewelry including bright colorful glass bangles, gold ornate earrings, and ruby filled toe rings.  The birthday party started off with dancing in the street to the beat of two drummers. A huge crowd of onlooking neighbors quickly formed. When the dancing came to an end, the party moved indoors to the rooftop where puri and chickpea lentil curry was prepared on the spot by two men.

Cutting the Cake

Dinner was delicious and ended with a huge birthday cake! It was an amazing event; Juan was appreciative of the hospitality and generosity of the hijras, an underground society weary of strangers because of public discrimination and prejudice. It was definitely the highlight of the trip…and quite the extravaganza!!

Changing light bulbs

The director of Boots, Juan William Chávez, just came back from his trip to New Delhi, India. Invited by past exhibiting artist Asma Kazmi, whose exhibition Relation-Chute II: Meditation on My Slaughter opened at Boots in early 2009, Juan went to take a sneak peek at Kazmi's current project with the hijra community. He explored the vibrancy of Delhi, from its colorful markets and bustling streets of Old Delhi as well as researched the New Delhi contemporary art scene, which has had a Flash Art focus in the recent years. Click here to check out highlights of contemporary Indian art.

Rishikesh and the Ganges River

Delhi, as the capital of India, is an important city in the large subcontinent. With a population of around 16 million residents, Delhi's primary spoken language is Hindi. Some famous sites around Delhi include the Red Fort; largest mosque in the India, Jama Masjid; and of course, the Taj Mahal, located in Agra, a few hours away by train from Delhi.

Stay tuned for more blog entries on Boots' trip to India.

Bustling Streets of Delhi

Bazuco Media Corporation’s exhibit is in full throttle at Boots Contemporary Art Space.  The gallery’s walls showcase Bazuco’s artistic diversity, from music and video production, to fashion and prints.  Video projections include live performance by DrumKit and the DEAD DRUGLORDS from Bazuco’s opening reception at Boots.  Beyond the screen, the vibrancy of the reception lingers in the remnants of the party, still preserved in the gallery.  Remaining pieces of the airplane piñata hang from the ceiling, while its broken counterparts coalesce with confetti and candy, sprinkled on the floor.  Listen to the sounds of Bazuco’s other bands, including Juan-Ex-Band and Nofuturo, in various music videos and performances.  Find out what Professor Bazuco has to say about his philosophies on music, art, design, education, and more in his book “Ultimate Guide to Culture.” 

Come see what Bazuco is all about.  Bazuco Media Corporation will be at Boots until July 22^nd, so don’t miss out on this one-of-a-kind experience.

Boots welcomes Katherine Jolliff who will be interning along side MaryJo this summer. She will be helping with events and blogging for Boots. Katherine is studying art history and will be a senior at Tulane University. With an interest in contemporary Southern art, Katherine plans to attend graduate school.