Corner Store
by OKAY MOUNTAIN
December 3-6, 2009
PULSE Contemporary Art Fair
Miami, FL
OKAY MOUNTAIN received the PULSE Prize and the People's Choice Award for Corner Store.
OKAY MOUNTAIN, Corner Store, 2009. Mixed media.
In order to present the art and artists of Austin to the international contemporary art community, Arthouse has commissioned Austin-based collective OKAY MOUNTAIN to create a site-specific, immersive installation for PULSE. Utilizing multiple forms of media, the artists have transformed Arthouse’s booth into a faux micro-convenience store that serves as a tongue-in-cheek critique of the art fair environment. Meticulously researched and realized, Corner Store reflects the eclectic and quirky architecture, design, layout, and inventory of the type of independently-owned stores found throughout Texas and the southern United States, replete with furnishings and products. The project is all encompassing--every surface and space has been considered. OKAY MOUNTAIN’s trademark murals cover the walls, while the overhead space and floors have been treated accordingly. Light and sound have also been customized for the booth, which features an original soundtrack produced by the artists. The installation includes hand-painted murals, large scale sculpture (store furnishings like counters and coolers), modestly-scaled objects (consumer goods), two-dimensional works (posters, zines, paintings) as well as sound (ambient soundtrack) and video (security monitor). Referencing Claes Oldenburg’s iconic The Store from 1961, all of the items and elements in OKAY MOUNTAIN’s mart have been made or altered by the collective. Trompe l’oeil objects appear alongside ones obviously fabricated by hand as a means of collapsing the levels of reality and fiction within the “consumer experience”—whether it be in the exclusive realm of the art fair or the lowly space of the quick mart. At the same time, OKAY MOUNTAIN’s project also plays on the convenience store’s function as a rest stop on the road, providing a similar opportunity for fair goers to “take a break” during their marathon journey through the fair.
OKAY MOUNTAIN, Corner Store, 2009. Mixed media.
All the items in the booth will be for sale. According to OKAY MOUNTAIN: “There are very few people fortunate enough to go to art fairs who actually walk out with a purchase. Part of our project’s goal is to provide art items that are affordable for more people. Carrying along the convenience store theme, the prices of our goods will be inflated (due to convenience) but still very reasonably priced.” The financial transaction with the store clerk (an OKAY MOUNTAIN artist) is also considered part of the performance of this project. Arthouse representatives will be on hand to explain the project and provide further information about OKAY MOUNTAIN and Arthouse.
Check out the Cornor Store
sale circular (pdf) for full inventory and hot deals.
OKAY MOUNTAIN, Corner Store, 2009. Mixed media.
ABOUT OKAY MOUNTAIN
Formed in 2006 and based in Austin, OKAY MOUNTAIN is a collective consisting of 11 artists who live and work in Austin, Boston, Chicago, and Valencia. All exhibit as solo artists as well. Originating as an artist-run alternative gallery space, OKAY MOUNTAIN evolved into an artist collective when its founding members began creating art together outside of the gallery environs. What began as collaborative drawing sessions during weekly staff meetings has since developed into a wide range of collaborative projects across a variety of media, including drawing, video, sound, performance, prints, zines, murals, and large-scale sculptural installations. Their shared artworks reveal the unique perspective provided by a group dynamic, give emphasis to drawing and the artist’s hand, and are always leavened by a sense of humor, whimsy, and larger-than-life Texan spirit. Playing on the conventions and absurdities of contemporary consumer culture and drawing upon pop graphics and styling, their works are scrappy, colorful, and maximal—just like the artists themselves. Most of the artists are graduates of The University of Texas at Austin; others are graduates of University of California Los Angeles, Rhode Island School of Design, and the University of Kansas. OKAY MOUNTAIN has exhibited at Galeria Enrique Guerrero in Mexico City, Texas Lutheran University in Seguin, Paragraph in Kansas City, and the Creative Research Lab in Austin. Forthcoming in 2010, are solo exhibitions at Texas State University in San Marcos and the Austin Museum of Art as well as a mural project at Vanderbilt University in Nashville.
ABOUT PULSE CONTEMPORARY ART FAIR
PULSE Contemporary Art Fair is the leading US art fair dedicated solely to contemporary art. Held annually in New York and Miami, PULSE bridges the gap between main and alternative fairs and provides participating galleries with a platform to present new works to a strong and growing audience of collectors, art professionals and art lovers.
SUPPORT
Arthouse Season Sponsors: Austin Ventures, Intercontinental Hotel – Stephen F. Austin, and Jones Villalta Asset Management
Arthouse at the Jones Center is supported in part by the City of Austin through the Cultural Arts Division and by a grant from the Texas Commission on the Arts and an award from the National Endowment for the Arts, which believes a great nation deserves great art. Additional support provided by individuals, corporations, foundations and Arthouse members.