Artists Jonah Freeman and Justin Lowe have teamed up with musician Jennifer Herrema for a project going on view next month at New York’s Red Bull Studios.
Herrema, who formed her first band, Royal Trux, when she was just 16, has drafted an impressive roster of musicians, from Devendra Banhart to Kurt Vile, to create what will be Freeman and Lowe’s first sound installation.
The duo is known for ambitious works that recreate environments such as a meth lab or act as “inhabitable collages.” Their upcoming sound installation will also serve as the score to their new “faux-ethnographic science fiction film,” which will be part of the project, a labyrinthine installation titled Scenario in the Shade, opening September 12.
Freeman and Lowe have brought their walk-in projects to venues like Marfa Ballroom, in Texas (2008), New York’s Deitch Projects (2009), and Marlborough Chelsea, their New York gallery (2012 and 2014). The duo has worked with Herrema since 2012, when she created the soundtrack for their Marlborough show. She’s had her own work shown at Zurich’s Peter Kilchman Gallery and New York’s Spencer Brownstone Gallery.
The Red Bull project centers on the duo’s concept of the San San International, a fictitious giant convention/festival devoted to tech, porn, and contemporary art, which the duo presented in a meta-lecture-cum-fashion show at Art Basel in Miami Beach in December 2014.
Some of the musicians involved have impressive visual art résumés, including Lizzi Bougatsos, who has also had her work shown at New York venues like James Fuentes, Gavin Brown’s enterprise, and in the 2008 Whitney Biennial, as well as Mayo Thompson, who was part of the conceptual art group Art & Language, and collaborated with German painter Albert Oehlen. Banhart recently released a book of his visual art titled I Left My Noodle on Ramen Street.
A roster of the musicians involved is below; more may be added soon.
Devendra Banhart
Mira Billotte (White Magic)
Lizzi Bougatsos (I.U.D.)
Endless Boogie
Bobby Gillespie/Andrew Innes (Primal Scream)
Benjamin Goldwasser and Andrew Van Wyngarden (MGMT)
Neil Hagerty (Royal Trux, Howling Hex, NMH)
Jennifer Herrema (Royal Trux)
Andy McCloud (White Magic)
Kurt Midness and Brian McKinley (Royal Trux, RTX, The Black Bananas)
Simon O’Connor (Simon Doom)
Mario Rubelcabra (OFF, Earthless)
Jon Sherman (Red Fang)
Cameron Stallones (Sun Araw)
Stephen Tanner (Harvey Milk)
Alexis Taylor (Hot Chip)
Mayo Thompson (Red Crayola)
Kurt Vile