The Peace Project for the MCA Denver

The Peace Project for the MCA Denver artlover908

Roberto Behar & Rosario Marquardt, R & R Studios, Enchanted Forest, 2005, Multi-color vinyl, 14 x 8 x 8 feet. Photo credit: Palm Beach Institute of Contemporary Art.

DENVER, CO.- On March 30 from 6 pm – 9 pm, MCA will open The Peace Project, an installation by Miami-based artist/architect team Roberto Behar and Rosario Marquardt. This large-scale sculptural installation was commissioned by MCA Executive Director/Chief Curator Cydney Payton for MCA’s Temporary Contemporary located at 15th & Delgany, across from MCA’s new building currently under construction. For The Peace Project, Behar and Marquardt will construct a sensuous and color-drenched environment -- “an experimental space for the idea of hope.” “We have often thought of our work in terms of a kind of utopian realism,” says Marquardt. “Perhaps, our work can be seen as [providing] “imaginary solutions” in the tradition of Alfred Jarry’s idea of Pataphysics ‘the science of imaginary solutions.’” “Roberto and Rosario’s sense of scale and their ability to balance complex concepts with playfulness and accessibility distinguish them from many artists working today,” remarked Payton. Behar & Marquardt, who collaborate under the name R&R Studios, are known for their large-scale permanent public installations including The Living Room in Miami. Originally from Argentina, they both have degrees in Architecture from the Universidad Nacional de Rosario. They have exhibited their work at the Museum of Contemporary Art in North Miami, the Fondation pour l’Architecture in Brussels and the Museo Nacional d’Arte in La Paz. Their work has been featured in numerous publications including The New York Times, Aula, Art in America, and Metropolis. They have been recently commissioned by Sage Hospitality to create a public artwork at The Curtis Hotel in downtown Denver. On Saturday March 31, join Behar and Marquardt for a gallery talk at 10 am. Bring your own symbol or “piece of peace” for our Peace Pile. Coffee and breakfast treats will be served. The Peace Project has been made possible by The Compton Foundation; Komorebi, a project of Urban Market Development, LLC; and Sage Hospitality.