Maurizio Cattelan, Frank and Jamie, 2001, wax and clothes. Courtesy of the artist Marian Goodman Gallery , New York ; Christian Jankowski, Puppet Conference, 2003, digital video still. Courtesy of the artist and Lisson Gallery, London.

Seriously Funny

14. Feb. ~ 24. May
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, Scottsdale

Humor helps us to understand the world. As part of the museum.s 10th-anniversary celebration, curators, “ Seriously Funny ” brings together ten dynamic artists who show us how to laugh at some of life ' s most challenging issues, from spirituality to cultural identity. This playful exhibition proves that contemporary art can be thought-provoking and fun at the same time. Through humor we can come to a sense of community, exploring comedy in the human condition.

Ten artists are showcased and include the contemporary art world ' s most celebrated figures alongside innovative new comers. They work in all media: painting, wall drawing, ceramics, video, sculpture and installation. Five artists will create new works especially for SMoCA ' s exhibition. The ten artists included are: Kjellgren Alkire, Tamy Ben-Tor, Maurizio Cattelan, Alejandro Diaz, Christian Jankowski, Nina Katchadourian, Martin Kersels, Dan Perjovschi, Arlene Shechet and Amy Sillman. This exhibition is co-curated by Senior Curator Claire Schneider and Associate Curator Cassandra Coblentz.

Dan Perjovschi, from Romania , worked for about 10 days to make 16-by 40-foot drawings. Kjellgren studied to be a pastor, and he is doing a performance piece where he is essentially a cowboy preacher. He references his own experiences and gives sermons that are not specific to any religion.

Artists deal with topics people deal with everyday: politics, spirituality, institutions, expertise, cultural identity and pop culture. These are what the artists chose to identify, and some touch on more than one. Another overarching one is the idea of the human condition, and, on some level, all of the works deal with that. It's the everyday things we struggle with.

Coblentz says, “ We felt that the idea of humor is a time-honored way people look closely at the world, and also think critically about the world. There are all kinds of topics we address, from basic struggles to specific things, like cultural identity. It also goes back to representing what we have always done at SMoCA, which is working really specifically with artists in different ways. ”