October – November, 2008
American conceptual artist, Dennis Oppenheim is one of the foremost figures working in the field of sculpture today. In past forty years, his rich and impressive oeuvre has spanned through diverse phases Earth Art, Body Art, The Firework Series, which can seem like the work of several artists. One definitive principle of his work is the attempt to reconnect an object by radically altering its size, as seen in his works where he inflates everyday objects, like wine glasses and cotton shirts to humungous dimensions. His work is in all major museums in the world and his public sculpture works are featured at prominent public spaces worldwide and all major sculpture parks.
Since the 90s, he has brought this creativity into the politics of public space to install numerous site-specific sculptures throughout North America, Europe, Asia, and now Grand Rapids.
Open Concept Gallery is proud to present Oppenhiem’s first exhibition in Michigan, featuring the drawings and models of a number of public art projects.