Bodacioussss

Bodacioussss presented work from over twenty artists who not only challenge the definition of art but also change the ways in which art is produced and consumed. Unlike artists of the past century, whose works were validated through recognition in museums and galleries, the artists here move fluidly between physical and digital worlds, fine art and commercial arenas, and refined and popular styles. A hallmark of our age, many of the artists represented here present cultural and intellectual issues with deliberate playfulness and absurdity. This exhibition also provided an alternative perspective on what is commonly called “post-internet” art by contextualizing younger, digital artists within an earlier generation of artists who also pioneered an informal, or DIY, style of art-making. The word “bodacious” derives from combining “bold” and “audacious.” In a nod to the vernacular of text messages, the extra esses were added for emphasis.

The exhibition included artwork by Alexander Page (b. 1990, Denver), Trudy Benson (b. 1985, Richmond, Virginia), Katie Torn (b. 1982, New York, New York), Jayson Musson (b. 1977, Bronx), Caroline David (b. 1994, Santa Barbara, California), POSE (b. 1980, Evanston, Illinois, Travis Egedy (b. 1985, Brooklyn), Sessa Englund (b. 1989, Stamford, Connecticut), Keith Haring (1958–1990), Dara Birnbaum (b. 1946, New York, New York); Gary Panter (b. 1950, Durant, Oklahoma), Mike McDonnell (b. 1985, Toronto), Hannah Epstein, Owvbics (b. Blairstown, New Jersey), Don Fodness (b. 1979, Luverne, Minnesota), Aaron Garber-Maikovska (b. 1978, Washington, DC), Kytten Janae (Los Angeles), Aoife Dunne, Kyle Warfield, Parker Ito, and Kim Gordon.