Rico Gatson and Chris Larson. The Raft

About

The Raft is a multi-channel video and sound installation. Gatson and Larson have been friends and colleagues for almost 30 years since they studied art together at Bethel University in St. Paul Minnesota. Referencing the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Gatson and Larson perform on top of a moveable platform measuring ten feet square. Surrounded by various detritus, they play records from their personal collections spanning the legacy of popular music. Selections range from Mahalia Jackson and Patsy Cline to The Clash and Fats Domino. The role of music has played an important and instrumental role in both artists’ lives, studio practices, and relationships. The setting is Larson’s studio located near the Mississippi River, in St. Paul, MN. The studio is traditionally seen as a sacred space, the place where ideas are generated and the work is created. Gatson and Larson see this location as essential to re-envisioning aspects of this American tale.

The exhibition will consist of four projections. The central piece is a three-channel video with a duration of 3 hours. The fourth projection is an endlessly looped video filmed on the Mississippi River in the glistening late afternoon sunlight.

Rico Gatson received his B.A. from Bethel University and M.F.A. from Yale University. His work has been included in numerous solo and group exhibitions, both nationally and internationally, including Prospect 1 (New Orleans, LA), Greater New York (MoMA PS 1, LIC, NY), and at the Essl Museum (Austria, Vienna). Gatson lives and works in Brooklyn, NY and is represented by Ronald Feldman Fine Arts in New York City.

Chris Larson received his B.A. from Bethel University and M.F.A. from Yale University. His work has been included in numerous solo and group exhibitions, both nationally and internationally, including The Whitney Biennial 2014 (New York, NY), 2nd Biennial del Fin del Mundo (Argentina), and the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art (Bentonville, AK). He is an Assistant Professor of Art at the University of Minnesota, and lives and works in St. Paul, MN.