Hey everybody, this week I found an awesome exhibit with contemporary artists re-imagining timeless artworks by artists like Salvador Dali and Claude Monet. The exhibit, titled “Syncopation: Contemporary encounters with the Modern Masters, is running until December 1st 2019 at the Pola Museum of Art in Japan.
The museum’s website explains that ” The word “syncopation” refers to the musical technique of altering a standard rhythm by displacing the regular metrical accent in order to add texture and tension to a composition. Derived from the ancient Greek word sunkopḗ, the technique is widely used in classical music as well as being a fundamental part of more modern genres such as jazz, blues, and ragtime. Syncopation entails shifting the normal stress or accent, or reversing the strong and weak, a process that might also be seen as a means of reexamining the relationships among things and exploring new interpretations. In this exhibition, a group of contemporary artists presents a wide range of works, including installations that extend throughout a space, videos, photographs, sound, performance, and an outdoor piece. These efforts evoke syncopations that transcend time and national borders, shedding contemporary light on works by masters of the past, and giving rise to new rhythms”.
Their website shows images of the contemporary work alongside images of the work done by the modern masters. One example is contemporary artist Alicia Kwade’s using a Dalí piece to inform her work and re-imagine the meaning behind Dalí’s piece. Kwade, like Dalí , liked to play around with illusions and invite people to access the subconscious. She uses mirrors to create a sense of depth and enhance the idea of reflection as seen in Dalí ‘S piece.
Dali’s “Invisible Sleeper, Horse, and Lion” 
Kwade’s “Between Glances”
More images and an explanations of these works can be found here: https://www.polamuseum.or.jp/english/exhibition/20190810s01 . Have a great week everyone!