Introduction
Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara (MCASB) is pleased to announce the United States institutional debut of Berlin-based artist and composer, Ari Benjamin Meyers. Meyers brings his itinerant institution, Kunsthalle for Music, to MCASB to showcase for the first time in the United States his project dedicated to presenting music within the histories and environments of the visual arts. Co-founded with the Witte de With Center of Contemporary Art, Rotterdam, and Spring Workshop, Hong Kong, Kunsthalle for Music is comprised of a specially selected, local ensemble performing an on-site exhibition of musical works drawn from a “collection” that includes existing and newly commissioned solos, duets, and group pieces composed by Meyers and other artists.
Composed by Meyers, the exhibition’s score is open to variations, which are influenced by audience participation, by ensemble members, and by interaction in between audience and ensemble. This approach translates into unique interpretations—an unrepeatable experience—every day. As such, visitors are encouraged to attend the exhibition more than once. Whenever the ensemble is not actively performing, Ari Benjamin Meyers: Kunsthalle for Music will still be present in the museum space for visitors in various ways, including ensemble members using the space to rehearse or recorded musical traces in their absence.
Ari Benjamin Meyers: Kunsthalle for Music is curated by Abaseh Mirvali, Executive Director and Chief Curator, with the curatorial support of Constanza Medina, Curatorial Research Associate.
Kunsthalle for Music was originally commissioned by Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art, Rotterdam, and developed in partnership with Spring Workshop, Hong Kong. Ari Benjamin Meyers is its Founder and Artistic Director.