The Other Four

The Other Four assembles a varied display of 16 multimedia works by 21 contemporary artists that forefront the senses of smell, taste, touch, and sound. Exploring the richness of the human experience, the exhibition engages audiences primarily through nonvisual – the other four – senses. These works center our attention on these four, often upstaged, senses through disparate means, including technology, performance, interaction, and experimental practice. In so doing, the artists’ works point to the vast realm of physical and emotional experience that vision alone cannot access or probe.

Curated by Twin Cities-based artist and independent curator John Schuerman, The Other Four captures the spirit of regionally-based avant-garde artists who experiment with and produce sensory art.

Scheurman posits: “Most of us are so accustomed to the dominance of our sense of sight that we often forget it is operating ... sometimes causing one to drift off into thought and miss the moment.”

The artworks in this exhibition invite visitors to become physically involved, to use their whole bodies to experience the show. There’s a spirit of play at work, liberating visitors from prior conditioning in museum etiquette that keeps the viewer and work at a remove from one another. Rather, The Other Four invites visitors to tap other, more intimate modes of engagement — to touch the works, to taste or smell them, to lean into them and listen closely. And along the way, one is invited to consciously appreciate the various ways these multisensory encounters spark, mingle, and recombine, leaving us with a deeper understanding of the rich differences and affinities inherent in the wide range of human perception and experience.

ARTISTS
Featured artists include: Katayoun Amjadi, David Andree, Pedram Baldari, David Bartley, Emma Beatrez, David Bowen, Kate Casanova, Lucy Derickson, Rodrigo Fernando, Wendy Fernstrum, Alison Hiltner, Nooshin Hakim Javadi, Christopher Jones, Yevgeniya Kaganovich, Lee Noble, Ken Steinbach, Liza Sylvestre, Rotem Tamir, Jacqueline Ultan, and Aliya Ultan.

EVENTS
OPENING PARTY Thursday, February 8, 2024
Opening Party: 7 – 10 p.m. (Doors at 6:30)
TICKETS: $20 General Admission ($10/WAM Members, UMN Faculty & Staff) FREE for students

A party to celebrate the opening of WAM’s spring exhibition, The Other Four. The evening includes an early look at the show, as well as music, small bites, photo booth, and a cash bar.

ARTIST ROUNDTABLE Thursday, April 3, 6 - 7:30 p.m.
Pay as you wish (including free)
Featured artists: Liza Sylvestre, Christopher Jones, and Rotem Tamir. Moderator: Dr. Jessica Cooley.
An artist roundtable conversation on the ways in which The Other Four promotes intimacy between audience and artwork through touch, breath, and close listening. Panelists will explore disability justice, phenomenology, and meaning-making beyond visual aesthetics. Moderated by Dr. Jessica Cooley.

GALLERY HOURS
This exhibition is on view from February 9 - May 19, 2024 during regular gallery hours: Wednesday 10-8PM. Thursday - Sunday 11AM - 5PM. The museum is closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Admission to regular gallery hours is free.