International Artist Bernar Venet’s Sculpture Exhibit a Public Affair

Tuesday, 07 October 2008
Contact: Marguerite Elicone (619) 686-6222

‘Waterfront Steel: The Tidelands Sculpture Exhibition' - a collection of eight large-scale steel sculptures by celebrated conceptual artist Bernar Venet - is being installed at locations around San Diego Bay. The exhibition is presented by the Port of San Diego in partnership with Scott White Contemporary Art.

Venet sculptures have been exhibited around the world in major cities in the United States, Asia, Europe, Middle East and South America. The sculptures will be on loan to the Port of San Diego for one year from November 2008 to October 2009.

"This is San Diego's first large scale exhibition of outdoor sculptures by one artist," said Port Commissioner Mike Najera, chairman of the Port of San Diego Public Art Committee. "Featuring the works of one of the most influential living sculptors of our time furthers the program's objectives to promote understanding of the role of public art in enhancing the community's identity and providing a desirable destination that attracts visitors to businesses along San Diego Bay."

The installation of all eight planned sculptures will be complete by November 2008, and can be viewed at the following locations along San Diego Bay:

 

• Twelve Straight Lines" and "Random Combination of Indeterminate Lines" - Harbor Island 
  
• "Arcs in Disorder: 5 Arcs x 5" - Laurel Street and Harbor Drive traffic triangle
  
• "Four Indeterminate Lines" and "220.5° Arc x 15" - Embarcadero Marina Park North
  
• "97.5° Arc x 9" and 221.5° Arc x 28 - Embarcadero Marina Park South
  
• "Three Indeterminate Lines" - Harbor Drive, in front of the San Diego Marriott Hotel & Marina

 

Another first is the teaming up of the Port of San Diego with the San Diego Museum of Art, Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, the Omni Hotel and San Diego International Airport to provide an exciting program for the community.

Venet was born in the Alpes de Haute Provence in 1941. Although his primary medium for art is sculpture, Venet has experience in many other forms of art. After moving to New York in 1966, he developed a body of work that was greatly influenced by mathematicians and theoretical scientists of the era.

The Port's Public Art Program was created in 1996 to promote a healthy, vibrant atmosphere that contributes to the quality and identity of the region. The Port enacted the first "percent for art" program in San Diego County and now dedicates a percentage of its projected revenues each year toward a public art fund that is used for the acquisition and maintenance of public artworks on Port tidelands. For more information on the Bernar Venet exhibit or to find out about upcoming public art events, please visit the Public Art section or call (619) 686-6200.

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