Matthew Barney: RIVER OF FUNDAMENT

Matthew Barney: RIVER OF FUNDAMENT is Barney's first major solo museum exhibition in LA. River of Fundament (2014) is one of Barney's most challenging and ambitious projects to date, and his largest filmic undertaking since the renowned, five-part CREMASTER film cycle (1994-2002). The film, written by Barney in collaboration with composer Jonathan Bepler, tells a story of regeneration and rebirth inspired by Ancient Evenings (1983), Norman Mailer's sprawling, provocative novel set in ancient Egypt. The presentation at MOCA comprises the epic length, operatic film and approximately eighty-five works inspired by or made in conjunction with the film, including large-scale sculptures weighing up to twenty-five tons, drawings, and storyboards. The exhibition also includes Barney's Water Castings, a new group of sculptures on view for the first time. Overall, the works in the exhibition intertwine history and mythology with the contemplation of fundamental human drives—such as sex, violence, and power—that have continuously propelled civilizations.

Matthew Barney: RIVER OF FUNDAMENT is organized by Okwui Enwezor and Haus der Kunst, Munich in collaboration with the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA), Tasmania.

The MOCA presentation is coordinated by Lanka Tattersall, Assistant Curator , The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles.

The exhibition was realized by MOCA in collaboration with Laurenz Foundation, Schaulager, Basel.