Lessons for a Creative Life from Box in a Valise

EVENT DESCRIPTION

M+, Asia’s first global museum of contemporary visual culture in the West Kowloon Cultural District launches today an online exhibition Lessons for a Creative Life from Box in a Valise to invite online audiences to explore the seminal editioned artwork, From or by Marcel Duchamp or Rrose Sélavy (Box in a Valise) (1935–1941/1963–1966), in the M+ Collections through mini games structured around seven lessons for life. This online exhibition was inspired by and complements the unprecedented display method of the work in one of the museum’s inaugural exhibitions, The Dream of the Museum.

Widely considered the father of conceptual art, French-born Marcel Duchamp (1887–1968) revolutionised twentieth-century art, profoundly influencing how artists in the West, in Asia, and around the world make and exhibit their work. The M+ Collections hold 101 objects of artworks and archival materials by and related to Duchamp. The central piece of the collection is Box in a Valise, which the artist called a ‘portable museum’ that carries miniature reproductions of his previous artworks. Box in a Valise encapsulates Duchamp’s iconic creations and his spirit as an artist.

Ushering one of the most goundbreaking works of the twentieth century into our digital era, the online exhibition ingeniously unpacks and interprets Box in a Valise through seven lessons drawn from Duchamp’s life journey, guided by the question ‘how to live a creative life’. In each lesson, a mini game is designed to enhance engagement and experience. In Phase 2 scheduled to launch in Spring 2023, the online exhibition will be further enriched by more content, connecting Duchamp and his works with works by other artists in the M+ Collections.

Museum Reimagined, a screening programme of M+ Cinema’s Autumn 2022 edition, spotlights international artists and filmmakers whose work contributes to the appreciation and critique of museums as ever-evolving sites of cultural production. To add to the storytelling on Duchamp, M+ presents ‘Duchamp and Chess’ as part of the Museum Reimagined programme, with screenings at 8pm on 21 October (Friday) and at 4:30pm on 19 November (Saturday). ‘Duchamp and Chess’ spotlights how the artist’s passion for chess influenced his artistic practice, which has inspired artists and filmmakers during his lifetime and until today.

To complement one of M+’s opening exhibitions The Dream of the Museum currently on view at Courtyard Galleries, the public are invited to join the talk Open Up M+: Courtyard Galleries at M+ or online on 2 November 2022 (Wednesday) to explore the different aspects of the museum, from the building as an architectural landmark to the making of M+’s exhibitions. In the talk, Doryun Chong, Deputy Director, Curatorial and Chief Curator, M+ and Mai Komuro, founder of KOMPAS architectural design studio and the exhibition designer for The Dream of the Museum, will converse with Keri Ryan, Lead Curator, Learning and Interpretation, M+. The trio will discuss how design and architecture play a vital role in the conceptualisation of The Dream of the Museum and how curators and designers respond to the unique space of the M+ building.