OCMA to display diverse works

Over the past 10 years, the Orange County Museum of Art has made it a mission to collect and showcase the works of cutting-edge artists. The current exhibit, New Art for a New Century: Contemporary Exhibitions, celebrates just that. The collection of works, which were created from 2000-10, shed light on myriad of artistic styles present in the 21st century.

On Sunday, in conjunction with the showcase, OCMA will hold a salon, “The Desktop Picture Plane.” The culture-savvy art lovers of Orange County will have the opportunity to listen to Amanda Ross-Ho, Mark Flores and Carter Muller, three artists whose works are present in New Art for a New Century. The Los Angeles-based artists will engage in casual conversation with museum-goers, critics and curators, covering topics such as space, culture, and how to circumvent the image and the object.

The juxtaposition of the image and the object is ever-present in their pieces. Amanda Ross-Ho playfully questions the role of photography in “Peacock” by outlining the silhouette of a person, but instead of a body between the lines, there lies a stale grid.

Michael Ned Holte, a critic and curator, is moderating the panel and looking forward to the dialogue.

“All three artists negotiate between images and objects, albeit in very different way,” he said. “I’m curious to hear what they have to say about the role of technology in that negotiation.”

He went on to say, “I’m also interested in how each of them organizes the archival material they work with. It sounds like a simple question, but I suspect the differences will say a lot.”

The conversation will not only stimulate the public, but can inspire the artists as well. Mark Flores believes the image in his own work was created with the help of conversation.

“What was interesting to me about the Russian constructivist period, from which the image for the drawing of Malevich’s tomb was taken, was the exchange of ideas and the active participation from the community in the cultural dialogue”, he said.

Known for showcasing the avant-garde and abstract, the OCMA Sunday Salons will give locals a chance to ask questions and have a better understanding of the artist and their craft. Instead of another day at the beach, consider an “artsy” alternative for a summer Sunday and take advantage of the OC art scene.

IF YOU GO

What: Sunday Salon

Where: Orange County Museum of Art, 850 San Clemente Drive, Newport Beach.

When: 2 p.m. Sunday