Photos: Witness the birth of modern culture at Vancouver Art Gallery's MashUp

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      "Something happened 100 years ago that changed the way we think about art and the way we see the world. The last time this happened they called it the Renaissance, this time we've called it MashUp."

      So reads a hand-out from the Vancouver Art Gallery about its latest exhibition. It's the biggest in the history of the gallery, and it speaks to the development of the artistic climate we find ourselves living in today. MashUp: The Birth of Modern Culture examines the evolution of contemporary art and creative methodolgies over the course of four distinct time periods.

      The exhibit doesn't open to the public until February 20 (Saturday), but today the Straight got to take an early look at the VAG's massive exploration of the development of mashup culture. 

      Curators Daina Augaitis, Bruce Grenville, and Stephanie Rebick guided media through all four floors of the gallery to observe 371 works by 156 artists, filmmakers, architects, musicians, and designers. Some well-known artists whose work can be found within the maze of MashUp include Pablo Picasso, Hannah Höch, Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Barbara Kruger, Richard Prince, and Stan Douglas.

      The exhibition spans the course of nearly 150 years, with each floor dedicated to a specific time period.

      Visitors to the gallery will go back in time as they travel from the first floor, The Digital Age: Hacking, Remix and the Archive in the Age of Post Production, to The Late 20th Century: Splicing, Sampling and the Street in the Age of Appropriation on the second floor.

      Works by Andy Warhol and Dara Birnbaum can be found within The Post-War: Cut, Copy and Quotation in the Age of Mass Media on the third floor, while works by Pablo Picasso and Hannah Höch can be found within the Early 20th Century: Collage, Montage and Readymade at the Birth of Modern Culture on the fourth floor.

      MashUp will be on display at the Vancouver Art gallery until June 12. 

      For a better idea of what to expect, check out these photographs from our visit to the gallery earlier today. Purchase tickets to MashUp here.

      A media wall created by the gallery's media team greets viewers as they enter the first floor of the exhibition, The Digitial Age: Hacking, Remix and the Archive in the Age of Post-Production.
      Amanda Siebert
      Hito Steyerl's video installation, Liquidity Inc. 
      Amanda Siebert
      Assistant curator Stefphanie Rebick speaks to a piece on the first floor of the exhibition, part of The Digitial Age: Hacking, Remix and the Archive in the Age of Post-Production.
      Amanda Siebert
      Amanda Siebert
      Amber Frid-Jimenez's work, This Is Not A Test. 
      Amanda Siebert
      Amber Frid-Jimenez's work, This Is Not A Test. 
      Amanda Siebert
      The artwork in the gallery's rotunda was created specifically for the gallery by Barbara Kruger.
      Amanda Siebert
      The artwork in the gallery's rotunda was created specifically for the gallery by Barbara Kruger.
      Amanda Siebert
      The artwork in the gallery's rotunda was created specifically for the gallery by Barbara Kruger.
      Amanda Siebert
      Isa Genzken's Empire/Vampire III is a mixed media piece made of glass, plastic, lacquer, seeds, and wood.
      Amanda Siebert
      Isa Genzken's Empire/Vampire III is a mixed media piece made of glass, plastic, lacquer, seeds, and wood.
      Amanda Siebert
      This installation employs both light and audio and operates as a unit to create different beats.
      Amanda Siebert
      Amanda Siebert
      Amanda Siebert
      Amanda Siebert
      Part of the exhibition is dedicated to the role mashup culture plays in music and fashion. Much of it can be found on the second floor, where work falls under the category Late 20th Century: Splicing, Sampling, and the Street in the Age of Appropriation.
      Amanda Siebert
      An EP by Afrika Bambaataa, regarded by many as the first hip hop MC.
      Amanda Siebert
      Amanda Siebert
      Jean-Michel Basquiat's A Panel of Experts, on the second floor of the gallery.
      Amanda Siebert
      Amanda Siebert
      Brian Jungen's northwest coast masks are made out of Nike Air Jordans.
      Amanda Siebert
      Work by Chinese arist Gu Wenda.
      Amanda Siebert
      More work by Gu Wenda.
      Amanda Siebert
      This work by Wenda depicts a "new Chinese" created by Wenda that utilizes the letters of the English alphabet.
      Amanda Siebert
      Amanda Siebert
      Famous works by Andy Warhol can be found on the gallery's third floor, which is dedicated to The Post-War: Cut, Copy and Quotation in the Age of Mass Media.
      Amanda Siebert
      More work by Andy Warhol.
      Amanda Siebert
      Amanda Siebert
      Amanda Siebert
      Robert Rauschenberg's Revolver II consists of silkscreen images mounted on five motorized Plexiglas discs. They can be rotated by the viewer with a control box to create a kaleidoscopic effect.
      Amanda Siebert
      Amanda Siebert
      The floor of the rotunda reveals a message.
      Amanda Siebert
      Work by Pablo Picasso.
      Amanda Siebert
      Works by Hannah Hoch can be found in this room on the fourth floor, which is dedicated to The Early 20th Century: Montage and Readymade at the Birth of Modern Culture.
      Amanda Siebert

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