James Surls: Nightshade and Red Bone: KANEKO / Omaha, NE

 KANEKO announces a First Look opening event of the James Surls Exhibition Nightshade and Red Bone in collaboration with the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company. The second sculpture exhibition of KANEKO’s partnership with MECA Omaha and The Riverfront features the work of world-renowned sculptor James Surls. 

As part of the City of Omaha’s Riverfront Revitalization Project at the Gene Leahy Mall (GLM) last summer, the Sculpture Garden features the work of (5) esteemed artists, including James Surls, that will reside there for three years. Congruent to their sculptural residency at the GLM, KANEKO will host exhibitions for each of the five artists for a six-month-long gallery exhibition, headlining a collection of works featuring each artist. 

The Nightshade and Red Bone exhibition at KANEKO will feature new sculptures situated within the context of a Surls retrospective. A profound and unique sensibility to natural forms is evident in Surls’ work, and his relationship to the environment undergirds his creative process.

The event is in collaboration with the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company (DCDC), which will perform for the occasion and conduct a series of workshops throughout the week focusing on creating, communicating, and commanding space through dance and movement.

JAMES SURLS 

James Surls is an internationally recognized artist and one of the most preeminent living artists in the United States. His work is exhibited in major art museums and public and private collections throughout the world, including the Centro Cultural Arte Contemporaneo, Mexico City; The country of Singapore; Museum of Modern Art, NY; Smithsonian American Art Museum, DC; Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, NY; and The Whitney Museum of American Art, NY.

James Surls was born in Terrell, Texas, in 1943. He graduated from Sam Houston State Teachers College in 1966 and Cranbrook Academy of Art in 1968. James taught at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX, from 1968 to 1976. He then moved to Splendora, TX, with his wife and artist Charmaine Locke, where he founded the Lawndale Alternative Arts Space at the University of Houston in the late 70s.

In 2020, Surls received the Lifetime Achievement Award in Sculpture from The International Sculpture Center in recognition of an extraordinary career encompassing printmaking, drawing, and writing poetry. Acknowledged in the US as one of the most preeminent sculptors of his generation, Surls’ body of work has achieved international acclaim.

Surls currently resides and has his studio in Carbondale, CO, where he has lived since 1997. His sculptures, drawings, and prints, which reflect his unique sensibility to natural forms, are in major art museums and public and private collections worldwide.

THE DAYTON CONTEMPORARY DANCE COMPANY (DCDC) 

Dayton Contemporary Dance Company was founded in 1968 to create performance opportunities for dancers of color. Five decades later, the 10th largest modern contemporary dance company in the nation remains rooted in the African-American experience and committed to developing diverse movement artists on the global stage. 

A co-recipient of one of the dance world’s highest honors, the 2016 Bessie Award for Outstanding Revival, DCDC has been presented by American Modern Dance Festival, Paul Taylor American Modern Dance, and Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, and supported by the National Endowment for the Arts and New England Foundation for the Arts, among others.

The culturally diverse company is dedicated to exceptional performance and quality community engagement.

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