Fast Times

Director and curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art/Denver, Cydney Payton has scoured the world looking for exciting cutting edge art. Her latest pick is Israeli-born Berlin-based artist Omer Fast whose solo opens tonight in the New Media Gallery on level one.

Fast is a conceptual artist who’s interested in film and video. The MCA show features an important work by him called De Grote Boodschap (The Great Message), a high definition video depicting a series of intertwining narratives of a group of people (still above) including a stewardess, her husband, a beat-boxer, his girl friend, a real estate agent and others including a moody Arab guy.

Fast who is internationally known has gotten famous for his enigmatic videos that depict ordinary people who are viewed in the context of popular culture. But Fast is not that simple-minded so he attempts to free his characters from their own histories and realities. It’s heavy stuff, but it’s funny, too.

The exhibit opens tonight with a reception from 6 to 10 p.m.; it's free with museum admission (kids free, $5 for students and seniors, $10 for adults). The Museum of Contemporary Art/Denver is at 1485 Delgany Street. Call 303-298-7554 or visit www.mcadenver.org.
July 22-Jan. 4, 2008