Scott Burton: Shape Shift

Scott Burton: Shape Shift examines the legacy of Scott Burton (1939–1989), an American original whose wide-ranging practice anticipated many of the strategies of today’s art. Hailed as a landmark exhibition when it premiered at the Pulitzer Arts Foundation in St. Louis, MO, Scott Burton: Shape Shift is the most comprehensive exhibition of Burton’s work ever mounted in the United States. Featuring works from the 1960s to 80s, the exhibition underscores the breadth of the artist’s vision. By the time of his death at the age of 50 from an AIDS-related illness, Burton had functioned as sculptor, public artist, performance artist, choreographer, art critic, and exhibition curator. The survey spans Burton’s career, featuring nearly 40 sculptures, more than 70 photographs and ephemera, and the only known extant video of the artist’s performance work. In conjunction with Scott Burton: Shape Shift, Wrightwood 659 will host several public programs. These include a performative-meditation on Burton’s practice, care, and passing time by artist Gordon Hall, the founder of the Center for Experimental Lectures; and a lecture jointly hosted with the Art Institute of Chicago by David J. Getsy, author of Queer Behavior: Scott Burton and Performance Art and preeminent scholar on Burton’s artistic practice. Scott Burton: Shape Shift is organized by the Pulitzer Arts Foundation, St. Louis, and curated by Jess Wilcox, independent curator, and Heather A. Smith, Assistant Curator, Pulitzer Arts Foundation. The exhibition is presented at Wrightwood 659 by Alphawood Exhibitions.