Cinematic Moments is the first exhibition in an annual series titled The Order of Things drawn from the Kadist Art Foundation Collection. The exhibition aims to break down the structure and production of cinema -- specifically film, an important facet of California culture—into stages that are normally obscured.

Cinematic Moments asks what type of knowledge an exhibition is capable of producing, particularly as an exploration of the workings of a preexisting form of production -- a form that is directly related to the culture of its California surroundings. Cinematic Moments is constructed as an architecture that invites the viewer to step inside a moment in time.

The exhibition begins with a small book by the artist John Miller, who is based in New York and Berlin. His works, which range from painting to installation, are often critical yet humorous recapitulations of images and sets from iconic American films and television programs. It is a series of prosaically written descriptions of moments Miller deems cinematic.

Often no longer than five sentences in length, the descriptions range from a solicitous internal monologue to illustrations of specific visual scenes and emotional states. They are often mundane, yet strikingly real. Miller’s book collides individual moments such as scenes from a film, one negative after another, through simple juxtaposition.

Featured Artists

Mauricio Ancalmo, Erick Beltrán, David Berezin, Yoan Capote, Abraham Cruzvillegas, Nathaniel Dorsky, Haris Epaminonda, Hans-Peter Feldmann, Charles Gaines, Ryan Gander, Loris Gréaud, Jiří Kovanda, Benoît Maire, Koki Tanaka, Ian Wallace, Haegue Yang

Cinematic Moments is curated by A. Will Brown (MA Curatorial Practice 2012). Brown earned his bachelor’s degree in art history and psychology from Goucher College.

Founding support for CCA Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts programs has been provided by Phyllis C. Wattis and Judy & Bill Timken. Generous support provided by Grants for the Arts / San Francisco Hotel Tax Fund and the CCA Curator’s Forum.