Media Room

Rochester Contemporary Art Center
137 East Avenue
Rochester, N.Y. 14604   Map

Gallery Hours:                      Office Hours:
Wed - Sun 1-5                      Mon - Fri: 9-5

Sam van Aken: Audition

Rochester Contemporary Art Center: October 3 - November 23
Opening Reception: October 3, 6-10pm
Artist Talk: October 4, 1pm

Rochester Contemporary Art Center is pleased to present a fresh new exhibition of Media and Sound based
sculptures by emerging and internationally exhibited artist Sam van Aken.

au·di·tion 1. A trial performance, as by an actor, dancer, or musician, to demonstrate suitability or skill.
2. The sense or power of hearing. 3. The act of hearing.

Sam van Aken’s artwork is remarkably diverse and consistently challenging. The works included in Audition
freely sample the materials and content of popular culture. Sam’s thoroughly refined irreverence gives form
to the content of electronic media in humorous and sometimes twisted ways. The monumental work Oh My
God (2006), recipient of the prestigious Association of International Curators of Art Award, will be presented
in the main gallery at RoCo. Oh My God offers the viewer a 60’ wall of speakers and a variable soundscape
of familiar yet disembodied voices.

Sam van Aken received an MFA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a BA and a BFA from Slippery Rock University, Pennsylvania. Sam has taught at the University of Maine and is currently chair of the Sculpture Department at the University of Syracuse. Sam’s work has recently been featured in solo exhibitions in Maine, Massachusetts and North Carolina. His work is in numerous collections.

Sam van Aken: Audition @ Rochester Contemporary Art Center runs from October 3 - November 23, 2008
opening reception October 3 (First Friday) 6-10pm. Sam van Aken will give an artist talk on Saturday, October
4 at 1pm at RoCo.