Working across a variety of mediums, artist Scott Reeder offers commentary on contemporary culture, politics, and trends. His public sculptures reference and remix news headlines, while his humorous list-based paintings offer hypothetical book titles, band names and music genres.
His current exhibition at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center, “B-side of the Moon,” presents immersive installations referencing both a chapter from the artist’s past and visions of a future filled with interplanetary travel.
In 2004, Reeder embarked on his largest project to date, a full-length feature film titled Moon Dust. Set in a dystopian, tech-driven future, the narrative focuses on the lives of employees working at Moon World, a lunar resort that has lost clientele to the now more popular destination, the planet Mars. Moon World’s dwindling population is in a constant state of ennui. Employees tirelessly work to fulfill the guests’ every whim, providing services such as foot massages through holes in the floor or by serenading guests with dreamy guitar ballads.
Although the film was considered finished in 2014, Reeder never felt it was completed. “B-side of the Moon” features sets from scenes that were deleted in the editing process and offers Reeder an opportunity to imagine new, alternative outcomes for the employees of Moon World.
Reeder’s keen attention to detail and color defines each of the Moon World rooms depicted in the gallery. Each is awash in monochrome pastel hues with features such as a bar tended by a robot, an observational window looking into outer space, and a lounging nook clad with pillows.
“B-side of the Moon,” on view through Aug. 4, is one of four exhibitions in the Arts Center’s Mise-en-Scène series. The series plays on the theatrical term describing the overall composition of objects and actors on a stage. Many of the artists featured use stylistic elements more common to film and theater, such as stage sets and props, to create immersive environments in the galleries.
The John Michael Kohler Arts Center is open daily; admission is free. The Arts Center is located at 608 New York Ave. in Sheboygan. Visit jmkac.org/exhibitions for more information about “B-side of the Moon” and other exhibitions.
Mise-en-Scène is supported in part by a grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts. Funding was also provided by the Kohler Trust for the Arts and Education, Kohler Foundation, Inc., and the Frederic Cornell Kohler Charitable Trust. The Arts Center thanks its many members for their support of exhibitions and programs through the year.
