Known for her abstract expressionist paintings, the seven solo exhibitions will feature a different theme from over 4,000 works of art
SHREVEPORT, La., July 31, 2014 -- The Lucky Sevens is a series of solo exhibitions in Shreveport/Bossier, Louisiana featuring artist Marlene Tseng Yu. There will be 7 shows at 7 local institutions beginning with her 70th solo exhibition in her 77th year. Different from a traveling show, each exhibition features a different theme and selections from her 4000+ paintings, 35+ series, and 50+ years of “Forces of Nature” creations, ranging from 16 inches to 37 feet long or 18 feet high.
The first show will be at the Louisiana State Exhibit Museum with the Marlene Meet and Greet Party on Thursday, September 25, 2014. The exhibition, titled “Purple Swamp and Nature Abstraction,” will run from September 25 through October 31, 2014. This theme will feature Yu’s most recent paintings inspired by the swamps of South Louisiana. The next show will run from September 26 through November 30, 2014 at the Robinson Film Center. The title is “Emerald Forest Series” which features works inspired by the rainforest, the movie titled “The Emerald Forest,” and humankind’s relation to nature. Following, is “Fire—Element of Life” to be held at Artspace from November 14, 2014 to January 17, 2015, with an evening opening reception.
The “middle” exhibition of the seven will be at the grand opening of the Marlene Yu Museum with the title “Forces of Nature.” This show will feature paintings from her 50-year series that relate to natural disasters and the elements. The ticketed Preview Party for the grand opening of the Marlene Yu Museum and Rainforest Art Foundation will be held on Thursday, December 18, 2014, followed by the Grand Opening on Sunday, December 21, 2014. “Forces of Nature” will run through May 31, 2015.
The Meadows Museum of Art at Centenary College is the fifth show with a reception open to the public on Saturday, February 21, 2015. The exhibition, through May 3, 2015, explores Yu’s uncharacteristically figurative works from a 3-year period, “Dream Series,” depicting a love story between the figurative female and her male counterpart represented by various animals. Next, is the “Melting Glacier Series” at Sci-Port: Louisiana’s Science Center, beginning March 17 through April 26, 2015, which falls in line with Earth Day. The final location of the Lucky Sevens will be Bossier Arts Council with the title “Crystal Reef Series” running from June 1 to July 31, 2015.
The Marlene Yu Museum is a single-artist museum being built during Yu’s lifetime with the mission to preserve, exhibit, document, and interpret the life and works of Marlene Tseng Yu. MYM will be the first contemporary art museum in Shreveport as it opens the doors inside the Rainforest Art Foundation building. The 710 Travis Street, Shreveport, LA 71101 location will be the world headquarters for the Rainforest Art Foundation. The Foundation and Museum want to help make Shreveport an international destination for nature-inspired arts as well as an educational and cultural hub by strengthening the downtown arts community, attracting young talent to work, play, and stay, and furthering the area’s intergenerational family values.
Yu founded the Rainforest Art Foundation in New York City in 2001 to bring together like-minded artists who are involved in the green arts movement. The mission of RAF is to increase appreciation of nature through art. Yu has had 69 solo exhibitions in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. Her work has been reviewed in 9 different languages in over 200 publications including Artforum, Art in America, and Art News.
