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Collection by Heather Corcoran

Inside the Technicolor Dreamworld of Artist Alex Da Corte

The Philadelphia artist takes over MASS MoCA with the immersive neon-lit installation "Free Roses" and a contemporary spin on Pop art interiors.

Alex Da Corte: Free Roses runs through January 2017 at MASS MoCA, North Adams, Massachusetts.

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In his largest showing ever, Da Corte presents a retrospective of recent works plus the new installation "Lightning," seen here.
In his largest showing ever, Da Corte presents a retrospective of recent works plus the new installation "Lightning," seen here.
The piece takes its name from—and surrounds—the Joseph Beuys's sculpture Lightning with Stag in its Glare, the black piece in the midground of this photo.
The piece takes its name from—and surrounds—the Joseph Beuys's sculpture Lightning with Stag in its Glare, the black piece in the midground of this photo.
Like much of his recent work, the show references the hallucinatory sensation described in Author Rimbaud's prose poem A Season in Hell. Da Corte plays up this sense of the uncanny by incorporating conspicuously artificial elements from sets and stages, like the disembodied facade seen here, as well as strangely familiar objects that simultaneously provide cultural touchstones and confound.
Like much of his recent work, the show references the hallucinatory sensation described in Author Rimbaud's prose poem A Season in Hell. Da Corte plays up this sense of the uncanny by incorporating conspicuously artificial elements from sets and stages, like the disembodied facade seen here, as well as strangely familiar objects that simultaneously provide cultural touchstones and confound.
Older works, like the installation Lattice Hypnagogia (Scene One), 2014, and the video Chelsea Hotel No. 2, 2010, complement the new installation. Here, the name of the elaborately embellished, high-gloss room cites the transitional stage between sleep and waking.
Older works, like the installation Lattice Hypnagogia (Scene One), 2014, and the video Chelsea Hotel No. 2, 2010, complement the new installation. Here, the name of the elaborately embellished, high-gloss room cites the transitional stage between sleep and waking.
Da Corte's work tends to unfold like a choose-your-own-adventure exploration as viewers encounter a series of vibrantly-colored rooms and experiences. Here, two pieces from 2015, Siren (After E.K. Charter) and Untitled (Balls and Spray), hang within the 2007 installation After Party.
Da Corte's work tends to unfold like a choose-your-own-adventure exploration as viewers encounter a series of vibrantly-colored rooms and experiences. Here, two pieces from 2015, Siren (After E.K. Charter) and Untitled (Balls and Spray), hang within the 2007 installation After Party.