The World Chess Hall of Fame and the Screwed Arts Collective are proud to present Screwed Moves. This interactive arts experience will utilize the talents of eight of St. Louis’ most recognized artists as they work together to produce a completely one-of-a-kind, site-specific wall drawing.
“This exhibition is a great fit for us because the Collective’s process can be seen as a metaphor for the game of chess. The artists play off of one another’s work as they spontaneously create the mural,” said Susan Barrett, director of the World Chess Hall of Fame.
To produce the piece, the artists begin by discussing broad concepts like color and form amongst themselves. The walls of the gallery at the World Chess Hall of Fame will then be completely transformed as large sheets of wood are screwed down to form the “canvas” for the work. Finally, the artists will set about painting, stenciling, sketching, or using any other method they choose. They collaborate throughout the process, adding to one another’s work, letting one another’s changes inspire them as they constantly tweak the design and message.
“It’s not like we make a sketch or a plan of who’s doing what before we begin, so the work will change every day and feel almost like performance art. We’re eight artists with very different styles, but at the end you won’t be able to identify which artist worked on a particular section of the piece because we work toward a cohesive whole,” said Bryan Walsh, one of the artists who is part of the collective.
Walsh’s fellow artists in the Collective are Christopher Burch, Stan Chisholm, Kris Mosby, Justin Tolentino, Jason Spencer, Daniel Jefferson, Daniel Burnett, and Christopher Harris.
The artists will begin work on September 13 with an in-the-gallery “meet the artists” event. The finished piece will be unveiled on September 28 and will be the gallery’s featured fall/winter work.
The entire process will be broadcast live through the WCHOF’s website. Viewers can expect to see the artists working as well as DJing, having friends over to hang out while they create, or maybe even catching a few minutes of sleep before shuttling between this temporary studio and a day job.
The World Chess Hall of Fame will remain open to the public 24 hours a day during the two-week period that the artists are working. Visitors are encouraged to visit at any time and interact with the artists as they create.
**Photos Courtesy of Juan Montana.
