"...Whether presenting the fantastic object that flies or tries to, the photograph that captures the sensation of flight, or the installation that communicates the complexity of human issues altered by flight, Defying Gravity is grand opera for artistic possibilities. May its many expressions bring reflection, curiosity, inspiration, and a laugh or two." —Lawrence J. Wheeler, Director, North Carolina Museum of Art

Defying Gravity: Contemporary Art and Flight
November 2, 2003—March 7, 2004

The nation's most ambitious contemporary art exhibition celebrating the Wright Brothers' wild and heroic feat is scheduled November 2, 2003—March 7, 2004, when the North Carolina Museum of Art and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina present Defying Gravity: Contemporary Art and Flight.

Painting. Sculpture. Photography. Video. Film. A once-in-a-lifetime exhibition in the state where the Wright Brothers made their epic flight on December 17, 1903.

Ninety-one works from thirteen countries and five continents. Some works never before seen in the U.S. All celebrate aviation and imagination through art created during the last twenty-five years. From works fashioned from airplane parts to sculpture consisting of 1,400 Mylar butterflies suspended from the Museum’s third-story ceiling, the achievement of the Wright brothers is celebrated with whimsy and beauty, reality and fantasy.

Works by artists James Rosenquist and Malcolm Morley, among other American masters, and international art figures such as Alighiero Boetti, Andreas Gursky, and Panamarenko bear witness to aviation’s impact on contemporary art and explore the timeless human desire to fly. Other works show flight and airplanes as a source of anxiety and fear. Flight is also shown triumphantly as a symbol for creativity and transcendence, as in Rosemary Laing’s photographs of an effervescent human figure, reveling in being airborne. Outdoors, a series of commissioned projects include a kinetic sound sculpture and a large camera obscura.

Celebrate the 100th anniversary of the first powered flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, with Defying Gravity. And while the Wright Brothers’ flight only lasted 12 seconds, you’ll have 18 weeks to experience the exhibition and 80 days packed with family festivals, children's workshops and games, performances, films, lectures and more.