Mark Mothersbaugh: Myopia
Eric Blum, DEVO in their signature hazmat suits, 1978. Courtesy DEVO-Obsesso Archives

Mark Mothersbaugh (DEVO) art exhibit at NYU w/ related performances, screenings & more

Mark Mothersbaugh is best known as a founding member of Devo (and his work scoring television and film), but he’s also an accomplished visual artist, something he been doing longer than the band. (The importance of the visual element to Devo cannot be overstated, either.) An exhibition of his work, titled “Myopia,” just opened at NYU’s Grey Art Gallery where it will be on display through July 15:

The exhibition’s subtitle, Myopia, refers to the artist’s experience of this condition, which went undiagnosed until he was seven. Indeed, Mothersbaugh is legally blind. This optical “malfunction,” in his words, inspired celebrations of mutations throughout his career. Far from myopic in scope, however, the exhibition includes work in nearly every imaginable artistic medium, presenting distinct yet interconnected aspects of Mothersbaugh’s multimedia oeuvre.

Read more about “Myopia” here and check out a few of the works on display in the gallery above.

There a bunch of related events happening as part of Myopia. On Monday, May 1 at Einstein Auditorium it’s “Through Being Cool: The Music Videos of Mark Mothersbaugh and DEVO” which is free (6:30 PM).

On Thursday, May 4 at NYU’s Skirball Center, it’s “Conversation and Performance: Mark Mothersbaugh, Music for Six-Sided Keyboard” where Mark will conduct “orchestral renditions of his original music and film compositions on a six-sided keyboard of his invention (tickets).

And on May 8 at Einstein Auditorium it’s “Rocking Fashion: Françoise Hardy, Courtney Love, Patti Smith, DEVO” where a panel with discuss how DEVO and other musicians of our time employ clothing and accessories to craft their stage persona (6:30 PM, free).