Fort Worth Contemporary Arts - Let My Body Eat the Sun
Exhibition: March 12, 2021 - May 1, 2021
By: Christie Blizard
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, The Art Galleries at TCU will be unable to welcome
public audiences in-person for any exhibitions or events this spring and until further
notice. We will be offering “by-appointment only” viewings for current TCU students,
faculty, and staff only for both Moudy Gallery and Fort Worth Contemporary Arts. Email
us at theartgalleries@tcu.edu to make an appointment.
While we are sad not to have you with us in person, we will make sure you have lots of
virtual and digital options to engage with the work of our students, faculty and guest
artists. The Art Galleries at TCU will continue to showcase high quality art and artistic
practice by contemporary artists.
The Art Galleries at TCU are pleased to present Let My Body Eat the Sun, an exhibition of
new work by Christie Blizard. This exhibition will be on-view from March 12 – May 1, 2021
at Fort Worth Contemporary Arts, with accompanying virtual materials coming soon. Join us
on the Fort Worth Contemporary Arts Facebook page on Friday, March 12th from 6-6.30pm CST
to celebrate the premiere of Blizard’s new film and exhibition, and enjoy a live
performance by the artist.
Built in 1908 the Cowtown Coliseum in the Fort Worth Stockyards is the world’s first
indoor rodeo and an historic home for livestock exhibitions. It is also a place of
unexpected cultural significance with over a hundred years of hosting a wide range of
live performances, from Elvis Presley to Diaghileff’s Ballet Russes. On October 16, 1920,
Enrico Caruso, the celebrated Italian operatic tenor, performed at the Cowtown Coliseum
to a standing-room-only crowd of nearly 8,000 people. To mark the centenary of this
extraordinary event, the Art Galleries at TCU invited Christie Blizard to create new
artwork in response to this unique moment in the city’s history.
Let My Body Eat The Sun is a contemporary opera that presents an otherworldly story of
life, death and afterlife based on Blizard’s ongoing exploration of posthuman
possibilities. Written and scored by the artist, the opera features performances by
mythical Texas characters - - a tumbleweed, an armadillo and a cactus - - and alien
improvisational singers. Together they follow the exploits of an unnamed masked
protagonist, joining in for moments of frenzied and gleeful dancing and also witnessing
a deadly encounter with a mattress. Eventually reborn as a visitor from a different
universe, Blizard’s protagonist is transformed by a spectacular bird. Combining
elements of traditional operatic drama with classical mythology, science fiction
and the surreal, Blizard’s opera summons the spirit of Caruso in a colorful and
absurd 21st century Western vision.
Filmed onsite at Fort Worth’s Cowtown Coliseum under socially-distanced conditions,
Blizard’s opera was performed by local artists including TCU School of Art students,
staff and alumni. The film forms the center of Blizard’s exhibition at Fort Worth
Contemporary Arts which is also populated by costumes and props used in the making
of the opera.
Christie Blizard was born in rural Indiana and lives and works in Texas. She was a
participant of Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in 2018 and attended
MacDowell and Artpace residencies. Recent exhibitions include those at the
Contemporary Arts Museum Houston; School of Visual Arts, New York; Good Morning
America (ABC); the Roswell UFO Convention, and the Today show (NBC). Her work has
been featured in Hyperallergic, ArtNews, Art in America, and NY Arts Magazine. Recent
performances include those at Cloaca Projects, San Francisco; Interference Fest,
Austin; Marfa Myths, and the Skowhegan headquarters in New York City.
www.christieblizard.com
About TCU Arts
The Art Galleries at TCU are a dynamic cultural resource presenting unique exhibitions
and projects by inspiring contemporary artists. Through a rigorous curatorial process of
research, creative collaboration and interdisciplinary partnerships, the galleries
showcase excellent artistic practice and high-quality art, while supporting experimentation
and innovation. To support students, faculty, and community patrons, the galleries act as
a catalyst for critical dialogue and provide a vital avenue for professional development
through investigation of contemporary art practices.
