P-Funk pioneer debuts transformational artworks in major exhibition
SCAD MUSEUM OF ART
Savannah, GA
The SCAD Museum of Art welcomes legendary funk musician George Clinton to Savannah for his first solo museum exhibition, Cloaked in a Cloud, Disguised in the Sky, on view Sept. 26, 2024–Jan. 27, 2025. Clinton’s contributions to the arts span seven decades. He began applying his creativity to drawing and painting while on tour in the 1990s, developing a surreal, hallucinogenic aesthetic that riffs on the characters and cosmic mythology of the P-Funk project. Fully resonant with the feeling of funk, Clinton’s body of work epitomizes the inventiveness of his musical practice. His singular style centers improvisation, defying expectations and societal norms with an imaginative Afrofuturist aesthetic. In addition to premiering Clinton’s paintings and drawings, the experiential installation features costumes, album covers, and a newly fabricated recreation of the Mothership, an essential fixture of the P-Funk visual language that Clinton has built over the course of his career.
Works by other contemporary artists influenced by Clinton — including Lauren Halsey, Mickalene Thomas, Rashid Johnson, Derrick Adams, and Eddie Martinez — are also featured.“The SCAD Museum of Art is incredibly honored to present the first institutional exhibition of fine art by George ‘Dr. Funkenstein’ Clinton, a cultural icon who has inspired generations with his unbridled originality, maximalist style, and innovative experimentation across genres and media. Radical and uninhibited, Clinton’s idio-syncratic approach to painting exemplifies his unflagging commitment to artistic freedom. This multifaceted exhibition is a revelation and a joyful invitation to all.” Daniel S. Palmer, SCAD Museum of Art Chief Curator. Hosted by the museum’s Walter and Linda Evans Center for African American Studies, Clinton will present the 2024 Jacob and Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence Lecture, placing his work in context with the lineages of African American storytelling. He will also lead Parliament Funkadelic live in concert at the Lucas Theatre for the Arts.
“As an artist, I have always looked to the next generation for creativity and inspiration. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to share my practice at the SCAD Museum of Art. This is an institution that is renowned for its multidisciplinary approach to art and design in a city that also has a rich musical history”
George Clinton
FEATURED EXHIBITION – GEORGE CLINTON: Cloaked in a Cloud, Disguised in the Sky,
Sept. 26, 2024–Jan. 27, 2025. George Clinton (b. 1941, Kannapolis, NC) is a cultural icon whose contributions to the arts span seven decades. He revolutionized music and performance as the bandleader of Parliament-Funkadelic, collaborating across genres and mediums with outlandish styling, spectacular set designs, and pioneering artistry. While on tour in the 1990s, Clinton began applying his creativity to drawing and painting, developing a surreal, hallucinogenic, maximalist aesthetic that riffs on the characters, mythology, and language of P-Funk. His artistic approach is defined by improvisation, experimentation, and innovation — refusing to be bound by traditional expectations or societal norms. This landmark exhibition focuses on the wildly unconventional works Clinton has made in the years since, showcasing his inventiveness in the context of a fine art museum for the first time. A true visionary, Clinton presents a multidimensional perspective on Black experience in the U.S., inviting us all to enter a world that is fantastical, optimistic, and full of funk.
Cloaked in a Cloud, Disguised in the Sky is on view until January 27, 2025 at the SCAD Museum of Art. For more information visit scadmoa.org.
