OKLAHOMA CITY – On one of Oklahoma’s rare perfect spring evenings, Oklahoma City’s art crowd gathered beneath sunny skies for the opening of “Formless Matter and Its Devastating Gestures” at Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center.
The new outdoor installation by Oklahoma City artists Denise Duong and Gabriel Friedman transforms Campbell Art Park into a dreamscape sculpture garden.
Six monumental forms invite visitors to walk through and experience the art up-close, discovering Duong’s signature line work. That invitation to explore was gladly accepted at the installation’s opening ceremony, with guests of all ages weaving through the outdoor art.
“It’s kind of a bit surreal to see this come to life,” Contemporary executive director Trent Riley told the crowd during some brief statements to thank the artists and to tell the story behind the piece, which began as a proposal Duong and Friedman submitted as far back as 2021.
“I remember almost two years ago to the day, I took over my role here at Oklahoma Contemporary, and I’m going through tons of files that are just kind of stuck in this drawer, and I come across this very interesting proposal,” he said. “The proposal for ‘Formless Matter’ was unlike anything we received. It was original, handmade, and just beautiful, and it was at that moment that I immediately thought we have to make this a reality.”
Contemporary’s Director of Exhibitions, AnnaVittoria Pickett, told Free Press the opening event for “Formless Matter” was the largest turnout she’s seen at Campbell Art Park and said she enjoyed watching people of all ages interact with the art.
“It’s really meaningful to see Campbell Art Park be populated by a local artist duo,” she said, “and to see energy and funds go to our local ecosystem.”
SLIDESHOW: Details of “Formless Matter and Its Devastating Gestures” at Oklahoma Contemporary (ZOE.ELROD/Okla City Free Press)
Guests will find a towering 13-foot cedar head, an outstretched hand, and bird-shaped spheres woven from steel rod, all along an outdoor path.
Duong’s work spans paintings, drawings, murals, and public art, appearing in galleries across the United States and abroad. Her practice is also centered on civic engagement and her connection to nature.
For this project, she drew some of her inspiration from watching her young daughter learn and grow.
“When I think about it, I just want to cry,” Duong told Free Press during the celebration. “It was quite the endeavor.”
Gabriel Friedman’s projects encompass sculpture, interactive installations, art book publications, and community works. His practice is driven by narrative, with materials chosen to serve the story at hand.
Together, Duong and Friedman merge their experience and visions into a project that feels at home alongside Oklahoma Contemporary’s current programming, including Anthony McCall’s “Solid Light” installation, continuing the institution’s interest in immersive, boundary-pushing contemporary work.
But “Formless Matter” is rooted as much in lived experience as artistic theory. Drawing inspiration from chaos theory and exploring all that makes us human, the installation explores a familiar question: How do we create order from chaos?
“This art is about the idea of trying to mitigate the chaos in our world,” Friedman told the gathering on Thursday. “And you know, thanks to the chaos. Without chaos, we wouldn’t have anything to do to try to mitigate it.”
“Formless Matter and Its Devastating Gestures” is on view in Campbell Art Park through April 26, 2027.
For more, visit oklahomacontemporary.org.
Zoe Elrod covers events and happenings around Oklahoma City for Free Press bringing her skill as a reporter and photographer. Zoe has spent her career covering local musicians, artists, politicians, and everyday folks.
