Keanu Reeves, girlfriend show PDA at Fil-Am artist Paul Pfeiffer’s MOCA exhibit

Hollywood star Keanu Reeves (right) and his girlfriend Alexandra Grant (middle) were among those who attended the opening of Filipino-American artist Paul Pfeiffer’s (left) exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles | Photo courtesy of Ted Benito

Los Angeles – Hollywood star Keanu Reeves and his girlfriend Alexandra Grant were among those who attended the opening of Filipino-American artist Paul Pfeiffer’s exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in Los Angeles.

Reeves and Grant were seen holding hands as they posed for a photo with Pfeiffer, who opened his first-ever retrospective show in the US, titled “Paul Pfeiffer: Prologue to the Story of the Birth of Freedom,” last week. The exhibit at the Geffen Contemporary Art at MOCA will run until June 16, 2024.

The couple has often been spotted in art shows in recent years. Grant has talked about her relationship with Keanu Reeves, highlighting their creative synergy. They made their red-carpet debut as a couple at the LACMA Art + Film Gala in 2019.

Paul Pfeiffer: Prologue to the Story of the Birth of Freedom

The exhibition brings together more than 30 works spanning Pfeiffer’s career—from era-defining early videos to recent, genre-breaking works in photography, installation, and sculpture that have established him as an influential multidisciplinary artist.

MOCA chief curator and director of curatorial affairs Clara Kim, who organized the show with curatorial assistant Paula Kroll, said the Geffen Contemporary spaces provide a dramatic backdrop for Pfeiffer’s “mesmerizing art” and allow audiences to move from intimate viewings of his work to grand, immersive encounters for the first time.

Paul Pfeiffer, Vitruvian Figure, 2008, cast resin, aluminum and acrylic, 118 x 315 x 315 in. (299.7 x 800.1 x 800.1 cm). © Paul Pfeiffer. Courtesy Paula Cooper Gallery, New York | Photo by Daniel Mansur (Stúdio Pixel) courtesy of MOCA

“Fundamentally, Pfeiffer gets at the undercurrents of what holds contemporary society together—our collective desires, fears, and sense of belonging,” Kim said.

“MOCA’s rich history of embracing innovative contemporary art and its commitment to fostering dialogues that resonate with the pulse of our times make it the ideal venue to present Pfeiffer’s thought-provoking explorations of modern society.”

Pioneer of video art in the digital era

Widely regarded as a pioneer of video art in the digital era, Pfeiffer examines how media creates spectacle in sports and entertainment and its subtle but powerful impact on viewers’ experiences of belonging and identity.

The exhibition title, “Prologue to the Story of the Birth of Freedom,” was drawn from an important moment in American media history: Cecil B. DeMille’s opening remarks introducing his epic religious drama, “The Ten Commandments,” the most expensive film ever made at the time of its release in 1956.

Paul Pfeiffer, Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (30), 2015, digital C-print on Fujiflex, 56 11/16 x 78 3/4 x 2 3/4 in. (144 x 200 x 7 cm). © Paul Pfeiffer. Courtesy Paula Cooper Gallery, New York. Courtesy of MOCA

Pfeiffer’s quintessential LCD video pieces will anchor the exhibit. Iconic basketball and boxing matches, including Muhammed Ali’s most famous fights, are the starting points for “Fragments of the Crucifixion” (After Francis Bacon) (1999), “John 3:16” (2000), and “The Long Count” (2000–01) trilogy.

The exhibition also features the artist’s long-duration and live-feed video works and immersive video and architectural installations, such as “The Saints” (2007), an audio-visual recreation of the 1966 World Cup Final, and “Vitruvian Figure” (2008), a room-size model of a million-seat arena inspired by the Sydney Olympic stadium.

Wood carvings produced in the Philippines

Pfeiffer also expands on his “Incarnator” series (2018–23), nearly-life-size wood carvings of cultural and religious figures produced in the Philippines by encarnadores, (Latin word meaning “to make into flesh”) sculptors known for creating santos or Catholic religious icons.

An early work in this series portrays the pop star Justin Bieber as Jesus Christ in resurrection form. Made shortly after Bieber declared himself a born-again Christian, this work explores contemporary modes of devotion—religious devotion and the adoration of celebrities.

Pfeiffer was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, and spent his teenage years in the Philippines.