OCA presents ‘King’s Mouth’ art installation in conjunction with Ogden Twilight concert
Wayne Coyne’s audio-visual art installation is featured with 14 original art pieces that tell the fantastical narrative of the "King’s Mouth" through a multimedia collage.
Wayne Coyne, frontman of The Flaming Lips, will be in attendance at his exhibit "The King's Mouth" for two ticketed events, on Aug. 6 for "The King's Stroll" and Aug. 20 for "The King's Party." Visit ogdencontemporaryarts.org for details.
"The King's Mouth" is a new art exhibit at Ogden Contemporary Arts by The Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne, opening Aug. 6. Visit ogdencontemporaryarts.org for details.
This August, Ogden Contemporary Arts presents Flaming Lips frontman and mixed-media artist Wayne Coyne and his “immersive head trip fantasy experience,” the “King’s Mouth,” at the OCA Center in Ogden, coinciding with the band’s upcoming Ogden Twilight appearance on Aug. 20.
Coyne’s audio-visual art installation is featured with 14 original art pieces that tell the fantastical narrative of the “King’s Mouth” through a multimedia collage. This iteration of Coyne’s traveling art experience has been adapted specifically for OCA Center and will also include a new animation component in the digital gallery.
The show opens with “The King’s Stroll” on Aug. 6, a ticketed event during Ogden’s First Friday Art Stroll. Visit ogdencontemporaryarts.com for tickets and additional programming, including “The King’s Party,” which precedes The Flaming Lips’ Ogden Twilight performance.
Coyne will be in attendance for both events, where he’ll create spin art prints for attendees.
Coyne states: “The ‘King’s Mouth’ immersive/child-like qualities are born from the same spark and womb as The Flaming Lips’ live performances. The ‘King’s Mouth’ adventure was made for humans of all sizes, ages, cultures, and religions.”
The Flaming Lips’ psychedelic rock shows are theatrical spectacles with elaborate props and incredible energy. Coyne’s creativity on stage translates directly into his artwork, which holds the same bizarre connotations and joyful curiosity as his music.
Coyne debuted “King’s Mouth” in 2015 for a group exhibition at the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore, after which the Baltimore Sun likened it to a cross between “a bean bag, the iconic Rolling Stones tongue, and an acid trip.”
The installation is a monumental, tree-like head in glistening chrome, with an open mouth and extended tongue that beckons visitors inside for an all-encompassing sensory experience. LED light strands rain from above, pulsing with instrumental music created specifically for the experience. “You’re feeling it as much as you’re hearing it,” says Coyne in a making-of-the-mouth video series, which will also be on display for the show. “Once the sound and movement is connected, it really is like this thing is telling you a story.”
The mythic story of the “King’s Mouth” is illustrated in Coyne’s accompanying art pieces, which inspired the lyrics of The Flaming Lips’ 2019 album of the same name. In line with the artist’s imaginative songwriting, the story of the King touches on themes of death and rebirth, the inexplicable wonders of the universe and more surreal introspections.
Coyne is adamant, however, for the experience of the “King’s Mouth” to be subjective; when lying inside and experiencing the King’s vision, viewers are encouraged to interpret it in their own way — and most importantly, Coyne says, “to have a good time.”
“King’s Mouth” at OCA Center will be its 11th iteration, having traveled to cities across the country including Oklahoma City, Santa Fe, Portland and Nashville. Coyne says the decision to bring the installation to Ogden has been in the works for some time, and he’s excited for it to align with The Flaming Lips’ recurring appearance at Ogden Twilight the same month.
“This will be our third year (performing at Ogden Twilight) and now we’ve got this crazy art installation happening at the same time, and for me it’s like, wow, in just a couple years Ogden has become this great sort of art-y progressive place,” Coyne said.
“It’s really a phenomenal thing that’s going on,” he said of the city’s creative push, spurred by The Monarch and OCA Center, “and of all places — it’s happening in Ogden.
The “King’s Mouth” exhibit will run through Sept. 19 at OCA Center during regular business hours. For tickets to “The King’s Mouth Stroll” or “The King’s Party” special events featuring Wayne Coyne in person, visit ogdencontemporaryarts.org.