Permanent Collection

4420 Warwick Boulevard
Kansas City, MO 64111

Contact

Kemper Museum Policies

The Kemper Museum website uses cookies. By continuing to use the site, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of use.

Hours

Employment

Docent Portal

Policies

News

Atrium Project

Oil on Linen

Visit

Free Admission

Free Programs

Location & Directions

Plan Your Visit

Kemper Museum is a free art museum in Kansas City, Missouri that presents global contemporary art.

Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art

Accessibility

Exhibitions

Exhibitions & Collection

Calendar

Groups & Tours

Volunteer

Public Programs

Programs

Mission

History

Architecture

Leadership

Community Partners

About

Give

Memberships

Legacy Society

Gala

Annual Report

Support

Cafe

Museum Shop

Special Event Rentals

Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art acknowledges it resides on the ancestral territory of the Osage, Kaw, and Otoe-Missouria, among other tribal nations forcibly moved to the region such as the Shawnee, Wyandot, Delaware, Potawatomi, Sac and Fox and Kiikaapoi (Kickapoo) nations. We recognize and support the continued vibrancy of Native communities and cultures today who continue to thrive, as well as the inherent sovereignty of tribal nations. We are compelled to serve and advocate for these communities in accordance with our public mission.

Kemper Museum acknowledges and respects the diversity of Native people connected to this land today. Many recognize the land and all beings who live within it as relatives. We acknowledge the earth we inhabit, the waters of the Blue River, the Kansas River, the Missouri River, and the plants, animals, and people supported by them. 

We acknowledge our responsibility to be good caretakers of the land we occupy. 

Click here to learn more about our land acknowledgment process.

Land Acknowledgement

Join

Celebrate

Shop

Stan Douglas (Canadian, born 1960), Luanda-Kinshasa, 2013, single-channel video projection, 6 hours 1 min (loop), color, sound, overall dimensions variable. Courtesy the artist, Victoria Miro, and David Zwirner. © Stan Douglas. Courtesy the artist, Victoria Miro, and David Zwirner. 

Stan Douglas: Metronome

Stan Douglas (b. 1960) is a Canadian artist whose work investigates the intersection of technology, image-making, and collective memory through the mediums of film and photography. For Stan Douglas: Metronome at the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, three major video works are showcased, each focused on the theme of music. As an audiophile and former DJ, Douglas uses music as a metaphor for social and political conditions and a means for global cultural exchange. By intertwining historical moments with the present, his work highlights themes of memory, social unity, conflict, and the complexities of cultural interaction.

The featured works in Stan Douglas: Metronome include ISDN (2022), which connects rappers from the UK and Egypt through the now-obsolete ISDN technology, exploring social struggles and aspirations. Luanda-Kinshasa (2013) imagines a historic jam session at Columbia’s 30th Street Studio, creating a utopian musical space where different nationalities come together. Douglas’s early work, Hors-champs (1992), features Black expatriate musicians improvising a "free jazz" session, while his photographic series Disco Angola (2012) and 2011 ≠ 1848 (2022) delve deeper into themes of collective memory and cultural transference. Through these pieces, Douglas blends narratives and geographies, challenging binary thinking and reimagining both history and the present.

Stan Douglas: Metronome is organized by the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, and curated by Kevin Moore. It is supported by a major publication, Stan Douglas: Ghostlight, published by Dancing Foxes Press in collaboration with the Center for Curatorial Studies (CCS), Bard College, Hessel Museum of Art. The book includes essays by CCS graduate program director and chief curator Lauren Cornell, Kevin Moore, and other prominent scholars.

Stan Douglas Hors-champs, 1992 two-channel video installation, 13:20 min (loop), black-and-white, sound. Courtesy the artist, Victoria Miro, and David Zwirner. © Stan Douglas. Courtesy the artist, Victoria Miro, and David Zwirner. 

Stan Douglas Luanda-Kinshasa, 2013 single-channel video projection, 6 hours 1 min (loop), color, sound. Courtesy the artist, Victoria Miro, and David Zwirner. © Stan Douglas. Courtesy the artist, Victoria Miro, and David Zwirner. 

Stan Douglas ISDN, 2022 two-channel video installation, 1523 days 17 hours 52 mins (loop), color, sound. Courtesy the artist, Victoria Miro, and David Zwirner. Equipment provided by Remai Modern, Saskatoon, Canada. © Stan Douglas. Courtesy the artist, Victoria Miro, and David Zwirner. 

Featured Works

This exhibition has been generously supported by the Bebe and Crosby Kemper Foundation for the Arts, UMB Bank, n.a., Trustee; William T. Kemper Charitable Trust, UMB Bank, n.a.; Richard J. Stern Foundation for the Arts, Commerce Bank, n.a., Trustee; Christy and Bill Gautreaux; John and Sharon Hoffman; and the Missouri Arts Council. In-Kind support has been provided by DRAW Architecture + Urban Design, Kansas City and Mid-America Contractors. The organizers extend special thanks to David Zwirner Gallery and Stan Douglas Studio.

This playlist, inspired by Stan Douglas: Metronome, was created by Kara Smith, Education Programs Manager at the American Jazz Museum.

Music for Stan Douglas: Metronome

Stan Douglas: Metronome Opening Night

Experience an exclusive artist talk with the acclaimed Stan Douglas

Stan Douglas: Metronome Artist Talk

Join Chief Curator Jessica S. Hong for a casual gallery talk focused on Stan Douglas: Metronome and Riffs on Real Time, and stay for lunch at the museum's new restaurant, Oil on Linen.

Curator's Gallery Spotlight

Director's Gallery Spotlight

View Stan Douglas: Metronome and prepare for a multi-layered musical experience! Orchestrated by Silent KC, Groove Algorhythm and area musicians, experience a rhythmic fusion of live jazz, hip hop, and spoken word while wearing wireless headphones. Enjoy as you tune into this one-of-a-kind concert inspired by Stan Douglas’ body of video-graphic works.

Silent Concert: Metronome – About Time

Join Chief Curator Jessica S. Hong for a casual gallery talk focused on Andrea Carlson: Shimmer on Horizons, and stay for lunch at the museum's new restaurant, Oil on Linen.

We are honored to host an exciting evening with Kansas City-area filmmaker and Oscar winning co-writer for BlacKkKlansman, Kevin Willmott! 

Reimagining History with Academy-Award Winning Filmmaker Kevin Willmott 

Experience the final hours of Stan Douglas: Metronome as we celebrate the exhibition’s closing.

Stan Douglas: Metronome Closing Celebration

Stan Douglas and the Double Life of Images

The Ambitious Film Deconstructions of Stan Douglas

Exhibitions are always free thanks to the generosity of members and other donors. Join or donate today to support free access to contemporary art.