For Immediate Release
Contact: Amy Day
Tel: 515.271.0344 (o)
515.612.0775 (m)
aday@desmoinesartcenter.org
DES MOINES, IOWA (March 2026) – Christine Rebet, the 2026 Toni and Tim Urban Artist-in-Residence, has a solo exhibition of five films on view at the Art Center beginning April 11 through August 23, 2026, titled Christine Rebet: Sound of Time.
In her films, Rebet imagines and invents visual forms for forgotten rituals, sacred landscapes, and oral histories. Her works are born out of travel and research in places as diverse as Jamaica, the Persian Gulf, Thailand, Southern Iraq, and Haiti; locales where she meets and collaborates with local experts — including musicians, monks, and archaeologists — bringing their knowledge to life through the medium of drawing.
A significant collaborator is performance artist Simone Harris, with whom Rebet made the film “The Fall” and is its narrator. Traveling to Des Moines from Kingston, Jamaica, Harris will take the stage at 1:30 pm on April 11 as Lady Blake Ophelia Stratum. Harris draws inspiration from her lineage as a descendant of Queen Nanny, a legendary Jamaican leader who led enslaved Africans in the Blue Mountains of Jamaica in their struggle for freedom. Her performance honors Queen Nanny’s spirit and the victorious fight against slavery and colonialism, as well as the resistance of the island’s women. Additionally, Harris will preview her persona while on stilts beginning at 11:30 am.
Following the live performance, which features Rebet’s film “The Fall,” Associate Curator Ashton Cooper will moderate a discussion with Harris and Rebet about this Jamaican cultural history, creative collaboration, and the other works in Sound of Time.
These events are concurrent to Social Saturday: Plot Twist. Social Saturday is a free all-ages event offered on the second Saturday of every month with a new theme each month. Check out the full lineup of scheduled and drop-in activities including tours, art making, storytime, and member specials between 11 am – 2 pm at desmoinesartcenter.org.
Generous support is provided by Art Bridges Foundation’s Access for All program.
For more information or to request images from the exhibition, contact Senior Director of Communications and Marketing Amy Day at aday@desmoinesartcenter.org. Visit desmoinesartcenter.org for additional event details and registration information.
Images
Above: Christine Rebet (French, born 1971) / “The Fall”, 2025 / Animation shot on HD, sound / 5:19 minutes / Courtesy of the artist and Bureau, New York
Below: Simone Harris as Lady Blake Ophelia Stratum. Photo by Kevin Tschierse.
About the Des Moines Art Center
The Des Moines Art Center is a vibrant, AAM-accredited institution located in the capital city of Iowa that welcomes over 300,000 visitors annually from across the country and around the globe. Its historic campus consists of three buildings designed by major architects of the 20th century — Eliel Saarinen, I. M. Pei, and Richard Meier — incorporated into the natural landscape of Greenwood Park. The Art Center is home to one of the strongest collections of 20th and 21st century art in the region, and it hosts a series of ground-breaking exhibitions and lectures each year featuring artists known regionally, nationally, and internationally. The experimental spirit of the art for which the Art Center cares for is reflected in its creative offerings, including a celebrated education program that prioritizes access and collaboration, an art school with studio classes for all ages, and the John and Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park, situated on 4.4 acres in downtown Des Moines. The Art Center is committed to the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion, which are incorporated into every facet of its mission and identity.
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