From the LA Times:
A few of the 60-plus shows have already opened, but "Pacific Standard Time: Art in L.A. 1945-1980" officially gets launched Oct. 1 and 2 with a trio of major surveys opening at the Getty, MOCA and LACMA. Here's an annotated list of some of the more intriguing exhibitions.
Why is it that a material object that represents something can be such a universal and powerful tool? Mesoamerican societies literally circled around iconography. Rulers in Late Formative Maya societies used the power of iconography, and their relationship to "mother culture" myths, to create a monumental shift in the way Maya people perceived the world (worldview). Changing a societies outlook takes great social appeal and power. The fact that these rulers had the ability to get every last man, woman, and child to upend their residences is a feat in itself, but to change the ideal's of a people is an accomplishment few people have been able to do even to this point in time. The best way to do this is to strike at the core beliefs of a people. You must use those beleifs to munipulate them, as well as, strike fear into those that resist. The Late Formative Maya rulers at Cerros did just that. These rulers were able to symbolically demonstrate cosmological beliefs through rituals at a ceremonial center. They were able to create a direct link to the gods of the otherworld, and in doing so create the perception, that they were as powerfull as the gods. Myths and ideals from the time of the Olmec had shaped society up to this point. The rulers of this time invented a way to center these myths, which were represented my iconography through the years, and turn it into a central power. The architecture of this time also played a key role in legitimizing the rulers, who were now considered kings. These massive structures were created using ideas and myths used througout the years in Mesoamerica. Structures composed of architectural icons that symbolized the idelas, values, and beliefs of the mesoamerican people. A central buliding where worship, sacrafice, and transformation could take place was pivitol. These intricate structure were use as stages. Stages to put on eleabotrate plays, and show direct lineage between the gods of the otherworld and the kings of the time. A lot of energy and time have gone into creating this social idea. The kings of the time had a great idea and were able to see it out for some time. The key element that really made these things come to fruition was the iconography, symbols, and meanings that sculpted pieces of the earth represent.
The Associated Students of Chaffey College (ASCC) is sponsoring a free bus trip to the J. Paul Getty Museum of Art at the Getty Center in Los Angeles on Saturday, October 8, 2011. The trip is open to students who have paid the college service fee. Students can reserve a seat now at the Student Activities office and must bring their tuition payment printout and ID when they sign up for the trip. Seating is limited so don't delay.
td[s], Elonda Billera, Lester Monzon
In the project space: Nathan Bennett
Curated by Roman Stollenwerk
September 12 – November 23, 2011
Reception for the artists: Wednesday, September 14 from 6-8pm
Chaffey College and the Wignall Museum of Contemporary Art are pleased to present Art/Object featuring projects and exhibits by td[s], Elonda Billera and Lester Monzon. The Wignall is also pleased to present Nathan Bennett in the Project Space. Art/Object began with a desire to include innovative contemporary design in our upcoming 2011-2012 programming at the Wignall. The fact that Chad Petersen & Dakota Witzenburg of td[s] have backgrounds in fine art was an intriguing idea that blurred the separation of art and functional design; both Petersen and Witzenburg are trained as studio artists and both have experience working as art professionals at museums and galleries. Attempting to classify designers and artists is not a new problem; however, doing so continues to raise interesting questions about how a person’s training influences our response to their creative work and how our response to objects changes depending on the context and how the object is displayed. This selection of exhibitions and projects expands upon some of these questions by presenting variations on the relationship art/object.
td[s] (todosomething) is a design and fabrication studio specializing in furniture and cabinetry that is crafted in their Los Angeles workshop with a commitment to sourcing local, domestic materials. Designers Chad Petersen & Dakota Witzenburg of td[s] have developed a signature style with a focus on craftsmanship that is characterized by a use of tactile materials and unique finishes blended with interpretations of minimalism, mid-century modernism, and Shaker Style. As designers, Petersen and Witzenburg are interested in creating pieces that explore the boundaries of what functional objects mean to their users in a contemporary setting.
Elonda Billera’s practice is a mixed-media and multidisciplinary forum for social exchange (both physical and psychic). She creates evocative compositions that use photography, video and sculpture, often modifying and recontextualizing found objects that have their own past experiences as previously valued items. Billera’s work brings attention to the way that objects can function as emotive markers of social relations.
Los Angeles-based painter Lester Monzon creates paintings that give the appearance of passionate expression; however, Monzon’s work is actually created through a precise and calculated process of glazing thin layers to represent textured marks of thick paint. By creating methodical representational paintings of apparently hurried abstract gestures, Monzon shows how the act of rendering defines the content itself. In the process Monzon demonstrates the contrived nature of human expression and questions the efficacy of sharing subjective experience. Monzon’s work also points to the materiality of paint (or lack thereof) and in the process makes the viewer consciously aware of the paintings as objects. Monzon’s skillful trick, however, is to create this awareness by using the techniques of representational painting, which generally place focus on the image and divert the viewer’s attention from the material construction of the painted object.
In the project space:
Nathan Bennett is a New York-based artist who uses photography, video, sculpture and drawing in his multidisciplinary practice. Bennett often integrates readymades and appropriated imagery in his work to present pieces of commercial culture with an uncanny tinge. He is interested in philosophy, psychoanalysis and anthropology as social theory practices that confront the limitations of history and the production of culture. In his work, Bennett hopes to create moments of desire and alienation that function as a magnifying glass for the irrationalities of capitalism.
The exhibitions and reception are free and open to the public.
WIGNALL MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART
Chaffey College, 5885 Haven Avenue, Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91737
Park in the North Parking Lot - Permits can be purchased at machines for $2.
Parking is free during museum receptions and special events.
INFORMATION:
(909) 652 - 6492, www.chaffey.edu/wignall
