EXTRA CREDIT EVENTS 

1.     Eric Wesley, Artist

I had the opportunity to see Eric Wesley talk at a guest lecture series at the Roski Graduate School of Fine Arts. Wesley earned a B.A. at UCLA and has been exhibited in numerous museums such as the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles and MOCA Geffen Contemporary, Los Angeles. He is a fascinating character (to say the least).

His nonsensical and rather impulsive approach to art is something that is difficult to match or replicate. For instance, at the lecture, he displayed pictures of him driving. He told how he was accustomed to driving—often taking a rather mundane route, which caused him to travel in a circle. One day he thought,” Why not just go straight?” And so, he did. He described this action, his feeling and impulsive behavior as a “first dimension” that’s “primal, intuitive, and intangible.” He views this type of random action as a "feeling" that you either "get or don't get." I feel like I can relate to this sentiment as I drive a lot, and often wonder what would happen if I didn't follow the path that was set before me. Not only is his style interesting, but it is also quite entertaining to hear how he develops his creative process. His way of thinking and handling his experiential art is off the edge, as it's constructed to break rules of a typical artistic practice (rebellious in nature). Ultimately, impulse and his ability to express a temporary or fleeting feeling seems to be quite important to him. Despite having a wide-range of art projects, he seems to carry this serendipity component throughout his artwork.

As with other artists, he is used to setting rules or guidelines for himself while creating art. For one project, for instance, his rule was that he couldn’t buy anything (meaning that he would have to make something or steal it). Another interesting thing is that he seems to view his artwork as an evolving piece of text or somewhat of a separate entity (something that appears to be disconnected from himself--- it eventually grows outside of or beyond him and his initial conception). Once he looks back on an artwork of his, he doesn’t seem to think the way he previously did about it. In fact, he often says that he “doesn’t see a point” to much of the artwork he has created. In his own words, he states, “I thought it was an artwork at the time, but now I see it as a prop…sometimes art starts off as art then turns into props, and sometimes props start off as props, and then turn into art.” Overall, Wesley definitely has a get-the-ball-rolling, and then “release it” approach to his art, as one can see in his Project, “WTF?” That is, he starts something creative, and sees how far it can go (in this case, with professionals of different materials taking his artwork and transforming it).

Ultimately, Wesley is definitely not something you can find off-the-shelf. His lecture was quite amusing. And I find it fascinating that he likes the way things look on formal pages, so much so that he decided to file for divorce with his fiancé (just to see what the documents look like). His serendipitous style is certainly something to admire.

“This box sculpture is turning into a cube, which is always good for art.” –Eric Wesley

 2.  Mayo Thompson, Musician, Composer

Mayo Thompson is another person I got to see at a guest lecture. Being a musician and visual artist, he apparently co-founded an avant-garde rock band called Red Krayola. During his lecture, he mainly focused on his experience performing and working with Red Krayola at the 2012 Whitney Biennial and its museum installation.

Overall, he read many of his documented notes of his experiences working and about the various performances that he saw while traveling. He showed many of his web chats with individuals across the country and noted its delay between sound and picture (including other object-relations).

 I find it particularly interesting when he stated that there’s something important to acknowledge; that is, there’s a slippage to authenticity. I think that what he means by this is that whether art is tangible or un-tangible (such as a simple song), things shift and change shape. He described this as “entrepreneurial power” like “playing, writing, and singing…they are virtual, just as they are actual.” This notion reminds me of how Wesley views his work as something that is ever-evolving, and how there’s a sense of collaboration when creating and letting go of an art piece.

Overall, while I enjoyed the lecture, Thompson was rather difficult to follow. He would jump around reading his Manifesto that I became lost (concerning what he was talking about) quite often. However, similar to Wesley, he was a likable and humorous character, and it was just a unique experience to have the chance to analyze how his mind operated.

“Aesthetics made in form of essays.” –Mayo Thompson

3.     Tania Bruguera, Artist

We talked about the purpose of art quite often in class. Much of what Bruguera does, reminds me of our class discussions. Her work seems to have great purpose or intent for social change (a type of “useful art”). A Cuban artist, she is the founder and director of the first performance and art studies program in Cuba. Needless to say, she is very political in her performative art projects. Joining art with everyday political life, she creates a public space to share ideas, ultimately transforming the “viewer” into something much more active and charged. One of her long term projects is the “Immigrant Movement International,” which involves engaging communities (both at the local and international level), social service organizations, other artists, and the political realm to focus on immigration reform.

I particularly like how Brugeura centers much of her work around the contradictions that are in politics (primarily, the contradictions of the representation or perception of immigrants). After listening to her lecture, I believe that Bruguera is striving to transform peoples’ view on immigrants---to not classify them or view others as simple immigrants, but to understand that people are citizens of this world. Similar to the other artists I have talked about, she stresses the importance of collaboration in her art projects (which I find fascinating since this seems to be a unifying element among various artists). However, I find Brugeura's work particularly inspiring because of the role she places on her art projects (to heighten art to a more meaningful place in terms of life-altering acts).

Even when laws have been written down,
they ought not always to remain unaltered.
-Aristotle.

4. Huey Copeland, Art Historian 

 I didn't have a lot of time to stay for Copeland's lecture. However, I found his research and discourse incredibly thought-provoking. Overall, he talked about women artists and blackness in multicultural America. His upcoming book is something that seems to be receiving quite a bit or praise. It deals with how slavery has impacted art in America, thereby arguing for a fresh look or a re-shaping (set of attitudes and beliefs) on how race is positioned in art history. 

Needless to say, much of his work is culture-based and encompasses twentieth century sculpture, the role of gender in cultural discourse, and sexual difference. His work reminds me a lot of what I learned in my Communication classes, especially when it come to the role of the female form (in relation to its subjects/gaze, setting, and temperament of the time). After going to various lectures, I feel as though his work and Bruguera's practices connect or relate in that they both have a transformatory mission imbedded within their work; that is, to change the mindset(s) of those who read their pieces and to better the world both on a local and large scale. 

Much of what I like about these last two artists is that their practice is constructive and instrumental. In other words, they see art as a world-making practice (something of which I hold high regard for). While some of his work and what he talks about can be a little jarring, Copeland seems to be deeply passionate about where marginalized people are unsuitably fixed in Western popular culture. I particularly like how he seemed the type to prefer exchanging ideas rather than actually giving a lecture.  

5. MOCA MUSEUM --HAPPY SHOW 

--Too hilarious not to post.