Searching For Feminist Traces Within SFAI MFA Performance

The artist Anna Mendieta who was born and raised in Cuba came to the United States in her early teens. Her work involved her body in ritual acts (often with the body absent) and is documented by photographs that exhibited the impression of her body on the landscape, reminiscent of ancient sculpture.

Anna Mendieta (Photo courtesy of Whitney Museum of American Art)

She has said, “My art is the way I re-establish bonds that unite me to the universe. It is a return to the maternal source. Through my earth/ body sculptures I become one with the earth… I become an extension of nature and nature becomes an extension of my body.” Ana Mendieta’s Earth Body, Sculpture and Performance, 1972–1985, were rigorous projects that included tough performances, which often responded to feminist concerns. In Mexico she made the first of her Siluetas (1973–80), symbolic and strange works in which she cut, burnt, drew or otherwise shaped a human silhouette, often her own, in the outdoors. In Cuba, she produced her Rupestrian Sculptures (1981), carving anthropomorphic shapes into ancient limestone grottoes. Terming her work as Earth Body to describe her ephemeral interventions. She drew heavily on research about indigenous beliefs and later tried to distance herself from her work’s association with feminist goddess cults, but did not completely succeed.

Taking this into consideration, I present you with a work I viewed as part of the performance exhibition in the Swell Gallery a few weeks back. Our colleague, Mick Larusso performed a piece he titled Breathing Landscape. He described the piece with the following text, “I will be laying nude on the ground with three cross-sections from a felled tree covering my body for an hour…. The piece relates to Ana Mendieta, since my body becomes a landscape. At the same time I address the guilt of deforestation in the ideology of environmentalism, since I am struggling under the weight of the tree stumps. I'm calling it Breathing Landscape.” The card that was placed on the wall to the right of where Mick was performing proposed,” The reclining body has often been related to the landscape. Can the weight of a freshly felled tree be sensed ion the body as remorse for an imagined lost relationship; with an ideal of wilderness?”

Mick Larusso Breathing Landscapes (Photo taken by Frida Cano)

Taking into consideration Mick’s intentions, as well as his reference to Anna Mendieta, I ask myself can a work so deeply invested in referencing goddess culture be seen in a performance by a white male in the space of a gallery? Is the effect of these “living sculptures” the same for the observer?

Mendieta’s ritualistic emphasis and the spiritual value attached to the female body in its absence and presence is key to her work. However the ritualistic emphasis in Mendieta’s work doesn’t seem as applicable to Larusso’s performance. It may be that his spectacle of pain provides him with a purifying effect in that it exemplifies the pain he feels as a result of the destruction of nature. Instead of humans destroying nature, nature is weighing heavy on humans. Rather than the symbiotic appearance seen in Mendietta's work, Larusso’s performance is much more of a confrontation and disruption. Like Ana, his body is his material and his performance is emotive and produces a human sculptural form that is deeply referential of form in it.

Mick Larusso Breathing Landscapes (Photo taken by Frida Cano)

A concern for many performance artists is the opportunity to “re-site” art outside of standard art appreciation systems, often as a protest against the objectification and commercialization of artwork, and as a way to provide for more of an exchange between artist and viewer. The denial of hierarchy of form and acceptance of artifice can be seen in Larusso’s piece however the effect of his work is unlike that of Mendieta’s, partially because of its lack of specific ritual, its disrupting nature and the fact that he is performing within a gallery space in an academic institution with an audience that is very exclusive and makes up only a small part of the general public. Had he performed his work in a more public space with somewhat of a reference to history or culture there may be more of a link to his indented historical reference and stronger social critique. What do you think?

-- KIM SILVA

Examining The di Rosa Preserve

Location: di Rosa Preserve 5200 Carneros Hwy Napa, CA 94559
Website: http://www.dirosaart.org/

Interior of gallery (Photo courtesy of http://www.dirosaart.org/)

After hearing about the di Rosa Preserve from several people since moving to the Bay Area, including my parents, I decided to make the trip out for my birthday, which coincided with spring break. I did not know what to expect, except for Bay Area contemporary art on a vineyard, it sounded like a perfect combination for me; wine and art, bring it on! We made a reservation for the “Discovery Tour”, supposedly lasting two hours (but wound up being more like three). The grounds and building upon arrival were spectacular with the 35-acre Winery Lake hugging the parking lot, it seemed the day was off to a great start. Entering the “Gatehouse Gallery” reminded me of many of the contemporary galleries in Chelsea with clean lines and poured concrete floors. The art in the gallery was a combination of works from the permanent collection and a rotating exhibition space that is currently showing, MFA Selections – A Salute to Emerging Artists from Bay Area Master’s of Fine Art Programs and will be up through June 12, 2010. The work was strong but did not indicate which programs the students were attending, which I thought was unfortunate, but maybe that is just me and my picky attention to detail.

Interior of home (Photo courtesy of http://www.dirosaart.org/)

The overbooked group (annoying) was gathered by two docents and told the ground rules, “stay together, don’t touch, don’t wander off, the lay of the land, etc” as well as some minimal background information on the collection and the di Rosa’s themselves, Rene and Veronica. It appeared that these docents as is the case in many institutions are people of a certain age who graciously donate their time but do not necessarily know much about the art they are guiding patrons through and have merely memorized a handbook and when one deviates from the questions they have memorized they become flustered and somewhat annoyed (hopefully Melina’s thesis will address these issues and set a new docent standard for US institutions.) Enough with the complaining, the group boarded the jitney and was driven onto the property which was full of breathtaking views reminiscent of Tuscany and I was itching to get off and explore the grounds.

Peacock (Photo courtesy of http://www.dirosaart.org/)

Another contemporary gallery space was welcomed and the permanent collection is housed here. The work ranged in skill, medium, size, etc as well as the presentation model. Some works were given a great deal of space and proper wall texts while others, in particular the photographs were crowded together and merely numbered, correlating to a checklist I would assume, though I found none. There were probably about 300 works in this gallery and there was much to see. There were works by Jay DeFeo, Joan Brown, Bruce Conner, Viola Frey, Robert Arneson, and David Best to name a few. I was not familiar with David Best’s car sculptures, which after researching I now realize the connection to Burning Man and the community effort to make his sculptures, but they were quite fascinating and there were two on view in the collection. I then got scolded for going outside to observe an intricate David Ireland installation with a flying angel sculpture that looked like something out of the Da Vinci Code, but was then led to my favorite aspect of the collection, the residence.

David Best Rhinocar (Photo courtesy of http://www.dirosaart.org/)

Led in through a precarious stained glass chapel like setting and made to meditate until the docent finally announced what was abundantly clear that the windows were not actually stained glass, but a computer program made to generate the illusion of futuristic stained-glass. This was the awkward part of the residence, but it quickly recovered once being led upstairs to the original house from 1855 that the di Rosa’s inhabited and hung their collection in a salon-style manner. Everything was left as the couple had intended and it was almost like visiting a natural history museum and the experience was eerie, quirky, non-thematic with over 100 works and much fun to see. I like seeing homes and being voyeuristic in general, so this was right up my ally. The architecture of the home is gorgeous as well as the land surrounding it, complete with over 6 peacocks who made themselves known by yelling and flaring their feathers, which left me in utter awe as to how such vibrant colors can actually occur in nature. To me, these were the best works in the collection. The house is surrounded by sculpture in the Courtyard and one can see from a distance the Sculpture Meadow that can be toured beginning in April and looks stunning.

Overall it was a good experience, with a lot of art to see of artists I was not familiar with and gorgeous land, a fun place to visit on a nice day in wine country.

-- MARLY HAMMER

Discussing The Fruit Fly With HP Mendoza

Originally posted at http://www.fruitflylife.com:

Fruit Fly (trailer) from H.P. Mendoza on Vimeo.

A few weeks ago I attended a screening of Fruit Fly at The Berkeley Pacific Film Archives. Currently wrapping up a worldwide tour, the film is HP Mendoza's directorial debut. Well known throughout The Bay Area and beyond for his modern interpretation of the musical, Mendoza gained notoriety when he both wrote/starred/composed in the 2006 indie sensation Colma: The Musical. Documenting youth in a suburban town south of San Francisco in which - as the tag line described - "the dead outnumber the living one thousand to one," the picture instantly gained a cult following. Backed by IFC and widely shown at film festivals across the globe, Colma: The Musical helped HP Mendoza attract a loyal and diverse fan base. And with Fruit Fly, Mendoza challenges the musical to an even greater degree.

The film stars L.A. Renigen as Bethesda, a Philippine migrant performance artist who recently moved into an artist commune in The Castro. The plot quickly unfurls and the protagonist finds that San Francisco is not the safe-haven she so craved. Instead, she is road blocked by failed auditions and the constant struggle to piece together her fragmented past. Thankfully, her ostentatious male, gay roommates ensure fun and excitement with every passing day. It is through these men and their subsequent posses that she discovers the term "fruit fly." Previously not aware of such a term, she adopts the label as she finds "fag hag" derogatory and crude. Did I mention Fruit Fly is a musical? So for our San Francisco readers, you too can giggle at chorus lines set outside The Cafe and rhythmic interludes with a Valencia backdrop.

Outside the theater I chatted with HP Mendoza about the transformation of terms and whether his feature was attempting to erase gay stereotypes. Noting that he himself does not have a fruit fly, he continued by stating,

"I'm not really trying to do anything to change the term 'fruit fly,' be it through reappropriation, reclamation, or redefinition. I just want to raise the dialogue. Notice there are two sides to the argument in the movie. I just got into it with someone on-line about the usage of the word 'nigga' by non-blacks. I then went into how we can't be too dogmatic about policing people and their words because we end up looking didactic. I used to crusade against the word 'lady' because it implied that the woman was owned by a 'lord.' Then I learned to just lighten the fuck up."

Well put HP. Well put. At first, the film left me neutral. However, upon further thought and investigation, I realized the brilliance. Fruit Fly is not a film attempting to reclaim gay culture or redefine the hetero-social bonds between homosexual men and straight counterparts. Instead, Fruit Fly is a film that expresses the liveliness of such friendships and the many way such relationships need not be over analyzed. Bethesda unassumingly entered into a gay-oriented circle upon moving to The United States. Such was not intentional. Though the film could attempt to further explain the how and why of her friendships with gay men, the film instead represents the simplicity of the fruit fly - gay male bond. In other words: the "just is" attitude of the fruit fly.

Unfortunately, due to the current economic climate, the movie is not receiving the funding necessary to garnish a wide release. Furthermore, due to the nature of the picture, the audience members have been limited. HP continued,

"I'm happy with the audience I've been getting, but I do hope that more Filipino women learn about this. I shit you not, twice, at different festivals, female performance artists from the Philippines have walked up to me saying they were looking for their biological moms."

For the few fortunate to view Fruit Fly, it seems each day is a bit more lyrical and a bit more colorful. A San Francisco homage painted with synthesized solos and more-real-than-one-might-think characters, Fruit Fly is definitely worthy of a Dolores Park screening. (And you can imagine, due to the title of the movie, I am as critical as they come.)

-- COURTNEY NICHOLS

Montgomery Gallery

Camille-Jacob Pissarro Upper Norwood, Londres

Location: 406 Jackson San Francisco, CA 94111
Website: http://www.montgomerygallery.com

Take of virtual tour of San Francisco’s Montgomery Gallery’s stand at TEFAF.

Founded in 1984, Montgomery Gallery deals in late 19th and early 20th century European and American paintings and sculpture. Located in Jackson Square, Montgomery Gallery currently is exhibiting Spring Selections of European and American 20th century works of art by Camille Pissarro, Albert Bierstadt, Auguste Renoir, Max Pechstein, and Norton Bush.

-- CHARLOTTE MILLER

Matisse To Malevich

Henri Matisse Game of Bowls

Exhibition Title: Matisse to Malevich: Pioneers of Modern Art from the Hermitage
Location: Hermitage Amsterdam
Dates: March 6 - September, 2010

Matisse to Malevich: Pioneers of Modern Art from the Hermitage is an exhibition that is taking place as the Hermitage Amsterdam from March 6 through September 2010. Displaying 75 works selected from the permanent collection of the Hermitage St. Petersburg, Matisse to Malevich displays works by the masters of Modern art such as Matisse, Picasso, Van Dogen, De Vlaminck, and Derain, but through the lens of two collectors: Ivan Morozov and Sergej Shchukin.

The two Russian collectors, Ivan Morozov (1871-1921) and Sergeij Shchukin (1854-1936) sought out revolutionary French art in order stimulate art in Russia. Shchukin bought 51 works by Picasso and 37 by Matisse thus dominating the art world in Russia. The works were displayed in their homes enabling young Russian artists to view French works of art. The start of WWI marked the end of Morozov and Shchukin’s collecting and during the October Revolution of 1917 the collections were confiscated. A major of the works in both collections were donated to the Hermitage in St. Petersburg.

Morozov fell in love with Impressionists such as Cezanne, Van Gogh, Dennis and Bonnard, while Shchukin sought after works by Matisse and Picasso. Shchukin’s collection included works by Matisse such as The Red Room, Game of Bowls, and Woman on a Terrace, which expressed his desire to find the latest and more revolutionary works of the European Avant-Garde. Shcukin also commissioned Matisse to paint Dance and Music for his staircase.

The exhibition takes an interesting angle on exhibiting the art historical narrative as the show includes a discussion of the collection aspect of works of art. The exhibiting provides a refreshing view on masterpieces of Modern art by bringing in the history of ownership of famous modern masterpieces. Matisse to Malevich expresses the profound impact that collectors can have on art history.

-- CHARLOTTE MILLER

Shanghai Show

Liu Jianhua Can You Tell Me?

Exhibition Title: Shanghai
Location: Asian Art Museum 200 Larkin Street San Francisco, CA 94102
Dates: February 5 - September 12, 2010

To further my review of the Asian Art Museum’s exhibition Shanghai, I would like to critic the organization of the exhibition. The overall mission of the exhibition is to portray the history and culture of Shanghai, however the division of the Shanghai exhibition into four sections: Beginnings (1850-1912), High Times (1912-1937), Revolution (1920-1976), and Shanghai Today (1980-present) provides a very limited view of Shanghai. The wall text for novice viewer of Chinese art provides little to no explanation of the work and therefore the viewer is left confused on the inclusion of each work in the exhibition. It requires background knowledge of the history of art in China to find the works interesting.

The placement of works within the exhibition detracts from the works themselves. In particular, the placement of Liu Jianhua’s Can You Tell Me? on the west end of North Court greatly from the work as the engravings on the books are barely legible as light streams down on the stainless steel books from the windows above. Can You Tell Me?, 2006, is an installation piece in which Liu Jianhua engraved two questions about the future of Shanghai in English, Mandarin, French, German, and Japanese onto stainless steel books suspended vertically from the wall. The questions range from humorous such as “Can Shanghai make the magic of David Copperfield come true, and move the Bund 100 meters backward to widen the Avenue?” to serious “Can Shanghai build the first welfare bank in the world to allow poor people to get money whenever they need?” The inclusion of Can You Tell Me? asks the viewer to contemplate the future of Shanghai and its global impact, however the message of the piece is lost as the placement of the piece underneath large windows hinders the viewers ability to read the engraved questions.

-- CHARLOTTE MILLER

Busting A Move For A Contemporary Art Gallery

BOOMBOX from Ely Kim on Vimeo

Exhibition Title: QNTV
Location: Queen's Nails Projects, 3191 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94110
Date: Friday, March 26, 2010

The American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow once said that, “Music is the universal language of mankind.” I entertained similar thoughts while watching the video screenings at Queen’s Nails Projects on Friday night, as the crowd’s mood was light and responsive to the music. I felt as if I could forget my tendencies to be critical in an art space and simply enjoy the narratives and sounds of the videos. Curated by Rachel Adams and Zoë Taleporo, the screenings were a part of a new installment of QNTV, “the first in a series of video screenings at Queen’s Nails Projects that showcase work blending performance, music, video and song writing.” The featured artists blended or amplified their own art practices with a form familiar to an audience raised on MTV, the music video. The music video can be understood as an entertaining and theatrical medium, which also tends to be accessible to broad audiences.

Of the videos I viewed, one in particular that favored highly with the spectators was Ely Kim’s Boom Box, 2009. The video played as a montage with 100 clips of the artist dancing in various spaces — work, home, club, outside, etc — to popular hip hop, rock, techno and dance songs. Many of the musicians included, from Paula Abdul to Joy Division to Madonna, were easily recognizable and produced excitable responses from the audience. Although the video translated as an entertainment piece, the mixture of songs provoked the viewer to be reminded of unique experiences and memories related to the music.

As I continue to absorb the visual experience, I find myself asking questions about the “artist music video.” For example, how is it different or similar to the music videos circulating on MTV or YouTube? Comments...?

-- ALLISON BLOMERTH