Andrew Sexton: The Ballad of Big Mike

The Ballad of Big Mike (2014)
Andrew Sexton
Steel, bronze, paint, urethane foam, electronic components
audio track "Blue Christmas" by Mike Farsky
72 x 24 x 24 inches

True Believers: Opening on August 31

The Torrance Art Museum presents "True Believers: Horror Movies, Strange Tales, Comic Book Worlds and Weirdness." Exhibiting in Gallery One, this show will run from August 31 to October 12.

In the upcoming show, the TAM will be hosting an exploration of the bizarre and the horrible, the fantastic and the frightful. From the uncanny to the repulsive to the dreadful, every nuance and mode of terror will be considered. Yet, the Otherworldly need not be all bad; "True Believers" examines the brilliant transhuman heaven of Science Fiction and the murky chthonic hell of Horror, with all the imagined worlds in between, both dark and light.

The artists that will be represented in this exhibit are:

Justin Bower
The Clayton Brothers
Monica Cook
The Date Farmers
David French
Charles Irvin
Patrick Jackson
Joel Kyack
Candice Lin
Chad Person
Jon Pylypchuk
Colin Roberts
Robert Williams
Eric Yahnker

also on show will be props and effects from Amalgamated Dynamics Inc.

The show will open on August 31 and run until October 12. Curated by Adam Miller, Max Presneill and Jason Ramos, "True Believers" will be a thrilling exhibition!!!

We're looking forward to seeing you at the TAM.

Final Week for Baker's Dozen V

The Octupy is waiting for you!!!

Only a few more days are left to come visit the TAM's exhibit, Baker's Dozen V: Marginal Revolutions. It all wraps up this Saturday, August 10. However, there are still some programs left to enjoy.

Our final My Daily Constitution session will be on August 10, in which we will be discussing Proposition 8 and the constitution. We will be considering the ramifications of the recent Supreme Court ruling.

However, before the weekend, the TAM will be offering free exhibition tours on Wednesday, August 7, and Thursday, August 8. Each day at 12:30 pm, we'll be offering a nice thirty-minute lunchtime discussion of the art on display and the concepts which they raise.

Finally, after the shows are wrapped, we will again be offering a mask-making workshop on Saturday, August 17, led by Kiel Johnson. When last we had such an event, much fun was had by all. ;-)

Works by Olga Koumoundourous, Robbie Herbst, Chad Person, Owen Driggs, Sandow Birk and Elyse Pignolet

We're looking forward to seeing you at the TAM!!!

Richard Ankrom: Figurines

Detail of Figurines
Richard Ankrom
2012
ceramic found objects, synthetic rubber, zipper
dimensions variable

Combining the imagery of bondage with sentimental kitsch, Richard Ankrom's Figurines convey a dark humor, bringing to mind both the government's attempts to socially sanitize the techniques of torture and the public's tendency to turn a blind eye to documented instances of such. These cutesy ceramic figurines, bunnies and kitties, may be seen simultaneously as both the victims of government-sanctioned violence, made to seem anodyne through propaganda campaigns, and as the submissive citizenry that permits such actions.

In either case, humanity is degraded, treated with cheapness and banality. Yet, Figurines conveys this harsh concept with a touch of the absurd. That's no "terrorist" in a hood, but a sweet little bunny.

Detail of Figurines (2012) by Richard Ankrom

Here's a video showing a few other works and projects by Richard Ankrom:

LAX Art Scene's focus on Richard Ankrom (December, 2008)

It's some interesting work. Figurines is part of the Torrance Art Museum's Baker's Dozen V: Marginal Revolutions. Come on down and check it out. ;-)

Detail of Figurines (2012) by Richard Ankrom

We're looking forward to seeing you at the TAM!!!

Consensus

Christy Roberts and Erich Wise
Consensus
2013
wood, metal, led wire, acrylic, margarita mix, tequila
12' x 12' x 5' (dimensions vary)

Broadly defined, Horizontality is an attempt to engage in egalitarian group decision-making, without a leadership structure, through open debate within a diverse and participatory network. This form of direct democratic expression has become prominent within some contemporary political communities, notably within the Occupy movement. Consensus, by Christy Roberts and Erich Wise, expresses a critique of the concept as idealized.

Within every group, there will be marginalized subgroups or those who may not be capable of vigorous debate and persuasion. Since the claims of horizontality are that the views of every member of the community are worth considering, worth subjecting to communal review, doesn't the presence of such overlooked subgroups cause a glitch in the system? With only the voices of those skilled in social influence or those from a respected subgroup rising to consideration, the desired egalitarian results are subverted.

In Consensus, this problem is represented by the unbalanced seesaw; those with social entitlement are given greater "weight" in decision-making. Yet, through empathy and an honest process of opinion-gathering, this unequal allocation of power may be resolved. It may be frustrating, but getting the situation properly balance, truly horizontal, can bring about sweet results.

Consensus portrays this concept with a drink container balanced in the middle of the seesaw. Though it reads "Ugh", a sound of frustration and distaste, the liquid within can be a delightful treat.

Detail of Consensus (2013) by Christy Roberts and Erich Wise

We're looking forward to seeing you at the TAM.

ICWDD: Wrapping Up

In Case We Don't Die: works by Mie Olise and Theis Wendt

The show is over, but I figured we could have a last look. After all, a major theme of this exhibition was on the persistence of Being beyond anticipated endpoints. So, let's take a few images, a few memories, from which to explore new potentialities.

Or, at least, we can take a moment to appreciate this fine exhibit and express gratitude to the artists and curator, Bibi Katholm. It's been a good time. ;-)

In Case We Don't Die: works by Andreas Emenius, Bibi Katholm, and Devin Troy Strother

In Case We Don't Die: works by Frohawk Two Feathers, Andreas Emenius, and Chris Natrop

Although this show is finished, the Torrance Art Museum will be back in June with another set of exciting exhibitions. Until then, we'll be hosting a few special events, such as a screening of Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry, on May 30.

We're looking forward to seeing you at the TAM!!!

In Can We Don't Die: works by Christine Gray, Ida Kvetny, Chris Natrop, and Paco Pomet

Peter Everett: Utopia

Detail of Utopia (2012) by Peter Everett

Currently on view at the TAM, we have a few works by Peter Everett featured in the lobby and the exhibition hall. Our lobby sculpture is Utopia, a large dodecahedron, with faces of one-way mirrors, that encloses a model city. The structures are modeled on real-world financial buildings, but arranged in an idealized geometric grouping. This "Utopian" design is built upon a rotating platform and is reflected within the mirrors in an infinite regression.

Here's a video showing the work in motion, alongside its complementary video screens, which show historical examples of Utopian architecture:


Utopia installation view from Peter Everett on Vimeo.

In addition to the lobby sculpture, the exhibition hall features a collection of Everett's paintings.

Detail of Tongues (2011) by Peter Everett

But the exhibition is wrapping up this week. So, come on by the Torrance Art Museum and see these fine works before the curtain falls on the show.

We're looking forward to seeing you at the TAM.

Detail of Utopia (2012) by Peter Everett