My current curatorial project is FR8, an exhibition of twenty-four commissioned and selected artists, as part of the Port of Los Angeles Art on the Waterfront Festival 2007. I curated a six artist “tester/mine canary” version of the exhibition for last year’s festival, and it was a pretty successful project. This year, I’ve curated fourteen artists, one curator and one documenting artist to execute twelve installations and a container featuring nine video artists. There’s also two additional containers for “skate art” that accompanies the skateboarding demos and contest that go on during the daytime festival.
It’s a tricky project. It’s more like putting up a series of solo shows in small project spaces, all at the same time, than putting up a group show. For almost all of these artists, this may be the first time they’ve ever been in a shipping container, a corrugated, steel box installation environment very different from the world of drywall that 99% of art occupies. Add to that the need to source all electrical power from generators, homeland security issues, cruise industry issues, municipal agency liability issues, and were not in the gallery anymore, Toto. There’s a bit of a reality show model in effect - limited budget, limited time, unusual working environment, creative projects, all followed by public reaction - will the audience dig it?
I’ll be posting daily updates (if my schedule permits) from the installation on Up at the Gate, the Angels Gate blog, and I may cross-post a few things here, and I may do some more “rambling theory/uneducated art schlub with a soapbox” posts that touch on the show here. Anyways…
Here’s the What, When, Where chatter:
FR8
an exhibition by twenty-four commissioned artists
installation, performance and video art in shipping containers,
all part of the Port of Los Angeles’ Art on the Waterfront Festival 2007.
Hours: 11 am – 5:30 pm & 7 - 9 pm
Installation/performance artists:
David Deany, Beth Elliott, Mark X Farina, Jeff Foye, Jocelyn Foye, Megan Geckler, Bean Gilsdorf, Dan Gilsdorf, Pato Hebert, Eric Medine, Christine Nguyen, Joe Sola, Matthew Thomas, Michael Webster
Video artists 11 am – 5:30 pm:
Jaco Bouwer, Sabine Maier, Hilary Mushkin, Agnes Nedregard, Karolina Sobecka
Video artists 7 - 9 pm
Sebastien Pesot, Mikael Prey, Aaron Valdez, S. Vijayaraghavan
Documenting artist - Slobodon Dimitrov
Installation and performance artists curated by Marshall Astor, Visual Arts Director, Angels Gate Cultural Center.
Video artists curated by Anne Bray, Executive Director, Freewaves
FR8 and the Port of Los Angeles’ Art on the Waterfront Festival - Saturday, May 12
Festival Hours 11AM – 5:30 PM, Artists Reception, 7 - 9 PM
All events are free to the public.
All events take place at Berth 87, at the intersection of 1st and Harbor Streets in San Pedro.
Directions: Take the 110 South to Gaffey, exit left on Gaffey Street; left at 1st Street; five blocks to the festival.
FR8 is made possible by generous support from The Port of Los Angeles, Fast Lane Transportation, Inc., American Portable Storage, and The City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs.
at top - The postcard image for FR8. You can view the back of the postcard here, and the festival has a Flickr set devoted to it, which right now is mostly exciting photos of containers.
