Posts Tagged ‘Pilar Tompkins’

There are some realities that are certainly comforting.  Peanut better goes with jelly.  Cold beer on a hot summer’s day will always taste divine. The sun will rise and set — whew!   We relish these facts, look forward to them, and even expect them, especially the sipping’ on a cool drink part.

But other realities are disconcerting.  First things first, my car doesn’t always start in the morning as much as I will it to turn over.  Not everyone will see eye to eye on your brilliant ideas.  Sometime it just doesn’t work out.  Like you, I don’t want to acknowledge that this happens, let alone expect it.  But in some way, we must in order to reevaluate, readjust, and carry on.

This cold sense of reality must be embraced one way or another.  As seen in the recent past, it is no surprise that the United States as we know it will no longer hold the same superpower it once exercised over the world. Post-American LA, curated by Pilar Tompkins, is a reality check that depicts what happens when the economical and political structures of our nation shift into unfamiliar territory and its consequences trickle into the cityscape.  Unfortunately, there is little to no reference to the Tupac-alyptic or Escape from LA-esque city we expected.  Artists Carolina Caycedo, Sandra de la Loza, Hugo Hopping, Ashley Hunt, Vincent Johnson, Glenn Ligon, Adrian Paci, Vincent Ramos, and Chen Shaoxiong reflect on the question, “how will we find our footing in a new global society without fully examining our preparedness on the local level?” We might not have the answer right now, but we can count on the things we know until we do. In fact, it is five o’clock right now.

As part of the exhibition, 18th Street 2009 Artist Fellow Sandra de la Loza, will host a series of encounters and discussions entitled The Revolution Will….

Post-American LA runs from August 1 to September 26.  18th Street’s ArtNight and the opening reception is tonight from 6 – 10 at the 18th Street Arts Center.  

Image: Ashley Hunt, A World Map: In Which We See, 2005