LONG BEACH, CA.- The University Art Museum at California State University, Long Beach is presenting Call and Response, When We Say…You Say, curated by Mario Ybarra Jr. and Karla Diaz, co-founders of the renowned Wilmington art collective Slanguage. Ybarra and Diaz contemplate a selection of UAM collection works and invite Slanguage guest artists to collaborate with them to examine how “high art" and pop culture intersect. The exhibition title reflects the playfulness at the heart of the Slanguage practice, taking cues from the volleying interaction between artist, art, and audience. The exhibition runs from January 28 – April 14, 2019.
UAM Collection Artists: Kim Abeles, Richard Bosman, Patricio Cabrera, Albert Contreras, Adolph Gottlieb, Graciela Iturbide, Lee Krasner, Piotr Kowalski, Ken Light, Ken Price, Lorna Simpson, Andy Warhol
Slanguage Artists: Abel Alejandre, Valerie J. Bower, Karla Diaz, Gabriel “GOBS” Fernandez, Alonso Garzon, Rosalie López, Antonio De Jesus Lopez, Aydinaneth Ortiz, Marlene Tafoya, Arnoldo Vargas, Mario Ybarra, Jr.
Diaz and Ybarra selected artworks from the UAM Permanent Collection for their inspirational power, cultural significance, or collaborative potential; these artworks make up the “call” in Call and Response. The “response” consists of artworks by the guest artists, Diaz, and Ybarra, which answers questions raised by a community-centric assessment of museum practices. Created by mainly local Latinx artists, these pieces directly engage the collection artworks in conceptual dialogue.
Call and Response uses community collaboration and exchange to find new ways for art to resonate with students and discover different inter-generational aesthetic perceptions of fine art. As such, one of the galleries has been transformed into a classroom/lab space for university students, in which dialogue, critique, and cooperation are key to address social inequities in the art world. Community conversations and class sessions within the gallery spaces will challenge institutional practices and attempt to inspire a deeper appreciation of the arts. Collaborations with visiting artists question the histories, assumptions, and biases of the museum acquisition processes. New themes, artwork, and participation arise out of this mediation, a negotiation that centers on shared values, common ground, creative agency, and artistic empowerment.
Slanguage is an artist-run space that grew organically from an active studio to a public engagement space. Located in Wilmington–at the heart of the Port of Los Angeles–Slanguage has led teen workshops, hosted art exhibitions, and presented music and performance events since 2001. Its residency SlangA.I.R. has been a catalyst for young emerging artists, youth, teaching artists, and the community. In acknowledgment of their groundbreaking practice, Mario Ybarra Jr. and Karla Diaz have been invited to pilot events, exhibitions, and programs in diverse cities, museums, and art galleries all over the world. Their work has been presented at ICA Boston, the Whitney Museum, LACMA, MOCA, Tate Modern, Chicago Hyde Park Center, and was included in the first Made in LA Biennial at the Hammer Museum.
