
Between Citizenry and Privilege: Ai Weiwei and Bouchra Khalili
By Jordan AmirkhaniAn examination of recent installations by two artists with radically different responses to a constellation of intersectional global crises.
More »I sat down to write this an hour after listening to Hillary Clinton’s concession speech. My fingers moved so fast, so furiously, tears falling on the keyboard. Six months ago, we were in the middle of this divisive election year and we wanted to bring voices together to illuminate a topic that defines and divides us: citizenship. How contemporary art acts as a resource/convener/agitator was prescient in our minds. How can the art world do more than provide refuge but offer insight to why socially engaged thinking matters? How do artists, curators, and creative interveners bring criticality, awareness, and sensitivity to news headlines and lived experiences in a fast moving political climate? Even during a tolerable administration, this was on our minds as borders closed and migrant vessels capsized in the Mediterranean Sea; as walls were verbally and psychologically constructed and bodies - black, brown, transgender, queer – were erased. We didn’t know how this election would turn out then, but we knew that this was a time for active discourse. But now, more than ever, we know it is a time to act, to listen, to publish, to organize.
In this issue seven contributors from across the country consider how citizenship relates to cultural and political systems as they intersect with artistic practices, institutions, and diverse publics. Publishing a mere 48 hours after the 2016 presidential election results, these voices carry for us a renewed sense of our commitment to social justice, political change, and community care continuing our steadfast belief in the power of making voices heard, of challenging “easy” writing, and lifting up the work of artists as a lens through which we can realize action—even if it is in the face of tremendous odds. As our executive director, Michele Carlson, recently wrote: “Whom do we work for? What is our work, and most importantly, what world does it create?” This issue is committed to creating the type of valuable dialogue we want to engender: a community of viewpoints, a diversity of experience. It is through bringing voices together that mobilization and change can occur. Do not be silent. —Kara Q. Smith
An examination of recent installations by two artists with radically different responses to a constellation of intersectional global crises.
More »Making visible the work of maintenance isn’t shining light on something separate—it is, on the contrary, a ‘flushing up into consciousness.'
More »The consequences of this building and lack of density weigh particularly heavy on the public life of Fresno.
More »Khaled Jarrar’s work interrupts state mechanisms, passports, and fences, to provoke questions about how nations regulate the flow of people.
More »Methods of exposure influence narratives of power; they create the virgin or the whore, the citizen or the other, the person deserving of rights and life, or not.
More »McMath’s effort to create a museum fully accessible to anyone regardless of physical ability, and eventually regardless of age, race, or gender drove donors away.
More »The government cannot protect Gazi Nafis Ahmed, and his security has clearly been compromised.
More »A series developed in collaboration with Lucas Artists Residency Program at Montalvo Arts Center.
what are you looking at? is a podcast featuring two queer black women in the Bay Area talking about art, art crushes, art world gossip, regular gossip, and millennial woes. Writer and art critic, Elena Gross, is joined by artist and selfie-queen Jay Katelansky as co-host. Together they take on art, popular culture, and queer black shit!
Featured Episodes: Episode 1: Rooting for Everybody Black Episode 3: What's the deal with California? Episode 4: Black Hoooooles Episode 8: Bittersweet End Notes(un)making is a podcast hosted by visual artist, Weston Teruya. He welcomes artists, arts administrators, and cultural workers of color to get real about their lives, practices, and careers. Each episode is an in-depth look into how art gets made, but more importantly how these folks are seeing to the system of art’s (UN)making.
Featured Episodes: Episode 1: Gaye Chan Episode 3: Grace Rosario Perkins Episode 7: Postcommodity Episode 9: Lukaza…
Eight contributors examine the role of art during times of social and political turmoil.
A space to reflect, listen, and struggle to comprehend the impact of Ghost Ship through music, art, and writing.