Pacific Standard Time: Artists on the verge
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Hundred of artists stand to gain exposure through the upcoming museum-fest known as Pacific Standard Time. In a story running this Sunday as part of our fall preview section, curators involved in the project identify over a dozen artists they feel are especially ripe for reappraisal.
Some are largely unknown. Ever heard of Robert Kinmont? Chauncey Hare? Didn’t think so. Others--like Suzanne Lacy--are prominent L.A. artists who have not, curators argue, received the widespread recognition that they deserve.
Lacy is an interesting example, a feminist/activist/artist/teacher chosen for this story by two curators independently of one another: Paul Schimmel, who organized ‘Under the Big Black Sun’ for MOCA, and Karen Moss, who co-curated ‘State of Mind’ for OCMA.
And they chose her for different bodies of work. Moss talks about her roots as a solo performance and a particularly disturbing installation from 1973 called ‘Lamb Construction’ made out of animal organs. (It will be re-created for the show with human organs preserved using the same plastination method used for Body Worlds exhibitions.)
Schimmel praises her ‘Three Weeks in May’ project from 1977 documenting rapes in Los Angeles, giving it one of the highest compliments a curator can offer: He says he wishes he had the money to buy it, adding ‘I would be shocked if this piece doesn’t end up in a major museum collection.’
For other picks from other curators, read the full story on discoveries, rediscoveries and reappraisals.
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Full coverage of Pacific Standard Time
Art in Context: L.A. from 1945 to 1980
Lesser-known artists poised for a breakthrough
--Jori Finkel
Image from Robert Kinmont’s Eight Natural Handstands, 1969-2009. Photo by Bill Orcutt. Courtesy Alexander and Bonin, New York.