Finishing School
Finishing School white flags
California State University, Stanislaus
October 17 – December 20, 2024
DIRECTORS FOREWORD,
White Flags - Represents a chance to view the significant work of Finishing School. Working in any group can be an interesting experience, working with a group of artists can be like “cat herding.” Whether it be in a group exhibition or a collective, the diverse nature of what you are interested in, or the personality dynamics of the group can lead to some very curious moments and of out of the ordinary adventures. Such is the case with Finishing School, established in 2001 they have made collaborative works that respond to socio-political moments that have run a gamut of ideas and medias. All the work begs the viewer to question the motives, ideas and in the end, to question their own ideas and worth. I have been lucky to have followed the work for the past 20 years, since the beginning. I am continually amazed at how advanced the work has become. This work is needed now more than any time in the past twenty years.
Sculpture in all forms is one of the Art Department’s fundamental areas of educating artists. Having exceptional exhibitions of installation art in the galleries helps to generate meaningful discussions and lifelong learning about the art of sculpture. The University Art Gallery’s programing helps to support our faculty’s teaching. It is through faculty recommendations that many exhibitions come to our galleries.
I would like to thank the many colleagues that have been instrumental in presenting this exhibition. Finishing School members Nadia Afghani, Matt Fisher, Ed Giardina, Jason Plapp and Jean Robison for the chance of exhibiting their thoughtful and amazing work, Brad Peatross of the School of the Arts, California State University, Stanislaus for the catalog design and Stan State Print Shop for the printing this catalog. I would also like to extend many thanks to the Instructionally Related Activates Program of California State University, Stanislaus, as well as anonymous donors for the funding of the exhibition and catalogue. Their support is greatly appreciated.
Dean De Cocker, Director University Art Gallery
California State University, Stanislaus
ABOUT FINISHING SCHOOL
Established in 2001, Finishing School is a Los Angeles-based collective comprised of artisteducators that playfully explore an expansive range of subject and media territories. They tend to respond to the current socio-political moment at the intersections of art, politics, praxis, and the everyday. The five members represent a broad range of skills and research interests. Finishing School produces socially driven interdisciplinary actions, installations, workshops, design, publications, film, studio art, performance, and new media.
They have presented work throughout the United States and internationally in The Netherlands, Switzerland, Israel, Thailand, England, Spain, Mexico, Brazil, Ecuador, and Italy. US institutions include Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles, Hammer Museum, New York University, Creative Time, Dedalus Foundation, Queens Museum, Baltimore Contemporary Museum, and the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit.
Finishing School has participated in many residencies, biennials, and festivals, including Bienal de Cuenca in Cuenca, Ecuador; The Wanlass Artist in Residence Program at Occidental College in Los Angeles; Side Street Projects in Pasadena, CA; the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit; Nimoy Foundation Artist in Residence for the 2010 California Biennial; Engagement Party: a threemonth residency program at MOCA in Los Angeles, CA; DFLUX in Detroit, MI; De Zone Stichting Nutuur in Arnhem, The Netherlands; Angeles Gate Cultural Center in San Pedro, CA; and Nimoy Foundation Artist in Residence at Walter and McBean Galleries, San Francisco Art Institute.
Their work has been profiled in many books, journals, magazines, and newspapers, including the Los Angeles Times, LA Weekly, New York Times, Chicago Tribune, The Guardian, Artforum, Art Papers, Art News, Art in America, Coagula, Metropolis, Living as Form (MIT Press), KCET, and Boom (Journal, University of California Press).
FS Members:
Nadia Afghani
Matt Fisher
Ed Giardina
Jason Plapp
Jean Robison
WHITE FLAGS
White Flags offers a meditation on the psychological and social conflicts that arise in an age of escalating uncertainty and tension. By appropriating text from military tactical manuals, the installation challenges viewers to examine their relationship to authority, control, and the pressures of survival. Originally intended to instruct soldiers on how to navigate hostile environments, the directives on survival, evasion, resistance, and escape take on new layers of meaning when removed from their original context. The installation transforms these military strategies into metaphors for the ways individuals navigate the complex socio-political forces of contemporary life, prompting an interrogation of how we respond to pressures of conformity and resistance.
The arrangement of the flags, presented with deliberate precision reminiscent of both military formations and propaganda displays, evokes the institutional authority and order that permeate our lives. However, the content of the flags challenges that very authority, introducing a subtle dissonance between the visual orderliness of the space and the unsettling implications of the text inscribed upon them. This tension invites the viewer to question the stability and legitimacy of the systems in which they are embedded. The flags, traditionally symbols of surrender, are reimagined as contested sites of reflection, where surrender becomes a complex and multifaceted act rather than a simple concession of defeat. The installation explores the deeper psychological and social realities of yielding or resisting in the face of systemic power.
By juxtaposing militaristic aesthetics with subversive content, the installation draws attention to the ways in which power operates through ideology and discipline. The military tactics displayed are not presented as straightforward instructions but as ambiguous prompts that require personal interpretation. The tactics of survival, evasion, and resistance outlined on the flags necessitate careful negotiation, reflecting the complexities individuals face when confronting systems of power. In a world defined by socio-political tension and instability, resistance is often framed as a contentious act of defiance. However, White Flags complicates this narrative by presenting resistance as deeply ambivalent, highlighting the moral and practical dilemmas inherent in acts of defiance or compliance.
Moreover, the installation serves as a critique of how systems of power shape not only our external actions but also our internal psychological landscapes. It suggests that the pressures of survival in a socio-political landscape characterized by inequality, instability, and exploitation have profound psychological effects. The internalization of discipline and control manifests in our thoughts, behaviors, and identities, often without conscious awareness. Surrender, in this context, raises questions about agency and autonomy: is yielding a sign of weakness, or can it be a strategic choice for self-preservation?
The viewer is encouraged to reflect on their own experiences of surrender and resistance, considering how they navigate societal expectations and the demands imposed by various systems of authority. The installation prompts introspection: Do we conform to the norms and regulations that govern our lives, or do we seek ways to assert our autonomy, even if subtly or covertly? By personalizing these universal themes, White Flags fosters a deeper connection between the artwork and the individual.
The installation does not provide easy answers but instead invites a deeper interrogation of the ways in which power operates in our lives. It acknowledges the complexity of these issues and the absence of simple solutions. Through its evocative use of text, symbolism, and spatial arrangement, White Flags opens a space for critical reflection on the nature of power, control, and resistance. It leaves viewers to grapple with the difficult realities of living in a world defined by uncertainty, inequality, and conflict, challenging them to consider their own roles within these dynamics.
White Flags is emblematic of Finishing School’s broader artistic practice, which consistently challenges systems of power, authority, and social structures through immersive and participatory installations. As an interdisciplinary artist collective, Finishing School often creates works that engage directly with viewers, transforming passive observation into active dialogue. Our projects frequently blur the boundaries between art and activism, utilizing a range of media to address pressing socio-political issues such as surveillance, militarization, and institutional control.
In the context of our larger body of work, White Flags continues Finishing School’s exploration of how individuals navigate and resist systemic forces. Previous installations have similarly employed symbolic artifacts and environments to challenge viewers’ perceptions and encourage critical reflection. By reimagining familiar symbols—like the white flag of surrender—in unexpected contexts, we hope to disrupt conventional narratives and highlight the complexities inherent in concepts of compliance, resistance, and autonomy. White Flags thus not only stands as an individual meditation but also continues our ongoing discourse on the intricate interplay between personal agency and overarching systems of power.
Finishing School, 2024
FINISHING SCHOOL CV
Selected Exhibitions/Festivals/Actions/Residences/Workshops
2024 White Flags, CSU Stanislaus Art Museum, Turlock, CA*
2021 Ultra, Torrance Art Museum, Torrance, CA
2018 XIV Bienal, Estructuras Vivientes, Bienal de Cuenca, Curated by Jesus Fuenmayor, Cuenca, Ecuador
2017 Deep State, Performances in Undisclosed Private Residences*
Why Art Matters, Torrance Art Museum, Torrance, CA
CYBERCY: Exploring the Post-Internet Human Matrix, Gallery of Contemporary Art, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, CO
The New Situationists, Pro Arts, Oakland, CA
Far Bazaar, Cerritos College, Cerritos, CA
2016 Executive Order Karaoke - The Obama Years, Visual Artists Group, Los Angeles, CA*
Executive Order Karaoke - The Obama Years, Pro Arts, Oakland, CA*
Executive Order Karaoke - The Obama Years, CreativeTime Summit, Washington DC
Executive Order Karaoke - The Obama Years, Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, Boulder, CO*
Executive Order Karaoke - The Obama Years, Evanston Art Center, Chicago, Il*
Flat Earth, A Ship In The Woods, Escondido, CA
BLISS Movement Workshop with Mandy Greenlee, Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, Boulder, CO*
Improvised Camouflage Workshop, Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, Boulder, CO*
Evasion Yoga Workshop with Drew Austin, Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, Boulder, CO*
Evasion Yoga Workshop, Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design, Lakewood, CO*
Terms of Service with Andy Sayler, Blake Reid and Calli Schroeder of University of Colorado Law, Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, Boulder, CO*
BLISS, Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, Boulder, CO*
Artists Live Here, Organized by Pro Arts, Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, Oakland, CA
Lazy Susan, Curated by Kio Griffith and Irie Ichiro, Titanik Gallery, Turku, Finland
Evasion Yoga, Eternal Telethon, Human Resources, Los Angeles, CA
3rd Biennial Sculpture in the Garden, The Maloof Foundation, Rancho Cucamonga, CA
Privacy and Surveillance in the Post Snowden Era, Visual Artist Group, Los Angeles, CA*
2015 Yes We Scan, Ochoymedio Ecuador, organized by Elvis Fuentes, Quito, Ecuador
We Will Show You Fear In A Handful of Dust, Mainframe, Seattle, WA*
ARTVENICE Biennale 3, Biennial Project, Venice, Italy
2014 WETLAB organized by How to Live in Irvine: Model Cities, Master Plans (Catherine Liu, Lev Anderson, & Ed Bopp),Great Park, Irvine, CA*
God Will Not Have His Work Made Manifest By Cowards curated by Quinn Gomez-Heitzeberg and Astri Swendsrud, Light and Wire Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Art of the Coif, Fogartyville Gallery, Sarasota, FL
Psychic Barber, Riverside Museum of Art, Riverside, CA*
Itch Scratch Scar, Curated by Kohl King and Alevé Loh, Fellows of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, CA
Concrete Walls Art Reference Library - Art and Literacy Project, in collaboration with Mark Twain Middle School, Autonomie, Los Angeles, CA
We Will Show You Fear in a Handful of Dust, Wanlass Artist in Residence Program, Occidental College, Los Angeles, CA*
Copyrights, Curated by Devon Tsuno, University of La Verne Law School Library, Ontario, CA
Arte Útil Lab Archive, Queens Museum, NY, NY and Van Abbemuseum of Art, Eindhoven, Netherlands
2013 Fruitique, Organized by Fallen Fruit, LA2050 Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, CA
Psychic Barber (Fall Artist in Residence), Side Street Projects, Pasadena, CA*
Collective Actions Curated by Jerelyn Huber and Jahan Genet, Cinema America Occupato, Rome, Italy.
54, Film Screening & Discussion, University Art Museum, CSULB, Long Beach, CA
Things Are Gonna Change I Can Feel It: Cultural Studies as Art Practice, Curated by Cindy Smith, The Dedalus Foundation, NY, NY
Storage Wars, Curated by 5790 Projects, Beacon Arts, Los Angeles, CA
Grand Re-Opening, Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, Detroit, MI*
Brother, Can You Spare a Stack, Curated by Yulia Tikhonova, Center for Book Arts, NY, NY
2012 Venice Beach Biennial, Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, CA
Happening, curated by Matt Lipps and Chloe Flores, LACE, Los Angeles, CA
Possibility of a Book, Shenkar College of Art & Design, Tel Aviv, Israel
Fresh, MOCA, Los Angeles, CA
Chloe Flores Residency, Facebook Project*
2011 Living as Form, Creative Time, NY, NY
You First, Orange County Center For Contemporary Art, Santa Ana, CA
Broodwork, curated by Rebecca Niederlander and Iris Anna Regn, Ben Maltz Gallery, OTIS College of Art and Design, LA, CA
Eternal Telethon, MAK Center, LA, CA
2010 Participation Nation, Contemporary Museum, Baltimore, Maryland Actions, Conversations, and Intersections, curated by Edith Abeyta and Michael Lewis Miller, Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, LA, CA
POSTWAR ART Workshop, Museum of Contemporary Art, LA, CA*
Performing Public Space, curated Janet Owen-Driggs and Matthew Driggs, La Casa del Tunel: Art Center, Tijuana, Mexico
DFLUX Residency, Detroit, MI
Let Them Eat LACMA, curated by Fallen Fruit, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, LA, CA
Re-Cycle, UC Riverside Sweeney Art Gallery, Riverside, CA California Biennial, OCMA, Newport Beach, CA
2009 M.O.L.D. Bioindicator Workshop, Farmlab, Los Angeles, CA*
Summertime, Bunny Gunner, Pomona, CA
M.O.L.D. Angel’s Gate, San Pedro, CA*
Faking Franz West, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, LA, CA
Doin’ it ,Kruglak Gallery, Miracosta College, Oceanside, CA
2008 Engagement Party, Museum of Contemporary Art, LA, CA*
Little Pharma - Physic Garden , Fringe Exhibitions, LA, CA*
Soundwalk 2008, Long Beach, CA.
Conflux 2008, Center for Architecture, NY, NY
One Minute Film & Video Festival Aarau, Aarau, Switzerland De Zone, Stichting Nutuur, Arnhem, The Netherlands
The Triangle Project, ABC No Rio, New York, NY
Emergence 2008 , Governors Island, New York, NY
Improvised Explosive Data! Huntington Beach Art Center, HB, CA*
2007 wwfsd?, Polvo, Chicago, IL*
Web Biennial 2007, Istanbul Contemporary Art Museum, Istanbul, Turkey, webbiennial.org
Touring Show, Curated by Marisa Olson, Rhizome and co-presented by the New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York, NY
Kapital For Kids, Me & You Variety Candy LA, Los Angeles, CA*
Echelon: Who Is Watching You?, Polvo, Chicago, IL
One Minute Film Festival, Aarau, Switzerland, August 17 - 19, 2007
Digital Fringe Festival, Melbourne, Australia, September 26 - October 14, 2007
Grounded, Curated by Jacob Fuglsang
In(ter)ventions Festival, Curated by Kati London, New York, NY
HHTV, Fringe Exhibitions - Media Project, Los Angeles, CA
2006 PIO, enView Gallery, Long Beach, CA*
On the Move, Smithsonian Week, Long Beach, CA
People For A Better Tomorrow, Curated by Meg Cranston, Sweeney Art Gallery, UC Riverside, Riverside, CA
Urban Networks, Curated by Susan Joyce, Art Interactive, Cambridge, MA
CAR:turally Advanced Realizations:actions, works, situations as formative vehicles for ..., Arden2, Costa Mesa, CA
Street Signs and Solar Ovens, Socialcraft in Los Angeles, Curated by Robbie and Marc Herbst, Craft and Folk Museum, Los Angeles, CA
Google Earth & Google Maps Hacks, Curated by Régine Debatty, Sonar Multimedia Festival, Barcelona, Spain
Something New, Curated by Nicolas Roope & Nikola Tosic, Royal Mail Museum & Archive, London, UK
Photo Miami Art Fair, Fringe Exhibitions, Miami, FL
TRANSMISSION.06/Mimesis, Tactics of Mimetic Intervention in Everyday Life, Curated by ProgettoZero
2005 Open House, Home of Mr. and Mrs. Hoff, Huntington Beach, CA*
Invincible Desire, Version Fest > 05, Chicago, IL
Soundtoys, http://www.soundtoys.net
Prog:ME Festival, curated by Carlo Sansolo and Érika Fraenkelt, Centro Cultural Telemar, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil delocator.net, Walter and McBean Galleries, San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, CA*
Memefest, International Festival of Radical Communication
Detours, Huntington Beach Art Center, Huntington Beach, CA
Because We Forget, Metcalf Gallery, Calfornia Baptist University, Riverside, CA *
2004 InterFACES, Raffles LaSalle International Design School, Bangkok, Thailand
Memefest, International Festival of Radical Communication
PSA: IMAGES/OBJECTS/ACTIONS, The Office, Huntington Beach, CA* re_image, Curated by Susan Joyce, Remote Lounge, New York, NY
2003 Acquired Taste, Wattis Institute, California College of the Arts, San Francisco, CA
Talent Show, Southern California Artist Center, Pomona, CA*
The Patriot Library, with Christy Thomas, Lucky Tackle, Oakland, CA*
Saturday School, with Jason Brown, Yucef Merhi, and Claire Pentecost, New York University New York, NY
Ready for War, Illinois State University, Normal, IL
TEXT, Raid Projects, Los Angeles, CA
Zine Scene, Orange County Museum of Art, Newport Beach, CA
2002 First Issue, Come Unpaused, ICU Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Sculptural Engineering, Huntington Beach Art Center, Huntington Beach, CA
2001 Saturday School with Critical Art Ensemble and Beatriz da Costa, Derek Rees, Khan Tran, and xtine, Raid Projects, Los Angeles, CA*
* indicates solo action, exhibition, project, or workshop
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
California State University, Stanislaus
Dr. Britt Rios-Ellis, President
Dr. Richard Ogle, Provost/Vice President of Academic Affairs
Dr. James A. Tuedio, Dean, College of the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Department of Art
Martin Azevedo, Associate Professor, Chair
Artur Da Silva, Assistant Professor
Dean De Cocker, Professor
James Deitz, Lecturer
Daniel Edwards, Associate Professor
Jessica Gomula-Kruzic, Professor
Dr. Alice Heeren, Assistant Professor
Chad Hunter, Lecturer
Dr. Carmen Robbin, Professor
Ellen Roehne, Lecturer
Dr. Staci Scheiwiller, Associate Professor
Susan Stephenson, Associate Professor
Jake Weigel, Associate Professor
Mirabel Wigon, Assistant Professor
Alex Quinones, Instructional Tech II
Matt Hayes, Equipment Technician II
University Art Galleries
Dean De Cocker, Director
Kory Twaddle, Gallery Assistant
School of the Arts
Brad Peatross, Graphic Specialist II
Finishing School: White Flags
October 17–December 20, 2024 | University Art Gallery, California State University, Stanislaus
200 copies printed. Copyright © 2024 California State University, Stanislaus • ISBN 978-1-940753-89-8
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the publisher. This exhibition and catalog have been funded by Associated Students Instructionally Related Activities, California State University, Stanislaus.
