02 • Lum Art Magazine • Summer 2020

No. 2 • Summer 2020

Art & Culture • Santa Barbara • Ventura • Central Coast California • A Free Magazine

LUMARTZINE

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SUMMER 2020

LUM ART Z I NE • N o . 2 E d i t o r- i n - Ch i e f Debr a Her r ic k , Ph D Art Di rect o r A r t ur o Her edia S o to W ri t ers B ay Hallowell Ja ne Handel A udr ey Lopez Cait lin O ’Har a Tom P az der k a A lex andr a T er ry P h o t o g rap h ers Ray Roger s M ar iana S c hulz e lu mart z i n e. co m C o n tr ib u to r s Ja im e B ailon Noelle B ar r K it B ois e- Cos s a rt A lex a M . Highs mi th M aiz a Hix s on M adeleine E v e Ig n o n S k y lar Lines A ly s s a Long B r ian P aum ier M ar s hall S har p e B r enda T an Co ver P h o t o g r a p h : R a y R o g e rs , Be a rs It A ll, 35m m ne g a ti v e a n d tra n s p a re n c y film .

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LUMARTZINE

CONTENTS

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28

10

32

14

36

18

39

Contemporary Craft, Collective Care Tanya Aguiñiga

By Audrey Lopez

Working, Dwelling, Thinking Mark Churchill

By Tom Pazderka

Lost Light Photo Story by Ray Rogers

Think Piece • The Art World's Grim Fate Online

By Tom Pazderka

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A Curator’s Love Story Genevieve Gaignard

By Alexandra Terry

Meandering the Edges Nathan Huff In Conversation with Bay Hallowell

Still Waters Run Deep Victoria Pearson

By Jane Handel

Metal Teepee • Artist Profile Michael Matheson

By Caitlin O’Hara

Gold vs Black

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At First Brushstroke Hiroko Yoshimoto Haikus by Teiko Yoshimoto Translated by Shoko Yoshimoto Miura

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Threshold Spaces • Rethinking the Figure during Quarantine

By Debra Herrick

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CONTRIBUTORS

JANE HANDEL Jane Handel is a writer, artist, publisher of SpiderWoman Press, editor and art dealer specializing in vintage works on paper. janehandelart.com

CAITLIN O’HARA Caitlin O’Hara is a senior writer and publicist at UCSB Arts & Lectures. Her expertise is in promoting arts & culture projects.

BAY HALLOWELL Bay Hallowell is an artist, curator and gallery committee chairperson at the Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara. bayhallowell.com

TOM PAZDERKA Tom Pazderka is an artist and writer. He holds an MFA from UCSB where he was a regents fellow and artist in residence. His work and writing have been published in 3:AM Magazine, Philosophical Salon, Dandelion Journal, Dark Mountain and LA Weekly, among others. IG: @tompazderka • tompazderka.com

ARTURO HEREDIA SOTO Arturo Heredia Soto is publisher and art director of Lum Art Zine. A fine artist, exhibition designer and art handler, he is the current exhibition designer for Santa Barbara County Office of Arts and Culture and the former head preparator and exhibition designer of the Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara. art@lumartzine.com DEBRA HERRICK Lum Art Zine publisher and editor Debra Herrick holds a PhD from UCSB and is the former senior managing editor of the Journal of Mexican Studies (UC Press). She has contributed to various publications, such as Artillery Art Magazine, Réplica21, Carpinteria Magazine and Coastal View News, where she is also managing editor. editor@lumartzine.com NATHAN HUFF Nathan Huff is an artist and associate professor of art at Westmont College. nathanhuff.com AUDREY LOPEZ Audrey Lopez is a curator currently completing her PhD at UCSB. She is the public art and engagement fellow for the Santa Barbara County Office of Arts & Culture and the former curator of community engagement at the Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara.

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RAY ROGERS Ray Rogers is an artist based in Santa Barbara.

“When the world feels like a dark place...a lick of light.” raychelindsayrogers.com MARIANA SCHULZE Photographer Mariana Schulze began her career studying art direction in Buenos Aires, Argentina. After settling in Ojai seventeen years ago, Schulze’s work became iconic within the spirited bohemian California lifestyle. IG: @nothinmyst • marianaschulze.com ALEXANDRA TERRY Alexandra Terry is the curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara, where she has organized exhibitions by Genevieve Gaignard, Barry McGee, Beatriz Olabarietta and Brian Rochefort. Until 2015, Terry was curator at MOP Foundation, a London-based nonprofit dedicated to promoting and supporting Iranian contemporary art.

LUM

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SUMMER 2020

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Tanya Aguiñiga

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Contemporary Craft, Collective Care

By Audr ey L o p e z

A s Agui ñi ga shared memori es

a col l ecti ve of Maya w omen

fro m over 40 years of travel s

w eavers i n Mexi co, A gui ñiga

r ec ent ly s p e n t a F ri d a y a f -

th ro ugh B aj a w i th fami l y and

operates at the boundari e s of

t er noon i n B a j a C a l i fo rn i a

fri e n ds, I refl ected on how her

fi ber art, desi gn, craft and so -

wit h Los A n g e l e s -b a s e d a rt -

p ra c t i ce shapes and i s shaped

ci al practi ce.

is t , des ign e r a n d c ra fts p e r -

b y c onstant col l ecti ve moti on,

s on Tany a A g u i ñ i g a , s w e a t -

s tre t chi ng from bodi l y-based,

E ngagi ng w i th artmaki ng as

ing under th e s u n a s w e s e t

re p e ti ti ve

an opportuni ty to create m or e

up c am p o n th e e d g e o f th e

a n d l abor to l arger-scal e pat -

equi tabl e

S ea of Co rte z . Vi rtu a l l y, th a t

te rn s of human di aspora and

tw een peopl e, A gui ñi ga aim s

is . I was w a tc h i n g v i a l a p to p

mi g ra ti on. Grow i ng up i n Ti -

to decol oni ze and re-i nd ige -

f r om t he c o m fo rt o f m y fro n t

j u a n a and crossi ng the bor -

ni ze contemporary approa ch -

por c h

a

d e r d ai l y to go to school i n

es to craft, as w el l as cul ti vat e

in-

S a n D i ego, A gui ñi ga expl ores

spaces for margi nal i zed c om -

s ide a Volk s w a g e n v a n p a rk e d

th e

muni ti es

in her ba c k y a rd — w a l k e d u s

e mo ti onal

con -

ti ons that exhi bi t these w o r ks.

t hr ough a s l i d e s h o w o f h e r

n e c te d to those movements.

The l arge-scal e hand-w o ven

y ear ly

to

S h e uses craft as a perfor -

i nstal l ati ons and si te-specif -

B ahí a Con c e p c i ó n . T h e fi rs t

ma ti v e medi um to generate

i c fi ber scul ptures created by

ev ent

Tra v e l

d i a l ogue around i denti ty, cul -

her al l w omen/w omen-i de nt i -

wit h A r t is ts, A g u i ñ i g a ' s o n -

tu re and gender w hi l e creat -

fi ed team at Tanya A gui ñ iga

line gat heri n g w a s h o s te d b y

i n g communi ty. From fel ti ng

D esi gn S tudi o can be found

O jai’s Car o l y n Gl a s o e Ba i l e y

e n ti r e E ames chai rs i n bri ght

hangi ng i n contemporary ar t

F oundat ion a s a w a y to s u p -

c o l o rs to recover a fami l i ar

spaces across S outhern Cal -

por t ar t is t s b y tra v e l i n g w i th

s e n s e of w armth and home,

i forni a and the U S .

t hem — c oll e c ti v e l y a n d v i rtu -

to p erformi ng w eavi ng i nter -

ally — t o pl a c e s th a t p l a y k e y

v e n tions i n B everl y H i l l s us -

C atal yzed through her form a -

r oles in t h e i r p ra c ti c e s .

i n g t echni ques l earned from

ti ve w ork w i th the B order Ar t s

I

as

A g u i ñ i g a — fro m

Cov id- im p ro v i s e d

camping in

th e

s tu d i o

s o j o u rn

s e ri e s

gestures

personal

of

hi stori es

experi ences

craft

and

rel ati onshi ps

w i thi n

the

be -

i nst it u -

Metabolizing the Border performance, Jan. 14, 2020.

Photograph by Gina Clyne. Courtesy of the artist.

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Wo r k s hop/ Tallé r d e A rte F ro n te ríz o , A g u i ñ iga' s c om m it m e n t to c o m m u n i ty -b a s e d ar t and ac t iv is m u n d e rl i e s h e r A M BOS Projec t ( A r t M a d e Be tw e e n Op p o s i te Si des ) at t he U S /M e x i c o b o rd e r. F o u n d ed by A guiñiga i n 2 0 1 6 , A M BOS i s a n o n going s er ies of b i n a ti o n a l a rti s t i n te rv e n ti o ns and c om m u te r c o l l a b o ra ti o n s th a t se ek t o ex pr es s a n d d o c u me n t b o rd e r em ot ion while s tre n g th e n i n g c o mmu n i ty.

Ranging f r om p a rti c i p a to ry fi b e r-b a s e d i n s t allat ions and y o u th -m a d e fi l ms to i n ter ac t iv e s ound p e rfo rm a n c e s , th e w o rk s nur t ur e a gr eat e r s e n s e o f i n te rc o n n e c t ednes s ac r os s m u l ti p l e b o rd e r c i ti e s .

Cur r ent ly, A guiñ i g a i s w o rk i n g w i th AM BOS c om m unit y p a rtn e rs to h e l p c o o rd i nat e aid eff or t s fo r fi fte e n mi g ra n t/a s yl u m / depor t ee s h e l te rs i n Ti j u a n a i n n e e d of f inanc ial s up p o rt to p ro v i d e C o v i d -re l a t ed bas ic s upp l i e s . T h i s ty p e o f c o l l e c ti v e c ar e and c o mmu n i ty th ro u g h c ra ft i s so c r it ic ally nee d e d a t th i s m o m e n t.

Tany a A guiñiga i s th e 2 0 2 0 re c i p i e n t o f the Car oly n G l a s o e Ba i l e y F o u n d a ti o n Art P r iz e, awar d e d a n n u a l l y to a c o n te m por ar y Calif or ni a a rti s t.

Tanya Aguiñiga, Cosas que Sangran, 2020. Braided cotton rope, cochineal dye, heckled flax.

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From felting entire Eames chairs in bright colors to recover a familiar sense of warmth and home, to performing weaving interventions in Beverly Hills using techniques learned from a collective of Maya women weavers in Mexico, Aguiñiga operates at the boundaries of fiber art, design, craft and social practice.

Left:Tanya Aguiñiga, Chair for Ray, 2014. Felted raw wool on Eames Wire Chair. Collection of Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), Gift of Margaret and Joel Chen.

Right: Tanya Aguiñiga, Eames DCM, Found chair (molded plywood, stainless steel), hand-felted Goatland wool.

SUMMER 2020

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Working, Dwelling, Thinking Mark Churchill

By Tom Pazderka

O

n

a

moonlit

Meiners

in

that we’ve entered a world out

the breath of Heidegger is

we

sit

of this time. Churchill is not a

discernible—handmade

by a fire, the flames slowly

man of this decade, or even

lying among various objects

lapping at the metal grating.

this century. Steeped in the

of the trade, shelves lined

Churchill’s ceramics will soon

tradition of ceramics, tracing

with books, a wooden lad-

be on display at The Basic

its heritage to 16th century

der, ceramics small and large

Premise,

Ojai,

Oaks

night

encased

in

Japan and Korea, he shares

among clothes, crates, pots

the reified light of the gallery,

a hardwork ethic and com-

and pans, drop cords, a spin-

waiting to be mentally prod-

mon language with his teach-

ning wheel encrusted in clay,

ded and hopefully sold to en-

ers—who have made their way

small shavings underneath a

thusiastic clientele.

to his studio and he to theirs

makeshift

table,

everything

over the years—but also with

interacting in and around the

But here in the setting of the

Martin

studio/home, Churchill’s piec-

man

es are embedded with the

famous

paraphernalia

everyday

concept of the Dasein or ‘be-

existence, enmeshed in their

ing-there’ and his almost nau-

Out of this ordered chaos,

surroundings. It feels strange

seating exegesis on tool use.

Churchill draws his work, by

of

Heidegger,

the

Ger-

conglomeration of buildings,

phenomenologist,

most

rooms and bespoken spaces

for

developing

the

that they’ll be seen outside of

10

tools

of Churchill’s studio.

doing work. It is the ‘doing’

this comfortable space where

Heidegger used notions of the

that is key, the doing that in

they are formed, built, interro-

mundane, the basic, and spe-

effect, does the heavy lift-

gated, glazed, fired and final-

cifically of work, to tease out

ing of the teleology itself.

ized. So much so do they form

the meaning of existence. His

Heidegger ’s

the space.

tools were paper and pen, and

sis in Being and Time is that

his tool kit was his brain. Here

‘man’—a human, a person, an

We’ve entered Churchill’s stu-

in the presence of the ‘thing-

individual—is ‘thrown’ into ex-

dio, and I have the feeling

ness’ of the artist’s studio,

istence.

central

the-

Mark Churchill in his Ojai studio. Photograph by Mariana Schulze.

LUMARTZINE

S T U D IO V ISI T

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The double meaning of the

ture, the best of which were

chill has a great example of

act of throwing a pot is cru-

designed and made for the

a ‘failed’ moon jar. The water

cial here. It is as if the pot

emperor.

content was too high for the

is also thrown into existence and only then is it possible to real-

firing process, produc-

We’ve entered Churchill’s

ize the form or shape, The potter does have an ‘out,’ however, and

egg-shaped,

upside down pot that could

ei-

ther discard or reuse.

feeling that we’ve entered

Churchill opted for the

a world out of this time.

fascinating work bridg-

that is in the form itself. The basic shape

latter. The result is a ing his older, more tra-

of the pot may dictate

12

an

Churchill

studio, and I have the

the meaning of the pot.

ing

ditional pottery and his

what the pot is or what it can

Made of two separate parts

most

be used for—its basic func-

seamlessly joined at the mid -

which resembles totemic and

tion

Here

dle, the moon jar ’s structure

monolithic

Churchill brings up the form

and material, make it one of

visible a trajectory of thinking

of the moon jar, a highly rei-

the most difficult objects to

through the subject in tool-

fied shape from Japanese cul-

make

like forms.

or

LUMARTZINE

non-function.

by

hand,

and

Chur-

recent

work,

most

of

objects—making

When

Churchill

speaks

about

his

work, one gets the sense of a world in which nothing matters and yet ev erything matters all at once, from the grand cycles that run our lives, day/ night, sleeping/waking, sun/moon, to the turning of the spinning wheel on which he casts his clay.

Churchill’s pots in his Ojai studio. Photographs by Tom Pazderka.

SUMMER 2020

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Lost Light Photo Story by Ray Rogers

A

cross country road trip in our Astro van.

Somewhere between Seattle and the Carolina Coast, I picked up a camera.

At eight, a camera of my own: a 35mm purple plastic Vivitar. . . Trips to the Photo Lab . . . waist deep in the dark of winter and

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out my mom would emerge

Losing my 18 year old

from this humble, single-

brother, unexpectedly . . .

story building holding some

the light became fugitive.

miracle emulsions.

A journey to recover the Weeks would ramble

bright spots and a renewed

forward and backward,

will to live in more loving

loop on and on . . . another

ways with the dueling

winter’s day . . . rain coming

conditions of life . . .

down in streams, bouncing

generously marrying sweet

over brick alleys with a

to sad.

piece of sunshine captured somewhere along the way.

Recovering lost light. The

Proof of light’s great power

figurative fugitive light.

even in a dark season.

And with humor. A relief.

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A l l p h o t ogra ph s : R ay R oge r s , 35mm negative and t ra n s pa r e n c y fi l m.

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SUMMER 2020

17

Think Piece The Art World’s Grim Fate Online

By Tom Pazderka

I

’ve been writing a lot during Covid, but not a whole lot about art. I

wondered why since there was so much time to do a deep dive. Simply put, the art world experienced a demise unlike anything before. With over 50 percent of art workers out of work, cancelled and postponed shows, everything moving online into virtual spaces that hardly anybody cared for, myself included, in many ways, art died on the Ides of March. One wonders whether and how the art world will rebound. Is the art world dead or is it undead?

The news is that Takashi Murakami and Jeff Koons are bankrupt. Even stalwarts of the scene like Robert Longo had his shows cancelled in the interim and had to temporarily suspend operations by either letting his studio assistants go or work from their homes. This is firsthand information from a friend of mine who works in Longo’s studio.

If things are so dire for the blue-chip artists, how is the rest of the art world

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faring? We will probably never know,

collectors just waiting—millions of

because the art world is not known

potential customers at the fingertips,

for its transparency, but rather for its

a click or a tap away—ttand that it is

glorified adherence to false positivi-

somehow simply an artist’s refusal

ty and hype in times of crisis. Any-

or negativity that’s preventing them

body still remember Damien Hirst’s

from success. This is a favorite sales

infamous auction when the world of

pitch of silver-tongued side-show

finance was collapsing around him?

barkers, committed to ferreting out

I want to review art shows, but

dollars from unwitting artists looking

there is nothing to review. I cannot

for a break and they’re all over the

count the hundreds of virtual exhi-

internet and the Gram. One day I’ll

bitions polluting the online commer-

have to write a whole essay just on

cial spaces no matter how sincere

the emails I get from these people.

the intentions behind them. I know; I’ve participated in a few and I fully

2.

In

and

of

themselves,

support the brave souls that tried,

pictures online have no meaning,

many of them are my friends and

they’re flattened, without context.

colleagues. But here are several

Instagramization of art reduces ev-

reasons why I don’t believe that the

erything to the ubiquitous square, so

move online was a good idea despite

that a four-inch drawing is unrecog-

the flimsy evidence to the contrary.

nizable from a twenty-foot painting.

All traces of the human hand are

1.

Like many artists, I fully

erased, as is the lived experience.

take part in the online world, despite

The scribbles of a barely teenaged

my better judgement. I know my

child placed alongside an arts veter-

work is not commercial and that it

an of several decades, all meaning

requires prolonged viewing and ex-

and difference lost between them.

posure, yet I’m somehow convinced

The fact is that quickly recogniz-

that perhaps it is just a matter of

able images, witticisms and the re-

finding the ‘right’ audience. This is

actionary meme-culture are what is

patently false. Artists do not find

considered worthy to call art today.

their audiences, they create them,

This isn’t progress, but a regression

at least in theory. The biggest lie

into a culture of rote superstition run

about the online world is that there is

mostly on the fear of failure. Better

seemingly an inexhaustible amount

do whatever is pop and topical than

of people, art lovers, curators and

risk obscurity for saying something.

3.

Taking risks online is akin

popular belief. Unlike trolling, the

fulltime jobs for less than the min-

to getting into a car accident in a

point of adversarial art writing is to

imum wage. Does anybody think

Costco parking lot. There’s going to

inform, elucidate, educate, reveal.

that at the start of World War II there

be little damage, but a lot of yelling

There is hardly any revelation to be

were writers and journalists exhort-

and finger pointing, and eventually

seen in the online culture that isn’t

ing “welcome to the new normal?”

all will be forgotten. Placing any-

already an established form outside

thing online, no matter how trans-

of it. How can art truly be changed by

8.

gressive, will be ignored at best and

moving online if not for the worse?

immediate gratification and conve-

coopted and used by some kind

Pointing toward millions of views

nience, the online culture actually

of opposition at worst. Sheppard

and likes only satisfies the modern

increases the invisible and unac-

Fairey could tell tales about that.

obsession with metrics and arbitrary

countable

competition for no real visible gain

and being ignored is not only an ac-

and

other than money and fame. These

cepted form of online coexistence, it

privatized nature of online trib-

things crush creativity in favor of

is widely encouraged the further up

al culture, driven by sympathet-

shiny mediocrity and bold idiocy.

one goes in the various hierarchical

4.

The

individualized

ic algorithms, means that what is

Ironically, with its focus on

bureaucracy.

Ignoring

strata with algorithms specifically

generally seen, or allowed to be

6.

Once the safety of the

written to do just that. Since we are

seen, is art that everyone already

insulated online world is estab-

as a culture continually obliged and

agrees with, so what is the point of

lished, the ‘dangers’ of an exit into

compelled to follow in the footsteps

writing about it if one is looking for

the real world will be amplified.

of the ruling class, the next move

critical theory? I am painting with

beyond the algorithms is therefore

a pretty broad brush here (pun in-

7.

We’ve quietly accepted the

a logical step toward what Slavoj

tended), but the last thing I want

internet as our new normal, an aug-

Zizek prescribes as a formal solu-

to write are mildly laudatory texts

mented version of reality. But the on-

tion to the troubles with socialism in

about some artist’s overcoming of

line world is not ‘normal’ and it is not

a post-Communist world, a future in

adversity. It’s tired and clichéd and

a ‘reality’ that should be accepted at

which all services are more or less

we have Hyperallergic doing most

face value. Immediately as the lock-

functioning at the state and local lev-

of this work, so why pile on? I’d

downs began, we were told to ac-

els with our individual desires met,

much rather review album covers

cept and welcome our new normal.

while we all go on politely ignoring

of Black Metal bands with ques-

It is absurd and disheartening that

each other. Building creative net-

tionable political leanings, if only

such an attitude should take hold,

works for art based on trust in these

to cut them down a notch or two.

let alone be widely accepted. Over

waters will truly be challenging.

half of the art world unemployed, 5.

Art writing, but also art it-

shuttered, destroyed forever, should

self, are at their best when they’re

not be normalized. Neither should

adversarial

back

we normalize the increasing num-

against the tide of mass culture and

bers of the homeless, who still work

and

pushing

SUMMER 2020

19

A Curator’s Love Story

By Alexandra Terry

20

LUMARTZINE

Ge n e vie ve Gaig n a rd

A

c ur at o r ’s

fri e n d of a fri end w ho w orks

get to know her. I neede d t o

not

a t the gal l ery w i l l i ntroduce

tal k to Genevi eve beca use

dis s im ilar to a ro m a n ti c re -

y o u i n a w ay that feel s natu-

her w ork i s pow erful , an d it

lat ions hip.

ra l a nd not schmoozy.

el i ci ted feel i ngs i n me t hat

wit h

pr oc es s

an

can

re l a ti o n s h i p a rti s t

is

The

c o u rti n g

be

a w k w a rd ,

shi fted and grew each ti m e I

ner v e wr ac k i n g a n d th ri l l i n g .

I fi rs t met Genevi eve Gai g -

S om et im es

n a rd

ot her

t im e s

l i fe

changing,

in

Jul y

2018,

returned to i t.

after

d i s a p p o i n ti n g .

mo n ths of ogl i ng her w ork

A fter admi ri ng her w ork fr om

Under neath a c e rta i n a m o u n t

o n l i ne. I w as capti vated by

afar and w orryi ng that she

of ego and b ra v a d o , y o u c a n

h e r vi brant ci nemati c pho -

mi ght not thi nk I w as i nt er -

hide a ling e ri n g fe a r th a t th e y

to g raphs and her i mmersi ve

esti ng, I met Genevi eve at

won’t lik e y o u o r th i n k th a t

i n s tal l ati on pi eces that keep

her LA studi o on a hot s um -

y ou’r e inte re s ti n g . F o r me ,

y o u r eye movi ng through the

mer day. N erves asi de, i t was

t his unc er ta i n ty i s mo s t p re v -

s p a c e at breakneck speed.

better than I thought i t w o uld

alent when I’ v e b e e n a d mi r -

T h e vi ntage w al l paper, the

be. S he w as fun and funny,

ing t he ar t i s t fo r a l o n g ti m e

s h i n y ki tsch, the humor, and

and seei ng her w ork i n per -

f r om af ar. E y e i n g th e m fro m

h e r confi dent and confronta -

son made me so enthusi a st ic

ac r os s t he ro o m c h a tti n g w i th

ti o n a l si de-eye kept me com -

that I tal ked too much and t oo

t heir galle ri s t a s th e y q u e u e

i n g back for more. I knew

fast. I l eft feel i ng i nvi gorat ed

f or a gin & to n i c a t th e o p e n-

th a t I w anted to fi nd a w ay

and exci ted, and as I dr ove

ing r ec ept i o n o f th e i r l a te s t

to work w i th her, but mostl y

back up to S anta B arbara, I

ex hibit ion; h o p i n g th a t y o u r

I w a nted to fi nd a reason to

i magi ned every possi bl e sce -

Opposite page: Genevieve Gaignard, Basic Cable and Chill, 2016, Chromogenic print, Courtesy of the artist and Vielmetter Los Angeles.

This page: Genevieve Gaignard,The Line Up (Orange, Cream & White), 2017, Chromogenic prints, Edition 1 of 3, 2 AP. Courtesy of the artist and Vielmetter Los Angeles.

SUMMER 2020

21

nar io f or an ex h i b i ti o n o f h e r

v i e v e . D u ri ng the ten days

A fter al l of that, I suddenl y

wor k . I n t he da y s fo l l o w i n g ,

o f i n s ta l l i ng her w ork for the

found mysel f i n a l ong-di s -

I wr ot e up s om e o f m y i d e a s

e x h i b i ti o n I curated at the

tance rel ati onshi p w i th Gen -

and c ar ef ully c o n s i d e re d d i f -

Mu s e u m o f C ontemporary A rt

evi eve’s w ork. A l l I w anted

fer ent appr oac h e s . A n d th e n

S a n ta Ba rbara, w e l aughed

w as to be surrounded by i t

I ghos t ed G enev i e v e .

a n d l i s te n ed to musi c; w e

and to i ntroduce i t to peopl e.

ta l k e d a b out w hat w as i m We ’v e t alk ed ab o u t i t s i n c e .

p o rta n t to us, and I met some

The

The f ac t t hat I g h o s te d h e r.

o f h e r fa mi l y over FaceTi me.

fri ghteni ng

My only ex plan a ti o n i s th a t

pandemi c and

has

been

devastat -

i ng for so many reasons. It

the t im ing was n ’ t ri g h t. B u t

A l mo s t two years after our

has kept us apart from one

that

fi rs t

another,

didn’t

mean

I

wasn’t

think ing about h e r!

m e e ti ng,

B l oom

P roj -

and

aw ay

from

Gai gnard,

w hat i s meani ngful to us.

Ou ts i d e Looki ng In opened

In many tragi c cases, i t has

An d t hen it f inal l y h a p p e n e d .

o n M a rc h 5, 2020—onl y to

vanqui shed

I found a way to w o rk w i th

c l o s e to th e publ i c ni ne days

sources. W hi l e I have been

and t o get t o k n o w Ge n e -

l a te r b e c a use of C ovi d-19.

affected i n many w ays, I am

e c ts :

Ge nevi eve

l i fe-gi vi ng

re -

Bloom Projects: Genevieve Gaignard, Outside Looking In, Installation View, Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara, 2020.

22

LUMARTZINE

gr at ef ul t o h a v e o n l y h a d to

th e meani ng that I’ ve found

portuni ty to experi ence and

m ak e m ino r c h a n g e s to my

c a n be transl ated to others,

embrace i t as w el l . It i s not

daily lif e. D u ri n g th i s ti m e ,

s o that they can form thei r

for me to prescri be how your

I ’v e t hough t a l o t a b o u t w h y

o w n rel ati onshi p w i th the art -

rel ati onshi p w i th thi s exhi -

m y r elat ion s h i p s w i th th e a rt -

i s t a nd thei r w ork.

bi ti on w i l l unfol d, I can only

is t s t hat I w o rk w i th a re s o

hope that you w i l l be chan ged

m eaningf u l to me . L i k e o th e r

As

r elat ions hi p s I’ v e b e e n i n , i n

N e w som has begun to l oos -

hinds ight , I re a l i z e th a t th i s

e n re stri cti ons, and our stay-

par t ic ular o n e h a s c h a n g e d

a t-h ome orders are shi fti ng.

m e.

Relief

My

re l a ti o n s h i p

w i th

I

w ri te

and

thi s,

Governor

exci tement

by i t, as I have been, for t he better.

are

G enev iev e a n d h e r w o rk h a s

b re w i ng as w e make pl ans

f or c ed m e to c o n fro n t b ru ta l

fo r r eopeni ng the museum.

t r ut hs and to q u e s ti o n h o w

A s m uch as I cannot w ai t

I c an bes t u s e m y v o i c e to

to reuni te w i th Genevi eve’s

s peak out a g a i n s t i n j u s ti c e .

w o rk , I’ m most exci ted for

T his leads m e to w o n d e r h o w

o th er peopl e to have the op -

Photo by Arturo Heredia Soto.

SUMMER 2020

23

Threshold Spaces

Rethinking the Figure During Quarantine

By Debra Herrick

Zoe Walsh, Prism and Lens, 2019.

24

LUMARTZINE

H

ow w e v i e w a rt d e p e n d s

A s tunni ng exampl e i s Mari o

i s the w ay Ayal a’s i nfect ed

on t h e e x p e ri e n c e s w e

Ay a l a’s

A cquai n -

body i s depi cted taki ng off

br ing t o it . In th e mo n th s l e a d -

ta n c e s w hi ch depi cts a crash-

i ts mask. In the w eeks t hat

ing up t o C o v i d -1 9 ’s i n s e rti o n

te s t dummy covered i n w arn -

fol l ow ed, C ovi d-19’s ste alt h

int o ev er y a s p e c t o f th e C a l-

i n g s ymbol s of an i nfecti ous

i ncubati on

if or nia quo ti d i a n , S a n ta Ba r -

d i s e ase.

February

many to begi n to adopt a sim i -

bar a Cit y C o l l e g e ’s A tk i n s o n

o p e ni ng, the 2019 pi ece w as

l ar mode of thi nki ng: everyone

G aller y

held

an

Mendi ng

At

the

peri od

prompt ed

a mb i ti o u s

a c l ear presage to C ovi d-19.

you meet or touch mi ght be

t wo- par t e x h i b i ti o n fe a tu ri n g

Mo n ths pri or, the chai n l i nk

a contagi on under the mask

elev en

fe n c e

of heal th. In art, the hum an

So u th e rn

C a l i fo rn i a

referenci ng

detenti on

ar t is t s wo rk i n g i n fi g u ra ti v e

c e n te rs—or

l ater,

fi gure can act as a “carr ier ”

r epr es ent a ti o n . Mu c h o f El e v -

th e “ B l ack face” mask ques-

of certai n val ues and cod es;

en F igur es i n Tw o P a rts w a s

ti o n i ng

raci al

duri ng quaranti ne, bodi es ar e

an ex plor a ti o n o f fi g u ra ti v e ,

te n s ions—mi ght have struck

carri ers of di sease and pot en -

ps y c hologi c a l a n d s o c i a l c o n -

v i e w e rs

ti al bi ol ogi cal hazards.

s t r uc t s of th e h u m a n fo rm;

th a t n i ght, there w as no more

howev er, b y o p e n i n g n i g h t o f

s a l i e nt new s than the grow i ng

In thei r 2019 pai nti ngs, P rism

t he s ec ond p a rt, o u r c o l l e c -

c o n fu si on around C ovi d-19.

and Lens and The P eri pher ies

the

months basi s

fi rst.

of

H ow ever,

on

t iv e v iew o f th e h u m a n b o d y had alr ead y b e g u n to s h i ft.

of Love , Zoe Wal sh reco des P e rh aps even more presci ent

the proto-mal e body i n archi -

Manjari Sharma, Untitled, from the series Surface Tension, 2019.

SUMMER 2020

25

Brian Calvin, Little Longneck, 2017/18.

26

LUMARTZINE

v al ‘80s gay pornography, cre-

into the ether. The window be -

ating a space for trans subjec -

tween this submergence and

tivity and casting figures and

emergence

sets as threshold spaces.

and unrepeatable.”

In an interview with Cultured

Karon Davis’ sculptural fig-

magazine last summer, Walsh

ure modeled on a newspaper

described this subjectivity as

image from a recent disaster

“watching

from

a

is

unpredictable

distance,

echoes the Covid-19 experi -

imagining something that is not

ence: from behind the ghostly

actually there.” Walsh touches

plaster, realistic eyes look out,

on the Zeitgeist of pandem-

an eerie connection to life be -

ic life—the threshold experi-

hind the window glass during

ence—a blurred space, where

the initial severity of the stay-

different

juxta-

at-home order that shut down

posed and what is or is not “ac-

workplaces, creative projects

tually there” is uncertain.

and many businesses.

realities

are

In Manjari Sharma’s untitled

The human embrace that was

work

series

the social grace; the comfort

Surface Tension, the figure is

of proximity to others; what

abstracted under ripples of wa-

was your refuge, you’ve now

ter and refracted light, evoking

been told is something to fear.

new forms beneath the sur-

We’re spending limitless time

face plane. Luscious shades

in

of blue—harmless elements of

ing phantoms of ourselves in

light and water—pierce, erase

place of concrete experienc -

and morph portions of the hu-

es. At the opening of Part I,

man form. The figure vacillates

Brian Calvin noted that his

between fractured and whole,

portraits

a hopeful gesture of the agility

were about making “figurative

with which our minds can shift

work that doesn’t tell a story.” Now and into the near future,

and

Without narrative, the works Covid-19 will change the way

in

the

adapt

ongoing

to

unpredictable

changes.

are

digital

spheres,

of

project -

women’s

self-contained,

faces

Above: Mario Ayala, Mending Acquaintances, 2019.

Below: Karon Davis, God Bless Preston, detail, 2018.

finite. our bodies interact, along with

Each image reaffirms the ex - the meaning we derive from “When the outer plane gets

p e r i e n c e o f a b s t r a c t think- their representation.

punctured, an inner world ap -

ing

pears,” says Sharma. “Figures

ence—a life-affirming notion

turn

in the contemporary moment

into

landscapes,

limbs

into fins, bodies become amor -

and

creation—of

pres -

of global uncertainty.

phous, and the mind wanders

SUMMER 2020

27

M e a n de r i n g the Edg es Nathan Huff in Conversation with Bay Hallowell

M

eander ing th e Ed g e s , a n a rt i n s ta l l a t i on by N athan H uff at the A r c hit ec t u ra l F o u n d a ti o n o f S a n ta B a rbara, opened and cl osed

on t he s am e day b e c a u s e o f th e p a n d e m i c.

The ex hibit ion e x a mi n e s w a y s i n w h i c h w e i nhabi t homes and move thr ough dom es t i c s p a c e s b a s e d o n me mo ry and emoti on. Instal l ed i n unc onv ent ional w a y s , H u ff ’s p a i n ti n g s a n d si te-speci fi c i nstal l ati ons engage wit h t he s p a c e — th e h i s to ri c , Vi c to ri an Ital i anate styl e home des igned and bu i l t i n 1 9 0 4 b y J a m e s J . Acheson.

28

LUMARTZINE

BAY HAL LOW E L L : Yo u h a v e

s tu d ies that hel ped me thi nk

out pl anets, I feel catapu lt ed

t ot ally

in-

a b o ut w hat types of narra -

from ordi nary, everyday lif e

t im at e gal l e ry s p a c e o f th e

ti v e s I mi ght draw out of the

i nto the i mmensi ty and e t er-

A r c hit ec t u ra l F o u n d a ti o n . U n -

s p a c e. U l ti matel y, I l ooked

nal grandeur of the uni ver se.

lik e s om e o f y o u r p re v i o u s

fo r

ins t allat ion s , M e a n d e ri n g th e

me s t i c l i fe such as seati ng

N H : P ul l i ng fami l i ar obj e ct s

E dges r es p o n d s i n s p e c i fi c

p l a c es, l i ghti ng, decorati on,

out of thei r natural contex t in -

y et v eiled w a y s to th e h i s to ry

l a n d s capi ng and spati al use

vi tes us to l ook at them w it hin

of t he s it e.

to e ngage w i th the bui l di ng’s

a bl ank tabl eau. For me, hand

i m a g i ned hi story.

tool s

t r a n s fo rm e d

th e

commonal i ti es

of

do -

NAT HAN H U F F : T h e h o me ’s

have

al w ays

been

a

metaphori cal bri dge between

pr om inenc e a s a n a rc h i te c -

B H : I see a l arge pai nti ng de-

the vi rgi n earth and the b uilt

t ur al m ar k e r a n d e x e mp l a ry

p i c ti n g assorted shovel s and

home. E xcavati on and pre pa -

s t y le in S a n ta B a rb a ra w a s

g a rd en tool s, al l seemi ngl y

rati on. These are requi red be -

ins pir ing; b u t w h e n I l o o k e d

s u s pended i n space. S tand -

fore bui l di ng a home and they

int o t he b u i l d i n g ’s o ra l a n d

ing

on

are precursors to artmaking.

wr it t en his to ry, I fo u n d v e ry

n o th i ng at al l , they summon

The starry ski es often stand

lit t le bac k g ro u n d a b o u t th e

q u e sti ons: W ho dug the foun -

i n as a remi nder of the g r an -

or iginal ow n e rs . W h i l e i n i ti a l -

d a ti o ns of thi s house? W ho

deur of the cosmos, even as

ly dis appo i n ti n g , th i s a l l o w e d

te n d ed the garden and bui l t

w e eke out our exi stence in

m e t o ov e rl a y a n d i n v e n t a n

th e fences? They i nsti gated

l i ttl e corners of thi s earth.

inv es t igat i o n

of

th e

tal l

l i ke

senti nel s

h o me

l e i s u rel y, dream-l i ke musi ngs

f r om a m o re p e rs o n a l o r fi c -

o n th e human l i fe these w al l s

B H : The i nterpl ay between

t ionaliz ed a c c o u n t.

have

over

the

feel i ng both i ndoors and out -

as

they

si de i s del i ghtful . I spi ed a

Us ing t he h o m e ’s fl o o r p l a n

a re wi th a dark patch of star-

sw ath of A stroturf i n one cor-

dr awings , I m a d e a s e ri e s o f

ry n i ght sky and several cut-

ner and a pai nted fi repl ace in

y e a rs .

w i tnessed Juxtaposed

Nathan Huff, Meandering the Edges, Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara, 2020.

SUMMER 2020

29

anot her and th e re i s a p a i n ti n g o f to u s led gr as s nonc ha l a n tl y g ro w i n g o n a w o o d en t able.

NH: Dom es t ic s p a c e s a n d u n ta m e d n a tu re hav e been a s o u rc e o f i n te re s t fo r me for s om e t im e. J u x ta p o s i n g th e s e e mi n g l y cul t iv at ed and s a fe s p a c e s o f th e i n te ri o r wi th wild nat ur al el e me n ts re q u i re s a c o n c e p tu al s t r et c h on th e p a rt o f th e v i e w e r. I l ike m ent al s pac e s th a t e mb ra c e a n d e x p and r at her t han r e d u c e o r c o n s tri c t th e i m a gi nat ion.

BH: V i s u a l

echoes

abound! Real steps

leading upstairs at the back of the gallery are in dialogue with a stack of wood squares placed like steps at the front of the gallery. Two semi-circular forms from cut white utility buckets are repeated in the wallpaper. A hanging wall lamp is mirrored in a small painting of the same lamp. There are two identical, conjoined, ceramic mugs. How does all this happen?

NH: M y s t udi o p ro c e s s i s q u i te c y c l i c a l . I

usual l y make at l east doubl e and often tri pl e the amount of w ork that I anti ci pate usi ng i n an exhi bi ti on. I often fol l ow a thread of expl orati on by creati ng mul ti pl e w orks i n a vari ety of medi a that ci rcl e back around on themsel ves. I spend a good deal of ti me ed i ti ng and arrangi ng 2D and 3D el ements to bui l d a coherent and i nteresti ng vi sual ex peri ence. I often descri be the w ork of creati ng an exhi bi ti on as si mi l ar to composi ng a vi sual poem. W hen uni que vi sual phrases connect to other parts of the poem, the outcome i nvi tes associ ati ve connecti ons rather than a l i near narrati ve.

B H : H ow do you thi nk about thi s exhi bi ti on now that the context of our shared l i fe has changed due to the C ovi d-19 pandemi c?

N H : It i s a strange experi ence to present an i nstal l ati on that i s meant to be w al ked through and yet vi ew ers are not al l ow ed to be there. The content of the show al so feel s

30

LUMARTZINE

r es onant w i th w h a t w e a re c a rry i n g c o l l ecti ve -

ent to the j oys and sadness of my l i fe at t his

ly r ight now. As w e h u n k e r d o w n i n o ur homes

ti me. Meanderi ng the E dges i s a vi sual po em

and f ac e u n c e rta i n ty, w e h a v e ti me for refl ec -

for the ri ch and l ayered dynami cs i n my own

t ion. M uc h l i k e m y i n s ta l l a ti o n , th i s season

home and a l ongi ng stretch to those pl a ces

r epr es ent s d i s ta n c e , a l o n g i n g fo r c o nnecti on,

and peopl e w ho are j ust out of reach.

a c elebr at i o n o f o b j e c ts th a t h o l d m emori es, and a s hif ti n g o f th e p e rc e i v e d b o u n dari es of our liv es . F o r m e , I a m re m i n d e d to be pres-

Nathan Huff, Meandering the Edges, Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara, 2020.

SUMMER 2020

31

32

Victoria Pearson, Untitled photographs. Courtesy of the artist.

LUMARTZINE

Still Waters Run Deep Vic t oria P e a r s o n

By Jane Handel

V

ic t or ia

hope

b e e n pared dow n to thei r es -

B y rel yi ng purel y on ambient ,

is t ha t e a c h o f h e r a rt

s e n ce; the obj ects i n the pho -

di ffused and gentl e l i ght wit h

wor k s is a ta b u l a ra s a u p o n

to g ra phs,

si ngl e

no dramati c shadow s, Pear -

whic h t he v i e w e r c a n p ro j e c t

w h i te egg, a cl ear gl ass of

son’s subj ects evoke a si m ple

any t hing a t a l l . In th i s c o n -

g l i s teni ng i ce w ater, tw o bun -

but poeti c beauty. A l tho ugh

t ex t ,

her

d l e s of sti cks, one burnt, one

some of the w orks are cer -

phot ogr ap h s a t P o rc h Ga l l e ry

n o t; a w hi te, starched and

tai nl y

in O jai be a rs a n a p p ro p ri a te

p re s sed

shi rt,

most of the dye transfer prints

t it le: E LE M EN TAL .

a ro ck resembl i ng a gl ori ous

are in a large format (approx-

fu l l m oon, are refi ned and el -

imately 35 x 55 inches or

I ndeed, s e v e ra l o f th e i m -

e g a n t w i th no extraneous i n -

larger), they also convey an

ages in t h i s e x h i b i ti o n h a v e

fo rm ati on to di stract the eye.

almost monolithic quality that

t he

P e a rs o n ’s

e x h i b i ti o n

of

w hether

men’s

a

dress

mi ni mal i sti c,

because

SUMMER 2020

33

bestows a gravitas which be-

e n g e n d e r a sense of cal m, a

P earson’s

lies their simplicity. Bu t, u n l i k e

re s p i te from the chaos and

exhi bi ted i n tandem w i th the

the eff or t s of t h e M i n i m a l i s ts ,

a n x i e ty o n e encounters i n the

scul ptures of D ougl as Tausi k

whic h

c o u rs e o f one’s l i fe.

R yder. It i s a thoughtful pai r -

ar e

c on s c i o u s l y

de-

vo id of m et aph o r, P e a rs o n ’s su bjec t s ,

in

keeping

are

i ng of tw o arti sts, w orki ng i n

w i th

A p a rt fro m the scal e, some

very di fferent medi ums, w ho

her t abula r as a t h e me , c a n b e

o f Pe a rs o n’s i mages of ob -

have di sti l l ed thei r subj ects

sym bolic of m an y th i n g s . F o r

j e c ts — th e sti l l l i fes—bri ng to

dow n to thei r essences; the

i n s t anc e, t he g l a s s o f w a te r

mi n d th e work of other arti sts:

forms

i s beaut if ul in a n d o f i ts e l f,

J o s e f S u d e k' s photos of hum -

and thus, compl ement, one

but I hav e nev er b e e n a b l e to

b l e g l a s s es of w ater; Gi orgi o

another.

l o ok at it wit hou t th i n k i n g o f

Mo ra n d i ' s pai nti ngs of si m -

the ongoing dr o u g h t w e fa c e

p l y c o m p o sed, mostl y w hi te,

i n C alif or nia and h o w i n c re a s -

v a s e s ; a n d of course, E dw ard

i n gly pr ec ious a s i mp l e g l a s s

We s to n ’s

of dr ink ing wa te r i s e v e ry -

e s o f p e p pers and nauti l us

wher e on t he pla n e t.

s e a s h e l l s . B ut then there are

now -i coni c

i mag -

h e r m u te d , soft-focus compo Al t hough t he s ti l l l i fe w a s n ’ t

s i ti o n s o f stones, remi ndi ng

co ns ider ed t o be a g e n re u n ti l

o n e o f a Z en garden.

the 16t h c ent ur y i n Eu ro p e , i t

34

photographs

has ins pir ed arti s ts th ro u g h -

A n d , to o , provi di ng a pow er -

out his t or y, f r om th e a n c i e n t

fu l a n c h o r for the exhi bi t are

Eg y pt ians t o t he p re s e n t. Bu t

P e a rs o n ’s

unlik e t he dida c ti c o r m o r -

ma j e s ti c sheep: One, w i th a

al i z ing us e of s y mb o l s th a t

w h i te fa c e turned to l ook di -

was c om m on in D u tc h p a i n t -

re c tl y a t th e vi ew er; the other,

i n g, f or ins t anc e , th e s ti l l l i fe

w i th a b l a c k face seen i n pro -

has ev olv ed as a m e a n s b y

fi l e , l o o k s aw ay. B oth of these

whic h ar t is t s , l i k e P e a rs o n ,

s h e e p a re so sharpl y i n focus

vi v if y and honor e v e ry d a y o b -

th a t w e c an see every strand

j e c t s or elem en ts o f n a tu re

o f h a i r, e v ery bi t of debri s em -

that one’s ey e mi g h t q u i c k l y

b e d d e d i n the matted w ool of

pas s ov er, t ak e fo r g ra n te d ,

th e i r c o a ts, and every bl ade

not c ons ider as b e a u ti fu l b e -

o f g ra s s i n w hi ch they stand;

ca us e t hey s eem s o o rd i n a ry.

th e y c o n v ey a cal m sol i di ty

In t hat s ens e, P e a rs o n ’s s ti l l

a n d d i g n i ty that one doesn’ t

l i fes ev ok e a s i m p l e , d i re c t,

o rd i n a ri l y

straight f or war d a n d n o n -h i e r -

s h e e p . T h e y are trul y magni f -

arc hic al r ev er en c e fo r l i fe . A s

i c e n t c re a tures and P earson’s

co nt em plat iv e t a l i s m a n s , th e y

h o ma g e i s compel l i ng.

LUMARTZINE

portrai ts

of

associ ate

tw o

w i th

depi cted

often

echo

Victoria Pearson, Untitled photographs. Courtesy of the artist.

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Art i s t P r of ile M i c ha e l M a t he s o n

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surpri si ng l evel of detai l i n the varyi ng line w ork of a bounti ful bouquet i n a vase. A sm all etchi ng

of

an

exqui si tel y-rendered

hor se

stares at you w i th enough real i sm to make

B y Ca itlin O’Ha ra

S

ant a

Ba rb a ra

based

a rti s t

Mi chael

M at he s o n h a s n o i d l e mo d e , and cer -

t ainly no o ff s w i tc h . H e re c e n tl y w e l d ed a hi bac hi gr ill p ro to ty p e , s l i p c a s t a v a s e, sew ed c anv as into b a n n e rs a n d p a i n te d a si gn for a loc al bus i n e s s . A n d h e c a l l s th a t Tu esday.

B ut when i t c o me s to m a k i n g a rt, th e R enai s s anc e m an i s n a rro w i n g h i s s c o p e . “ I t hink ov e r ti m e a p ro fe s s i o n a l a rti s t l earns what is t he re a l d ri v i n g fo rc e b e h i n d w hat he or s he m a k e s a n d w h y h e o r s h e makes i t,” M at hes on s a y s . “A t th a t p o i n t, a l o t o f edi ti ng happens , a n d y o u fo c u s o n y o u r c o re i nter es t . F or m e , m y c o re i n te re s t i s b l a c k i nk and

you reach out to touch i t.

W i th an oeuvre that i s decepti vel y approa ch abl e, Matheson commonl y creates i mages of botani cal s, Western i conography and tr adi ti onal tattoo fl ash, bui l di ng from a l ove f or cl assi cal pai nti ngs, earl y N ati ve A merican draw i ngs and A meri cana.

Throughout hi s si zabl e output, he bal an ces tensi ons betw een the mascul i ne and fe m i ni ne; academi c and outsi der; natural and ur ban; hi stori c and contemporary; mi ni mal and expressi ve; pl ayful and grounded. H e has an affi ni ty for usi ng accessi bl e materi al s, even reachi ng for hi s coffee cup w hen he needs t o add a stai n here or there. W hen w orki ng , he

wat er c olor, g ra p h i c c o n te n t a n d my conver s at ion wit h h i s to ry a n d p a ti n a .”

M at hes on i s c u rre n tl y c o n c e n tra ti n g on w a t er c olor ( “ I fi n d th a t th e d e v e l o p me n t of l ay er s of c olo r c re a ti n g d e p th s re a l l y pul l s me int o t he pr o c e s s ”); w o o d b l o c k c a rv i ng (“For it s v is c er a l q u a l i ti e s — m y a b i l i ty to s i t w i th a piec e and re mo v e m a te ri a l w i th m y h ands re ally allows me to c re a te a rt w i th m o r e phys ic alit y ” ) ; a n d i n ta g l i o p ri n tma k i n g (“I ts com plex it y and s tru c tu re fo rc e s my s ty l e to adapt t o it s bet t e r n a tu re ”).

A f our - f oot b l a c k & w h i te w a te rc o l o r di spl ays t hor ned t h i s tl e s w i th s u p p l e b u d s w h ose pet als open t o re v e a l a d e l i c a te s c a l l o p pattern as leav es fa l l a ro u n d th e m. A s i x -foot-tal l woodbloc k p ri n t o n E g y p ti a n mu s l i n had to be pr es s e d b y a s te a m ro l l e r. It re veal s a Matheson in his studio. Photo by Debra Herrick.

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i s fast, fl ui d, deci si ve—pul l i ng hi s W i nd sor N ew ton seri es 7 brush or pushi ng S w i ss-made w ood chi sel s w i th a steady hand and a confi dence that w hatever hap pens, i t w i l l be ri ght.

“Over the past tw enty years of w orki ng at art and l earni ng most medi ums and mate ri al s, I have honed my practi ce to w here i t i s i mmedi ate and accessi bl e. I have creat ed a vast vi sual l i brary, so I al w ays have an i dea or di recti on avai l abl e to me, and I don’ t get hung up on havi ng the perfect brushes, the perfect studi o.”

Matheson has travel ed the U .S . a num ber of ti mes, and he has l i ved i n ci ti es from w est to east and north to south. H e w orked for D oug A i tken i n the mi d-2000s, runni ng hi s pai nti ng studi o. “I produced hi s w atercol ors. The pai nti ngs w ere bui l t on a compl ex gri d; i t w as very repeti ti ve, preci se w ork. That gave me a speci fi c re spect for w atercol or that I carry w i th me.

In my w ork today, I’ m creati ng somethi ng total l y my ow n, but w hi ch came out of that practi ce.”

A fter returni ng home to S anta B arba ra several years ago, he began curati ng D une C offee R oasters’ gal l ery spaces and hosti ng art ni ghts at Muni ci pal W i nemak ers. H e provi des art di recti on and execu ti on for i nteri ors such as H i ghl and P ark B ow l i n L.A . H e manages the metal shop and makers space i n the U C S B A rt D epartment. A nd he creates w hat he cal l s “l o-fi ” art and merchandi se to sel l at l ocal art markets.

A gai n, cal l i t Tuesday.

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LUMARTZINE

GOLD VS BLACK

Cheers with a @luckys_steakhouse lemon drop martini and sweet sounds by Valdas of @valmarrecords.

#

t hef r ont s t ep s p ro j e c t— p o rtra i ts o f p e o pl e taken outsi de thei r homes—trended on Instagram t hr oughout th e A p ri l s ta y -a t-h o me o rd e rs. A cross the country, photographers portrayed a

se ns e of s olidari ty b y c a p tu ri n g th e s h a re d moment and donati ng fees to l ocal nonprofi ts.

Gold v s B lac k , t h e p o w e rh o u s e c re a ti v e d u o of S ophi a Tayl or and N i col e B erry, brought thei r co ol S oCal v ibes to th e i n i ti a ti v e , c a p tu ri n g S anta B arbara l ocal s steps aw ay from thei r homes i n t he week s wh e n C o v i d -1 9 h a d s h u t d o w n the ci ty’s soci al l i fe.

Offer ing an int ima te g l i mp s e o f p e o p l e w h e re they dw el l at a ti me w hen others w ere cl osed off fro m ent er ing t h o s e s p a c e s , th e p h o to s b r i ng to focus the endurance of fashi on, humor and l o v e, ev en in t he mo s t u n c e rta i n ti me s .

See more Gold vs Black photos at lumartzine.com.

SUMMER 2020

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LUMARTZINE

AT FIRS T BRUS HS TROKE

H

iroko Yoshimoto, a Ventura based ar t ist , c ult ivated an apprec iat i on of nature f rom her mot her Teiko, w ho loved to garden in t he small f ront and bac k yard of t heir Tok yo house.

H er and her sister Shoko planted tulip, anemone and peony bulbs and waited for t he forc ef ul p oint y sho ot s to break ground in t he spr ing. To get her w it h t heir fat her, t hey ’d walk to t he Tok yo Univer sit y B ot anic al G ardens w it h r ic e balls and tea.

In t he last t went y year s of her life, Teiko fell ill w it h a damaged hear t and to ok up haiku w r iting. H iroko rec alls her mot her in t he family ’s garden on one of her g o o d days in later life: “ It ’s wor t h living even just to watc h t he gras s leave s sprout ing and f lower buds opening,” sai d Teiko.

Fo r Lum A r t Zine, H iroko’s sister Shoko t ranslated Teiko’s haikus to ac c ompany paint ings f rom H iroko’s ser ie s B io diver s i t y. B ot h are studie s in t he diver sit y of life for ms, f rom t he mic robe s in a drop of water to t he st roke of a bamb o o br ush.

This page: Pages of Teiko Yoshimoto’s haikus in her calligraphy.

Haikus by Teiko Yoshimoto Translated by Shoko Yoshimoto Miura, PhD. Opposite page: Hiroko Yoshimoto, Biodiversity #118, Oil on Canvas, 60”x104” and Biodiversity #120, Oil on Canvas, 50”x86”.

At the first brushstroke

They went to see the whales

Of lilies on silk

Ill and alone

The air fills with fragrance

I long to be on that boat

SUMMER 2020

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Maria Rendón: Of Water, Tumbleweed & Transformation With the opening of the exhibition But Only So an Hour at HeyThere Projects in Joshua Tree, Santa Barbara-based artist Maria Rendón has come into shimmering focus...

Patricia Chidlaw Eyes the Overlooked Patricia Chidlaw’s approach to painting is vibrantly alive in a new exhibition at Sullivan Goss-An American Gallery...

Alfredo Ramos Martínez & the Modernist Canon The works of Alfredo Ramos Martínez in Santa Barbara Museum of Art’s recent exhibition fuse Mexican culture with formal abstraction...

Spontaneous Response: The Innovative Ceramics of Don Reitz Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum’s latest exhibition honors the long-lasting legacy of the revolutionary artist Don Reitz…

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Xanadu The Gallery at Hotel Indigo Santa Barbara’s Xanadu is a resplendent romp through California popular culture edified by international artist Russell Young and glimmers of Central Coast gems Cassandria Blackmore and Beatrice Wood...

George Rose: Photographic Landscapes Solvang-based photographer George Rose’s crisp, expressive landscapes bring the grace and power of California’s wine country to Solvang’s Wildling Museum...

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tanya Aguiniga Los Angeles based artist/designer/ craftsperson who was raised in Tijuana, Mexico.

we celebrate artists

2020 carolyn glasoe bailey foundation Art Prizes cgbfoundation.org Dyani White Hawk (Sičángu Lakota) is a visual artist based in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Special thanks to our donors for their support of the 2020 prizes.

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