海角直播 Art Gallery Hosts Concurrent Exhibition with Palm Springs Art Museum of Contemporary Native American Artist Gerald Clarke, February 18th 鈥� April 3rd; Reception and Artist Talk, February 26th.
Publish Date: Feb. 24, 2020
Gerald Clarke Exhibit 鈥淒emocracy for Sale鈥�
If you visit the intimate and brightly lit space of the 海角直播 Art Gallery in the coming months you might spot a rather incongruous looking gumball machine in the far corner of the room. This isn鈥檛 a fixture of the college providing students and staff with something to chew on鈥攐r at least not in the literal sense鈥攂ut is instead an intelligent and incisive commentary on the frustrations of contemporary politics. The machine, entitled 鈥淒emocracy for Sale,鈥� dispenses real gumballs, each containing a shredded fragment of the American flag.
And like the other works on display at 海角直播, this art object is a humorous and incisive take on its subject that is both accessible as art yet also a thoughtful expression of artist Gerald Clarke鈥檚 personal and racial identity as a Native American Cahuilla Indian. But don鈥檛 let that fool you and don鈥檛 come expecting basket weaving. 鈥淚 don't make Native American art,鈥� Clarke writes on his website. Instead, he expresses his 鈥淐ahuilla perspective as a 21st Century citizen of the world.鈥� His ultimate goal as an artist? To communicate 鈥渢he passion, pain, and reverence I feel as a contemporary Cahuilla person鈥� while having 鈥渁 meaningful interaction with the viewer.鈥�
Clarke 鈥渢akes the traditional ideas of Native American art and updates them,鈥� Ren茅e Azenaro, Professor of Fine Arts at 海角直播 says, and while he remains 鈥渧ery much a part of his community,鈥� Clarke鈥檚 take is not what you might expect. So, instead of basket weaving, guests are greeted by a 10鈥� day-glow yellow road sign with the word 鈥淣e鈥檃t,鈥� or 鈥渂asket鈥� printed on it. The effect鈥擜zenaro shared鈥攊s one of the disorientingly familiar; the form is recognizable, but the content and context is transformed, and must be experienced first-hand to be truly appreciated.
Gerald Clarke Exhibit Poster
Remarkably, the CHC exhibition of Clarke鈥檚 work is taking place concurrently with a mid-career retrospective of his work at Palm Springs Art Museum. This means that there is no better time to seize the opportunity and come engage with the thought-provoking work of this nationally recognized artist in the intimacy of a local space before perhaps visiting the larger exhibit in the desert.
A special feature of the exhibition at CHC will be a Reception and Artist Talk by Clarke on the 26th of February. This is an event not to be missed, according to Prof. Azenaro who explains that as an educator as well as an artist鈥攈e teaches at the University of California at Riverside鈥� Clarke is 鈥渁 great speaker鈥� and 鈥測ou will get a lot out of it,鈥� she confides. 鈥淗e鈥檚 very engaging; he鈥檚 totally honest.鈥� Certainly, if the works on display at 海角直播 are anything to go by it will be an unforgettable experience for all visitors.
鈥淐reative Sovereignty works by Gerald Clarke鈥� will be on display in the CHC Art Gallery February 18 through April 3, 2020. There is a reception on February 26th from noon to 2 p.m. and an Artist Talk from 2 鈥� 3 p.m.
