Guillermo Gomez-Pena
Website (0dd)
I checked this artist out after speaking with Jeff. His website is very bizarre and I think overall he is an odd man. BUT he does relate to my work in a twisted way... Guillermo created this collaborative organization called La Pocha Nostra. It is based in San Francisco and the mission statement reads, "[We] provide a base for a loose network and forum of rebel artists from various disciplines, generations and ethnic backgrounds." They definitely cross boundaries and challenge the notion of what art is. "If there is a common denominator, it is our desire to cross and erase dangerous borders including those between art and politics, art practice and theory, artist and spectator - ultimately to dissolve borders and myths of purity whether they be specific to culture, ethnicity, gender, language or metier." The organization, or Pocha, was created out of the necessity to survive as Chicano artists in a Racist art world. The description goes on and on and remains ever-growing and fluid with description. The end of their manifesto says, "You are all welcome to pirate any of these ideas."
La Pocha Nostra’s project Ex-centris is a collective workshop that travels everywhere challenging notions of what is common for people living in between cultures. I need to look into this more but it is very performative in nature and has interesting symbols displaced within the imagery. I have some readings Jeff lended me that Im going to check out and update on this post.
No comments:
Post a Comment