Outpost for Contemporary Art1268 N. Ave 50
Los Angeles, CA
Saturday, March 13, 2010 7 - 10pm
"T-shirt Revival Night" with Kiki Johnson
"For a minimal charge ($3 for one, $5 for two), Kiki will "revive" your old T-shirt, canvas bag or whatever other clothing you bring in by silk-screening one of five designs onto it.
Titled "Umpiring Under the Amateur Code of Rules" Kiki Johnson will use drawings inspired by spring training and the approaching baseball season for the silk-screening event.
Johnson redraws historical images, not as duplications or copies, but as reenactments of the images. Subjects such as sailors and witches are placed side by side, revealing how these two apparently dissimilar subjects are in fact treated as equals within historical discourse. By collecting images from history books, rather than history itself, Johnson creates delicate and eerie images that collapse the languages of maritime history and superstition. As Johnson's drawings are more performative then representational, her work also expands into performances in which she reenacts historical rituals such as baking a Great Depression era recipe or burning a Christmas tree to fry pancakes over the fire on Shrove Tuesday. Whether images or performances, her work confronts viewers with the results of history, stripped of its supporting context. The viewer must justify these images and actions as they exist now, and also question the meaning of the word “yesteryear.” Replacing the authoritative voice of history with her own voice brings cause to question the accuracy, authenticity, and truth of history as it is presented.
In conjunction with NELAart Second Saturday Gallery Night."
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[Text from Outpost FB invitation. Graphic from Kiki Johnson's website. Caption: "Baseball Crest, ink on paper, 8.5”x11”, 2010."]
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