Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego

08/28/2021

MCASD is deeply saddened by the passing of #ÁlvaroBlancarte, a prolific artist who influenced younger generations of Tijuanese painters.

For more than six decades, Blancarte mined the topography of Baja California and defined the artistic landscape of this region. Inspired by the mythologies of the Kumiai culture, the light that shines on the mountains of Tecate, and the idyllic scenery described in Latin American literature, Blancarte experimented with textures, materials, and colors to depict the splendor of the deserts of Baja California.

Trained in the tradition of the Mexican muralists, Blancarte abandoned the Social Realist concerns of his predecessors and focused on the more physical elements related to easel and mural painting. Developing a unique style of painting, what the artist called “neo fresco,” Blancarte regularly incorporated marble powder and sand in his canvases—an effect that harks back to the legacy of Mexican mural painting but evoked age and deterioration. Blancarte’s influence as an artist is recognized not only through his innovative techniques but also as a mentor, through decades of teaching.

In 2016, Blancarte presented a new body of work in Á𝘭𝘷𝘢𝘳𝘰 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦: 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵 alongside four of his earlier pieces from the Museum’s collection. In this series, Blancarte created 30 paintings, each measuring 30 by 30 centimeters (approximately 12 by 12 inches). Though he traditionally worked on large-scale canvases and murals, these small canvases allowed Blancarte to intently reinterpret his own history. The series soon expanded and set him on an iconographic mapping of the present with more than 50 works, a selection of which were represented in the exhibition. These photos are from this exhibition and a studio visit prior.

08/17/2021

MCASD mourns the loss of our friend Matt Hoyt, a generous and beloved member of San Diego's art and culture community. Hoyt's relationship with the Museum began in 2010 with the exhibition 𝘏𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦: 𝘚𝘢𝘯 𝘋𝘪𝘦𝘨𝘰 𝘈𝘳𝘵 𝘕𝘰𝘸, which featured the film 𝘈𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘤...𝘩𝘶𝘩?, created by Hoyt and his frequent collaborator Jason Sherry. Hoyt's committment to supporting the arts took many forms, in his roles as artist, businessperson, music afficionado, and all-around champion for San Diego culture. At MCASD, he and his wife Allison, served as co-chairs of the 2016 Spring Thing fundraiser and he helped to organize a comedy night for the exhibition 𝘓𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩-𝘪𝘯: 𝘈𝘳𝘵, 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘺, 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦. The Museum was also fortunate to host several events--from opening dinners to a staff holiday party--at Starlite, the San Diego institution founded by Hoyt, Tim Mays, and Steven Polz. Thank you, Matt, for bringing us so much joy.

08/11/2021

5 Works Of Art To See In San Diego In August

KPBS highlighted the work from our Teen Advisory Group that's on view outside of our location downtown location. Check it out if you're in the area.

For your summer art bucket list, here's some don't-miss new work on view right now in San Diego, including a San Diego Art Prize recipient, several murals and works viewable outdoors.

07/29/2021

Jenny Holzer, the American neo-conceptual artist, was #bornonthisday.

Holzer’s primary medium is language, which she deploys in a wide range of formats and locales. Over the years, the vehicles for her provocative, text-based works have included photocopied posters, T-shirts, granite benches, electronic signboards, and aluminum plaques like the one seen here. After her graduate studies in painting at the Rhode Island School of Design, Holzer moved to New York City in 1976 and enrolled in the Whitney Museum’s Independent Study Program, where her famous Truisms series took root. Holzer distilled the program’s dense reading list of poststructuralist theory into aphoristic, one-line summaries that have the authoritative ring of long-held truths. The Truisms were initially printed in alphabetized lists on offset posters distributed around Manhattan. Eventually, Holzer’s texts graced the Spectacolor screen in Times Square, appeared on scoreboards in stadiums, and were projected onto ocean waves and mountainsides, as in a project commissioned zby MCASD in 2007.

𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘈𝘭𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 is part of the artist’s Survival series (1983–85), which evokes the absurdities and dangers of modern life. Holzer employs the second personal singular—”you”—to draw the viewer in, directly implicating us in a thought experiment. Printed onto a dull sheet of aluminum, the sentence is startling in its offbeat matter-of-factness, evoking a contemporary condition of life in which the private self is bombarded by mass media and pollution. From another perspective, Holzer can be seen to question the very notion of the private individual and, with it, the desire to see the self as separate or different from the surrounding world, including the environment and other people.

[Jenny Holzer, 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘈𝘭𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘕𝘰 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘋𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘖𝘶𝘵𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘌𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘈𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘯 1983 from the #MCASD Collection]

Jenny Holzer, the American neo-conceptual artist, was #bornonthisday.

Holzer’s primary medium is language, which she deploys in a wide range of formats and locales. Over the years, the vehicles for her provocative, text-based works have included photocopied posters, T-shirts, granite benches, electronic signboards, and aluminum plaques like the one seen here. After her graduate studies in painting at the Rhode Island School of Design, Holzer moved to New York City in 1976 and enrolled in the Whitney Museum’s Independent Study Program, where her famous Truisms series took root. Holzer distilled the program’s dense reading list of poststructuralist theory into aphoristic, one-line summaries that have the authoritative ring of long-held truths. The Truisms were initially printed in alphabetized lists on offset posters distributed around Manhattan. Eventually, Holzer’s texts graced the Spectacolor screen in Times Square, appeared on scoreboards in stadiums, and were projected onto ocean waves and mountainsides, as in a project commissioned zby MCASD in 2007.

𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘈𝘭𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 is part of the artist’s Survival series (1983–85), which evokes the absurdities and dangers of modern life. Holzer employs the second personal singular—”you”—to draw the viewer in, directly implicating us in a thought experiment. Printed onto a dull sheet of aluminum, the sentence is startling in its offbeat matter-of-factness, evoking a contemporary condition of life in which the private self is bombarded by mass media and pollution. From another perspective, Holzer can be seen to question the very notion of the private individual and, with it, the desire to see the self as separate or different from the surrounding world, including the environment and other people.

[Jenny Holzer, 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘈𝘭𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘕𝘰 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘋𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘖𝘶𝘵𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘌𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘈𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘯 1983 from the #MCASD Collection]

07/29/2021

Latinx Artist Fellowship | The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

Earlier this month, a multigenerational cohort of 15 Latinx visual artists were awarded $50,000 unrestricted grants.

Awardees from the MCASD Collection include Celia Álvarez Muñoz and Delilah Montoya.

Yolanda Lopez also received a grant. 𝘠𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘢 𝘓ó𝘱𝘦𝘻: 𝘗𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘵 opens this October at our Downtown location.
mcasd.org/yl

Mellon continues to distribute additional funds to help shore up struggling arts and cultural organizations and higher learning institutions.

07/06/2021

In honor of #FridaKahlo’s birthday today, we are sharing Yasumasa Morimura’s 𝘈𝘯 𝘐𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘋𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘶𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘍𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘢 𝘒𝘢𝘩𝘭𝘰 (𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘛𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘴) from our collection.

Japanese conceptual photographer and filmmaker Morimura is known for self-portraits in which he appropriates imagery culled from Western art history, film, and other media within the cultural canon. Using costumes, props, and makeup, the artist fashions himself into culturally significant icons through digital manipulation. In this way, Morimura interrogates issues surrounding gender, culture, and race, and how all of these conventions inform his own understanding of his identity: an Asian man inserting his body into a Western art-historical canon that has traditionally excluded him. And yet the artist also confronts viewers with the ethical questions of cultural appropriation—whether a person can actively or performatively participate within a culture that is not their own.

In the 2000s, Morimura turned his attention to the oeuvre of Frida Kahlo (Mexico, 1907–1954), fashioning himself as the artist in the myriad of paintings she created throughout her lifetime. By doing so, Morimura utilized self-portraiture as a vehicle to interrogate gender theory and underscore issues relating to identity that both he and Kahlo grappled with. In 𝘈𝘯 𝘐𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘋𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘶𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘍𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘢 𝘒𝘢𝘩𝘭𝘰 (𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘛𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘴) Morimura reconstructs Kahlo’s famous self-portrait wearing a thorn collar, replicating Kahlo’s dramatic black hair, deep red lipstick, and signature heavy brow. In costuming himself as Kahlo, Morimura brings to the fore the tensions regarding the ambiguity of gender and race, forcing viewers to question the ways that we construct both in our society.

[#YasumasaMorimura 𝘈𝘯 𝘐𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘋𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘶𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘍𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘢 𝘒𝘢𝘩𝘭𝘰 (𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘛𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘴) 2001 from the #MCASD Collection]

In honor of #FridaKahlo’s birthday today, we are sharing Yasumasa Morimura’s 𝘈𝘯 𝘐𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘋𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘶𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘍𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘢 𝘒𝘢𝘩𝘭𝘰 (𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘛𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘴) from our collection.

Japanese conceptual photographer and filmmaker Morimura is known for self-portraits in which he appropriates imagery culled from Western art history, film, and other media within the cultural canon. Using costumes, props, and makeup, the artist fashions himself into culturally significant icons through digital manipulation. In this way, Morimura interrogates issues surrounding gender, culture, and race, and how all of these conventions inform his own understanding of his identity: an Asian man inserting his body into a Western art-historical canon that has traditionally excluded him. And yet the artist also confronts viewers with the ethical questions of cultural appropriation—whether a person can actively or performatively participate within a culture that is not their own.

In the 2000s, Morimura turned his attention to the oeuvre of Frida Kahlo (Mexico, 1907–1954), fashioning himself as the artist in the myriad of paintings she created throughout her lifetime. By doing so, Morimura utilized self-portraiture as a vehicle to interrogate gender theory and underscore issues relating to identity that both he and Kahlo grappled with. In 𝘈𝘯 𝘐𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘋𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘶𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘍𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘢 𝘒𝘢𝘩𝘭𝘰 (𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘛𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘴) Morimura reconstructs Kahlo’s famous self-portrait wearing a thorn collar, replicating Kahlo’s dramatic black hair, deep red lipstick, and signature heavy brow. In costuming himself as Kahlo, Morimura brings to the fore the tensions regarding the ambiguity of gender and race, forcing viewers to question the ways that we construct both in our society.

[#YasumasaMorimura 𝘈𝘯 𝘐𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘋𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘶𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘍𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘢 𝘒𝘢𝘩𝘭𝘰 (𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘛𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘴) 2001 from the #MCASD Collection]

06/30/2021

New murals honor Chicana artist Yolanda López and pay homage to Bay Area solidarity movements - Mission Local

A new mural honoring Yolanda López is now up in San Francisco's Mission District.

𝘠𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘢 𝘓ó𝘱𝘦𝘻: 𝘗𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘵 opens this October at our Downtown location and is the first solo museum presentation of one of the most important Chicano/a/x artists working in California over the past five decades. Learn more > http://mcasd.org/yl

Painter Yolanda López is known for her early revolutionary political posters, her feminist artwork, and her engagement with identity issues.

06/29/2021

Using mostly black ink, with occasional use of a deep blue and a brick-red, Louise Nevelson employed multiple techniques to create her lithographs during her residency at the Tamarind Lithography Workshop. Her primary experimentation involved pressing inked objects directly onto the stone. This use of unconventional components is seen most evidently in this untitled print, where Nevelson features a lace medallion whose circular shape seems to collide with the edges of other patterned fabrics and meshwork, evoking the blade of a saw. The torn and tattered fabrics appear together as a constellation against the inky black backdrop of the print, reflecting Nevelson’s interest in the formal play of light and dark.

Explore this work and more in our digital exhibition 𝘌𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘦 on view at mcasd.org/eos.

[#LouiseNevelson, 𝘜𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘥 (1963) from the #MCASD Collection © 2021 Estate of Louise Nevelson/ Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York]

Using mostly black ink, with occasional use of a deep blue and a brick-red, Louise Nevelson employed multiple techniques to create her lithographs during her residency at the Tamarind Lithography Workshop. Her primary experimentation involved pressing inked objects directly onto the stone. This use of unconventional components is seen most evidently in this untitled print, where Nevelson features a lace medallion whose circular shape seems to collide with the edges of other patterned fabrics and meshwork, evoking the blade of a saw. The torn and tattered fabrics appear together as a constellation against the inky black backdrop of the print, reflecting Nevelson’s interest in the formal play of light and dark.

Explore this work and more in our digital exhibition 𝘌𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘦 on view at mcasd.org/eos.

[#LouiseNevelson, 𝘜𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘥 (1963) from the #MCASD Collection © 2021 Estate of Louise Nevelson/ Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York]

06/26/2021

My Barbarian, Universal Declaration of Infantile Anxiety Situations Reflected in the Creative Impulse (2013) — MCASD: Digital

Through the weekend, we are presenting My Barbarian’s 𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘢𝘭 𝘋𝘦𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘐𝘯𝘧𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘈𝘯𝘹𝘪𝘦𝘵𝘺 𝘚𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘙𝘦𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘐𝘮𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘴𝘦 on MCASD: Digital.

Founded in Los Angeles in 2000, the performance collective My Barbarian is best known for its live musical events that draw from traditions of cabaret, political theater, and participatory art. In their film 𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘢𝘭 𝘋𝘦𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘐𝘯𝘧𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘈𝘯𝘹𝘪𝘦𝘵𝘺 𝘚𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘙𝘦𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘐𝘮𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘴𝘦, My Barbarian offers a generational reckoning with 1970s feminism, charting a lineage of the group’s maternal role models in art and life.

Founded in Los Angeles in 2000, the performance collective My Barbarian is best known for its live musical events that draw from traditions of cabaret, political theater, and participatory art. In their film Universal Declaration of Infantile Anxiety Situations Reflected in the Creative Impulse, My

06/23/2021

Widely regarded as a leading figure of 1960s and 1970s abstraction in Venezuela, the printmaker, sculptor, and draftsperson Gego was also interested in the spatial implications of the line. In 1963 Gego came to the Tamarind Lithography Workshop as a guest, where she completed two prints. She returned in November 1966 for a fellowship that enabled her to make thirty-one lithographs.

In this untitled print, the artist’s interest in line and space is made explicit. Two bold strips of red pigment bisect a swath of thin, wire-like lines within the pictorial space. Varying in thickness, length, and direction, Gego’s tracings emphasize their independence and strength, regardless of location, medium, or form.

Explore this work and more in our digital exhibition Experiments on Stone on view at mcasd.org/eos.

[#Gego, 𝘜𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘥 (1966) from the #MCASD Collection © 2021 Fundación Gego]

Widely regarded as a leading figure of 1960s and 1970s abstraction in Venezuela, the printmaker, sculptor, and draftsperson Gego was also interested in the spatial implications of the line. In 1963 Gego came to the Tamarind Lithography Workshop as a guest, where she completed two prints. She returned in November 1966 for a fellowship that enabled her to make thirty-one lithographs.

In this untitled print, the artist’s interest in line and space is made explicit. Two bold strips of red pigment bisect a swath of thin, wire-like lines within the pictorial space. Varying in thickness, length, and direction, Gego’s tracings emphasize their independence and strength, regardless of location, medium, or form.

Explore this work and more in our digital exhibition Experiments on Stone on view at mcasd.org/eos.

[#Gego, 𝘜𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘥 (1966) from the #MCASD Collection © 2021 Fundación Gego]

06/18/2021

MCASD Family ArtLAB: Land Art

MCASD invites you to enjoy another Family ArtLAB: Take-Home Edition.

A playful artmaking experience for the whole family will be available to pick up on Saturday, June 26 at Westfield UTC.

MCASD presents the work of American sculptor Beverly Pepper at Westfield UTC & invites you to make your own sculptures with these art kits!