On Sunday, May 5, self<not>self, an exhibition curated by Tom Leeser, program director of Art and Technology and director of the Center for Integrated Media at CalArts, opens at the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center in downtown Los Angeles. On view until May 18, this showcase features a array of works from CalArts alums and JACCC Artist-in-Residence Hirokazu Kosaka (Chouinard 70), an alum of the Chouinard Art Institute, which later became CalArts.
The exhibition drew its inspiration from a transformative lecture at CalArts by Kosaka, who presented calligraphy brushes crafted from his son’s hair. This unique choice of material led to a profound realization for Leeser. Reflecting on this in the exhibition program, Leeser remarks, “The brushes were not a sentimental object, they were a poignant homage to his son, a devotional votive in the form of an anomalous portrait.”
This tribute, framed within the Buddhist doctrine of Anatta, or non-self, suggests our identities are ever-changing composites of transient experiences.
<self>not<self> features 13 CalArts alums and faculty: Cheng Cheng (Art MFA 22), Weilu Ge (Art MFA 19), Kelon Cen (Art MFA 19), Beth Fiedorek (Art MFA 18), Alex Hawthorn (Art MFA 23), Sterling Hedges (Art MFA 20), Catherine Hsu (Art MFA 23), Chris Johst (Art MFA 23), Malte Sänger (Art MFA 22), Kathi Schulz (Art MFA 23), and faculty members Kai Luen Liang (Music MFA 20), Dongpu Ling (Art MFA 21), and Jordon Wong (Film/Video MFA 20).
Each artist in the exhibition shares a common drive to subvert, reinterpret, and critique traditional depictions of the human form. Their works reflect a nuanced commentary on how bodies and identities are perceived and constructed in the modern world, utilizing art and technology as a lens to examine and unsettle the usual portrayals.
<self>not<self> kicks off with an opening reception on Sunday, May 5, from 2 to 5 pm, allowing visitors to meet some of the artists and discuss their works.
