A decades-long commitment to experimentation and community-based design comes into focus in KAOS Theory: The Afrokosmic Media Arts of Ben Caldwell, a multimedia retrospective showcasing work by artist, community leader, and former School of Film/Video faculty Ben Caldwell. Co-presented by the California African American Museum (CAAM) and Art + Practice (A+P), the show runs now through Saturday, March 8.
The exhibition is inspired by the book KAOS Theory: The Afrokosmic Ark of Ben Caldwell, written by Caldwell and Robeson Taj Frazier and named a “favorite book of 2023” by The New Yorker. Frazier joins School of Film/Video faculty Jheanelle Brown as an exhibition curator, teaming up to highlight Caldwell’s investment in creating pioneering works, all the while providing spaces that nurture others’ creativity.
Born in 1945 in New Mexico, Caldwell grew up watching his grandfather work as a projectionist at their local cinema. He was drafted and served in the Vietnam War, during which he used Kodak Instant cameras to snap his earliest images. Caldwell strove to capture an honest portrayal of wartime, since his experiences resembled nothing of what he’d seen on television as a kid. He enrolled at Phoenix College in Arizona for photography courses, and later pursued an MFA in film at UCLA, the nexus of the LA Rebellion—a Black cinema movement spearheaded by UCLA filmmakers from the late 60s to the late 80s.
The collaborative spirit of Caldwell’s practice pervades the exhibition, which features Caldwell’s video and audio works alongside photography collages, prints, performance, works on canvas, and multimedia installations. KAOS Theory was detailed Hyperallergic’s recent feature on Caldwell, noting the artist’s impact on Black Los Angeles and beyond:
It reflects the name he has embraced for so long: chaos theory, in which seemingly random entities come together to create deterministic, stable patterns. Brown and Frazier are adding to the lineage of Caldwell’s rich wake.
Known as an artist who continuously upends notions of “filmmaker,” Caldwell’s practice embraces failure as a vehicle for the creation of new forms. He also rose to prominence as a community-minded innovator, establishing the KAOS Network in 1984. The Leimert Park-based media arts hub offers hands-on classes in aspects of video production, animation, and web development, “curating positive shared experiences in BlackDesign (Afrofuturism), music, and technology.”
“I’ve wanted to present a retrospective of Ben Caldwell’s work for years,” Brown was quoted in the release. “I was nursing this idea, and separately Caldwell and Robeson Taj Frazier were creating this love- and soul-filled book about Caldwell’s life, work, and service. I feel lucky to present the expansive and pioneering work of my friend and mentor through this exhibition.”
The KAOS Theory curators also mentioned that the retrospective was an opportunity to celebrate Caldwell’s work, since the prolific and collaborative nature of his creative process, per his daughter, doesn’t allow time to luxuriate in the finished piece. The show also provides crucial context for the vast array of work in which Caldwell has played a part throughout the years.
A+P interviewed Caldwell in a video about the exhibition, in which the artist expressed his enthusiasm about how it showcases the community. “They get to see something curated from this community that also has their faces in it,” said Caldwell. Watch the full video below.
