A brave, imaginative space for trans, nonbinary, genderqueer, and intersex folks to collaborate!
Walk the Walk premieres September 22-23!
Walk The Walk brings together themes of trans lineage, renaming familiar rituals, queer labor, and the connections between autism and nonbinary identity through explosive choreography collaboratively generated by K. Bradford, Cedric Tai, Cody Brunelle-Potter, D. Hill, Lennon Torres. Our story reveals itself, step by step, and we invite our trans folks, enbys, allies, and everyone who wants to witness trans joy.
A few words from K. Bradford, Director of WalktheWalk:
We are in a time. A trans time. As an umbrella community, trans and nonbinary people are receiving wider attention in society and mass media. And a violent cyclone of hate has followed.
But we are not a trans trend. We are not a target to be used and discarded.
We are creators.
We are culture makers.
We are human beings.
It is a strange and vulnerable thing. To move from the margins and into the spotlight. Our story is revealing itself, step by step. And our voices, finally, taking the mic.
Shows at 8pm on Friday, September 22 & Saturday, September 23
Doors will open at 7:30pm each evening. A parking lot is available on site as well as neighborhood street parking.
Please join us after the show on Friday, September 22 for a Q&A talk back with the ensemble.
If you have questions regarding tickets or the event, please email Operations Manager, Sanna at sanna@invertigodance.org."
L.A. Dance Project, 2245 E Washington Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90021, USA
Also, I am selling prints at $75 each to support this World Premiere!
You can donate AND buy tickets on 'Give Butter' here.
Cedric Tai
@fakingprofessionalism
August 28 - October 14, 2023
Chapman University's Guggenheim Gallery on occasion of Wilkinson College's Engaging the World is thrilled to announce @fakingprofessionalism, a solo presentation by Los Angeles based artist Cedric Tai.
Please join us for the artist's reception on Sunday, September 3, 2023, from 3:00 - 6:00PM.
I'd like to propose that ADHD/Autism just means 'being bad at capitalism' (being on time, accepting authority, etc.), which... isn't the worst thing to be allergic to. - Cedric Tai
@fakingprofessionalism is an evolving mis en scéne that brings together artworks, a modular minigolf course, the artist's temporary and improvised studio space, as well as references to keeping up appearances on social media. The installation blends three distinct social spaces: the workplace (the office and studio), a locus of negotiation and production; the exhibition space where finished products are displayed and discussed; and the sites of recreational activities, which are often haunted by the specter of professional networking. The merging of these spaces in the gallery provokes questions around the purposes, similarities, and differences of these sites. The fragmentary and ephemeral nature of @fakingprofessionalism mirrors not only diverse approaches to problem solving and the adaptable nature of the creative process, but also becomes a model of neurodivergent thinking. This is represented in how elements within the exhibition undergo transformations, unite with other segments, disappear, and subsequently resurface over the course of its duration.
In the realm of work-life, professionalism stands as a valuable standard that upholds quality, expertise, and ethical conduct. It sets a benchmark for proficiency and ensures that individuals are adequately trained and qualified to carry out their responsibilities. However, our rigid understanding of this concept often creates a culture of exclusivity, perpetuating a narrow definition of what constitutes legitimate expertise, while marginalizing individuals who do not conform to these standards. This rigidity frequently acts as a gatekeeping mechanism, stifling individuality and inhibiting the full realization of diverse talents and perspectives. In stark contrast, some neurodivergent individuals perceive intricate patterns and connections, especially valuable in fields that require complex problem-solving, data analysis, and innovative thinking. Furthermore, viewing all minds as existing within a neurospectrum challenges the idea of a singular 'center' from which all others diverge.
The exhibition raises compelling questions: What if we were to embrace a broader spectrum of behaviors, bodies, and minds that don't conform to traditional societal norms, rather than labeling some human actions as pathological? How can we further support the ways in which marginalized people live, work, and play, on their terms? In what ways can we redefine the usual rules of engagement, and what might this look like?
In conjunction with Chapman University's new Health Humanities Minor, Tai invites gallery visitors to observe the ways in which they navigate mental health resources and systems in place for the public today. The artist also shares their perspectives through printed brochures such as 'How to Advocate for Yourself at the Doctors Office' and 'An ADHD Zine for/by Artists'. In @fakingprofessionalism Tai gives experimental, provisional, and non-clinically proven answers that provide a middle ground between social media hot takes and inaccessible scientific discourse. Tai shares their personal journey through the American healthcare system, professional sphere, and art world.
I wrapped up a Q & A collaboration with
Carmen Argote. Here's the original recording of the event:
And finally about 1 year later, here's the follow up directors commentary/aftercare/debrief!
Over the course of the exhibition, I won't abandon you, I see you, we are safe, ICA LA presented IN PROCESS--a series of collaborative actions realized by artist Carmen Argote with invited collaborators that allowed the exhibition, much like Argote's own work, to evolve over time. Featured collaborators included Young Chung, director of Commonwealth and Council; Daniela Lieja Quintanar, curator and researcher; Mary McGuire, art historian; Cedric Tai, artist and educator; and Carmen Vargas, the artist's mother.
Join us in the last days of the exhibition for a final program and conversation reflecting on process and collaboration. The discussion will touch upon how collaboration informed the creation of, and care for, the exhibition over the last four months and speak to ideas of mothering, maintenance, intimacy, and learning as they relate to the collaborative process.
Carmen Argote (b. 1981, Guadalajara, Mexico; lives and works in Los Angeles) is a multidisciplinary artist whose work often points to the body, class, and economic structures in relation to architecture and personal history. She received her MFA in 2007 from the University of California, Los Angeles, where she also received her BFA in 2004. Recent solo exhibitions have been held at Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego (2022); Primary, Nottingham (2021); Clockshop, Los Angeles (2020); New Museum, New York (2019); and PAOS GDL, Guadalajara (2019). Argote has been featured in group exhibitions at MAK Center for Art and Architecture, Los Angeles (2022); Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (2021); SculptureCenter, New York (2019); Hammer Museum, Los Angeles (2018); Los Angeles County Museum of Art (2017); and Ballroom Marfa (2017). She is the recipient of the Fellows of Contemporary Art Award (2020); the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Award (2019); Artadia Los Angeles award (2019); an Artist Community Engagement Grant from the Rema Hort Mann Foundation (2015); and a California Community Foundation Fellowship for Visual Artists (2013). Argote's work is in the collections of Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; and Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego. Argote is represented by Commonwealth and Council, Los Angeles, and is co-chair of the Artist Advisory Council at Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles.
Daniela Lieja Quintanar is a curator and researcher originally from Mexico City. Her curatorial practice takes inspiration from everyday life, spaces of political struggle, and communal forms of knowledge production. She is the Chief Curator and Deputy Director, Programs at REDCAT Roy and Edna Disney CalArts Theater. Recently, she curated Lisa Alvarado: Pulse Meridian Foliation for REDCAT. From 2016-2022, Lieja Quintanar served as the Chief Curator and Director of Programming at Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions (LACE). Some of her exhibitions at LACE included Intergalactix: against isolation/contra el aislamiento (2021), CAVERNOUS: Young Joon Kwak & Mutant Salon (2018) and Emory Douglas: Bold Visual Language (2018, co-curated with Essence Harden). In 2016, she coordinated Teresa Margolles's La Sombra project for the Public Art Biennial CURRENT: LA Water. Lieja Quintanar was part of the curatorial team of the MexiCali Biennial (2018-19) and curatorial contributor to the PST: LA/LA exhibition, Below the Underground: Renegade Art and Action in 1990s Mexico at the Armory Center for the Arts (2017-18). In 2018, she was awarded the Andy Warhol Foundation Curatorial Research Grant. Lieja Quintanar has been part of the Los Angeles Tenants Union since its foundation, collaborating with the East Side local/Union de Vecinos.
Cedric Tai (Un-disciplinary Artist, Educator, Friend, Neuroqueer, ADHD/Autistic, Filipino/HongKongChinese-American) thinks through sculpture, talking, writing, performance and experimental exhibitions. They've partnered with neuroscientists, academics from critical psychiatry, artist collectives, disability justice influencers, and somatic therapists to co-create art and accessible resources where mental health meets anti-capitalist solidarity.
Young Chung is an artist as well as the founder and director of Commonwealth and Council, a gallery in Koreatown, Los Angeles. Through Commonwealth and Council, Young Chung continues to learn and grow together with Carmen Argote.
Mary McGuire is Professor of Art History at Mt. San Antonio College where she teaches courses in modern and contemporary art. She has written articles, curated exhibitions, and given talks on subjects including modern dance, feminist performance, and queer spiritualities. Her current manuscript project, Social and Spiritual Movement in Art: The Judson Arts Program and the Long 1960s, situates New York City's Judson Church as a nexus of art, religion, and social movements. She recently began hosting a series of salons with Los Angeles-based artists, the first of which featured an action by Carmen Argote.
Carmen Vargas (b. 1953 Guadalajara Jalisco, Mexico; lives and works in the Los Angeles area) is a mixed media artist currently based in the Los Angeles area, with over 25 years of experience in fashion, arts administration, and arts education working at institutions such as Plaza de la Raza, Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA), Ontario Museum of History and Art, and the Carolyn Campagna Kleefeld Contemporary Art Museum at California State University, Long Beach.
At the Sculpture Space Artist-In-Residency until the end of May!
Next Open Studios, May 17th, 5 - 8 pm Address: 12 Gates St, Utica, NY 13502
Featured at the previous Works-In-Progress open studio event, "Suspending Damage: A Love Letter to Anarchy, Sculpture Space, and Free Stuff"
You can donate AND buy tickets on 
