The title “Gutted” has very visceral implications, and for this year’s annual benefit at the local Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions venue, visceral is exactly the point.
The art exhibit incorporates the theme of “the body” and features a UCLA student, an alumnus and a guest artist.
LACE was formed in 1978 and is a nonprofit organization that provides a venue for artists to show their art. The organization has an ideal location on Hollywood Boulevard, adding to the large, diverse crowds that travel through their exhibits regularly.
The organization has teamed up with Los Angeles-based curator Dino Dinco to organize the exhibit, which will feature many different artists who have come together to display their artistic interpretations of “the body.”
“I chose “˜Gutted’ for the title because of its double meaning, of how a physical body can be eviscerated and opened up, also there’s an architectural meaning. I wanted to address LACE as a space, … because the role of a spectator is as important as the role of an artist,” Dinco said.
Dinco described the exhibit as having a design similar to the shape of the body, with a bar and front gallery which flow into two large gathering spaces that connect like a human form.
Dinco decided on “the body” as the theme of this year’s exhibit after being inspired by the book “Corpus” by Jean-Luc Nancy, a French philosopher.
“The book alerted me to how everything we do in our lives has come before us and will ultimately come down to the body, and there is nothing before or after the body. Nancy explains this in a very beautiful and thorough way, and when LACE asked me to be the guest curator for the show, it was pretty much the first thing that came to mind,” Dinco said.
The art being presented is largely performance-based and will incorporate or make references to the body.
Each piece will vary in its presentation depending on the artist’s personal style.
“Some pieces will be durational, which means a few of the artists will start performing before the night opens, meaning their pieces actually will be two or three days long and will culminate during “˜Gutted,’ and then throughout the night the shorter performances will intentionally overlap some of the work,” Dinco said.
Brian Getnick will be presenting his piece titled “Introducing Mr. Personality,” which uses puppets.
The puppet in his piece is made of many layers of skin, muscle, tissue and bone, which deteriorate and come apart during the performance.
“The show will be very entertaining, and if you stay a little longer and look a little harder, you are going to see the very complicated concepts which come through,” Getnick said.
“My goal is that we will provide a stimulating sort of survey of how the body is addressed through contemporary art practice,” Dinco said.
“I think performance art is so powerful because if you’re a spectator, you may or may not be able to do the kind of things that you are watching.”
Julie Tolentino is an artist participating in “Gutted”. She is also a guest lecturer and teacher in World Arts and Cultures.
Tolentino’s work is focused on the physical endurance of the body, and pushing it to continue to perform for long periods of time. Her piece involves over 20 or 30 pounds of honey.
“This work is part of a larger piece that sort of investigates the topics around a disintegrating body at loss, and in obviously all of my work, it’s against a timeline,” Tolentino said.
Tolentino believes students attending will gain exposure to a group of artists who are making huge impacts in the art world, both locally and abroad.
Dawn Kasper, another artist participating in “Gutted,” received a masters in fine arts in new genres from UCLA’s art department in 2003.
“At “˜Gutted,’ I’m going to do an hour-long performance in which I interact with the … temporary wall that they’ve added in the space,” said Kasper.
Kasper will deconstruct the piece and replace it with music.
“I think there are a lot of different artists, but I think the way Dino is going to orchestrate it, it will definitely be a charged, electrifying night.”
“I just hope I can bring my energy into it and not take away or add in a negative addition. I hope to do it justice,” Kasper said.
Each artist will incorporate something different, from choreography to spoken word.
Rafael Esparza, a fourth-year art and Chicana and Chicano studies student, is participating and collaborating in “Gutted” with two other artists. He will be incorporating dance and music into their performance.
The dance piece was inspired by “Danza Mexica-Azteca,” which Esparza describes as an old traditional folkloric dance predominating in Mexico.
“This piece is about deconstructing identities through this ritual,” Esparza said.
Although the response to his show and “Gutted” is yet to come, Esparza said he believes that since “Gutted” is primarily meant to benefit LACE programs, there will be a very friendly vibe.
“I think Dino’s done an amazing job in terms of booking artists that range in content and inspire performers.”
“It’s going to be really interesting. I don’t really know what to expect, but I feel really honored to be within the community of artists that are presenting,” Esparza said.