Pitzer College Art Galleries

"CAPITALISM IN QUESTION (because it is)."

GUEST JUROR: Daniel Joseph Martinez

Daniel Joseph Martinez (b. 1957) is an internationally exhibiting artist who grew up in Los Angeles. For over thirty years, he has divined sociopolitical fault lines in the American psyche and carefully placed conceptual and perceptual explosives into them. This volume, with essays by Michael Brenson, Hakim Bey, David Levi Strauss, Gilbert Vicario, Lauri Firstenberg, Arthur C. Danto, Linda Norden, and Rachel Leah Baum, chronicles selected works from 1978 to 2008, concentrating on the work of the past sixteen years—from his controversial intervention in the 1993 Whitney Biennial to his Divine Violence piece in the 2008 Whitney Biennial, and including his contributions to the San Juan Triennial in 2004, the Cairo Biennale in 2006, and the Moscow Biennial in 2007. A variety of further installations, text works, paintings, photographs, sculptures, animatronics, and videos complete the catalogue.

A Life of disobedience
by Daniel Joseph Martinez

Martinez is a Professor of Theory, Practice, and Mediation of Contemporary Art at the University of California, Irvine, where he teaches in the Graduate Studies Program and the New Genres Department.

Daniel Joseph Martinez: A Life of Disobedience, is published by Hatje Cantz, Germany.

EXHIBITION: "CAPITALISM IN QUESTION (because it is)."

Juried by Daniel Joseph Martinez

Artists: Ian Arenas, Matthew Brandt, James Melinat, Gabie Strong, Kara Tanaka, Grant Vetter

Co-curated by Daniel Joseph Martinez & Ciara Ennis

The rampant capitalism of the last decade, and its recent catastrophic crisis, has left us in a peculiar and unfamiliar space. Capitalist economic ideology and practices are suddenly under renewed scrutiny. "Capitalism in Question (because it is)" explores our current economic predicament and range of alternatives scenarios.

Co-organized by Pitzer Art Galleries and The Center for Social Inquiry at Pitzer College.

January 28 – March 18, 2010

Opening Reception: January 28th, 5 — 8 PM 2009

Ian Arenas
Golden Age (2005-2009)
Mixed media installation
Dimensions variable

Ian Arenas

Ian Arenas received his MFA in 2008 from California Institute of the Arts. His solo exhibitions include Negating Has a Long Life but No Future (2009) and Golden Age (2006) at D300 Gallery in Valencia, CA. He has exhibited in numerous group exhibitions including Capitalism in Question (because it is) at the Nichols Gallery at Pitzer College in Claremont, CA (2010), The Holographic Principle: A Screening of Video Works Not Normally Screened at Sea and Space Explorations (2009), LA Wonderground: Recently from Los Angeles at the Maniac Gallery (2008), We Want A New Object at the Acuna-Hansen Gallery (2008) and Salty Dog Bites the Hand at the Angels Gate Cultural Center (2008). Arenas received a Merit Scholarship from the California Institute of the Arts (2006 and 2007) and was the alternate for the Windgate Fellowship at the Center for Craft, Creativity and Design (2006). He lives and works in Los Angeles, California.

Matthew Brandt
Metal Capsules, A short story about alchemy (Part II), (2008)
Lightjet print mounted on gold anodized aluminum frame
31 x 41 x 2 inches

Matthew Brandt

Matthew Brandt received his MFA from the University of California Los Angeles in 2008. His exhibited solo in Chocolate, bees, dust, sperm and sprinkles at the Cardwell Jimmerson Gallery (2009). He exhibited in many group exhibitions including Torrance Juried Art Exhibition at the Torrance Art Museum, Some Young LA Artists at the Cardwell Jimmerson Gallery (2008), The Most Curatorial Biennial of the Universe at Apexart (2007) and at the Schombury Gallery (2001). He lives and works in Los Angeles, California.

James Melinat
(A Death Marked By Elegance), 2009
graphite on paper
12.5 x 12.5 x 2.5 inches

James Melinat

California-born James Melinat received his MFA from the California Institute of the Arts in 2007. He exhibited solo in the exhibition Gravity and Grace (a sum of all my hopes and fears) at D301 Gallery (2006). He has exhibited in numerous group exhibitions including Capitalism in Question (because it is) at Nichols Gallery at Pitzer College (2010), Small (though your heart is breaking) at Gallery 1927 (2009), The Between is Tainted with Strangeness: Superheroes, Zombies and Masked Wrestlers at Farmlab Public Salon (2008), Goodbuy: Cruel World at Space 47 (2008), Mini Mini Max: Festival Internacional de Video at Apetite Gallery (2007) and For Ever at 915 Mateo (2007). Melinat received awards and honors including an Artist's Fellowship from the Skowhegen School of Sculpture and Painting (2007); a Dean's Fund Scholarship from the California Institute of the Arts (2007) and a Merit Scholarship from the California Institute of the Arts (2006). He lives and works in Los Angeles, California.

Gabie Strong
Datum (2008)
16 Light Jet photographs, mounted to Dibond, framed.
Each 15 x 18 inches; Overall dimensions approximately
32 x 160 inches

Gabie Strong

Gabie Strong, born in Denver, Colorado, received her MFA in 2008 from the University of California Irvine. She has participated in numerous exhibitions including Welcome to the Neighborhood at the Tight Space Gallery (2009), Art Swap Meet at High Desert Test Sites, 2008 California Biennial, (2008), 88 Boadrum at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (2008); Wreckers, Records, Redeemers at LA Art (2008) and Summer Guests Show at the Acuna-Hansen Gallery (2008). Strong has received numerous awards including the Student Researcher Award in Photography from University of California Irvine (2008), the Graduate Student Research and Travel Grant (2008) and the Graduate Teaching Assistant Fellowship (2008). She currently lives and works in Los Angeles, California.

Kara Tanaka
Space Pearl: Exodus 2025, 2009
Acrylic ink on paper
30 x 22 inches
Courtesy of the artist and Simon Preston Gallery, NY

Kara Tanaka

A California native, Kara Tanaka received her MFA from the California Institute of the Arts in 2008. Her solo exhibitions include A Sad Bit of Fruit, Pickled in the Vineyard of Grief at Collezione Maramotti, (2010) and Simon Preston Gallery (2009), Migrating Body & Generative Power at CAA (2008) Pining Wind at Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center (2008) and Dissolver at LA Art (2008). She has participated in many group exhibitions including the 2008 California Biennial at the Orange County Museum of Art (2008); November, Again at the Harris Lieberman Gallery (2008) and Fat Head Balloon Self-Portrait, Exercising for Exorcising (Mein Doppelganger and My Lights (Kokopelli) at Simon Preston (2008). Tanaka's honors and awards include the California Biennial Residency from the Orange County Museum of Art (2008) and the Jacob K. Javits Fellowship from the U. S. Department of Education. Kara Tanaka resides and works in Los Angeles, California.

Grant Vetter
Collateral 2 (2008)
60.5 x 144 inches
Oil on canvas over panel

Grant Vetter

Grant Vetter is a newly emerging artist. He earned his BFA from Art Center College of Design and will receive his MFA in 2009 from the University of California Irvine. He has shown in numerous exhibitions including MFA 2 at UAG Gallery (2008) ACUTE 2: Small Works from 22 Los Angeles Artists at Room Gallery (2008), Catalyst Retrospective at the Catalyst Gallery (2007); Wonderoom at Catalyst Gallery (2007) and JSA (Jim Shaw's Army) at Rental Gallery (2006). Vetter received an Orange Country Arts Grant for Drawing, Painting and Printmaking (2007) and a Bradford Hall Arts Scholarship (2005). He lives and works in Irvine, California.