The Last Piece in the Coal Shed

This is the last piece I did in my studio on Mare Island. I showed it at Corridor 2122 and now after some reconfiguring, it's in a show at the Asian American Art Centre in New York.

We're having a shed build to store work in the garage. Right now it's pack full on misc. junk so i haven't had a chance to hang new sheetrock and get working. It's very frustrating with 2 shows coming up.

Asian American Arts Centre

Announcement for the exhibit.

International Arts & Artists

Tangent
Acrylic on canvas
63" x 72"
2000

The Offering
Mixed media on canvas
66.5" x 39"
2000

A while back these two paintings were selected to be in a traveling exhibit through Artrain, Inc. called Infinite Mirror: Images of American Identity. Well, International Arts & Artists will be taking over the exhibit and the work will now go on a 3 year journey across America. I don't know the venue schedule yet, but will keep you posted once I hear.

All Moved!

This past Sunday with the help of my good friend Jack Alvarez, my studio on Mare Island in Vallejo is now vacant. It's amazing how much crap one can amass over time. I'll miss the huge hanger door and the picturesque view of the inlet, but I'm excited about having a studio at home for the first time. It's been dusty, cold, hot warehouses for a long time!

Heather has already ordered an intercom and surveillance video cam to watch my every move in the man cave, ha! So now the project begins getting the garage organized for some serious art making. I'll post some photos of the progress.

Mo laytah!

Asian American Arts Centre Press Release

For Immediate Release
Date: August 23, 2009

Contact:  Robert Lee
(212) 233 2154 / (917) 923-8118
aaacinfo@artspiral.org
www.artspiral.org

Process & Progress
Artists: Tomie Arai, Albert Chong, John Yoyogi Fortes, Swati Khurana
September 18 to October 30, 2009  
M - F 12:00 - 6:00pm, Sat 3:00 – 6:00 pm

Opening Reception: Friday September 18th 6:00pm - 9:00pm Curated by Angel Velasco Shaw Gallery Talk with Artists & Scholars at White Box 329 Broome St. on Wednesday October 7th 6 - 8pm with Tomie Arai, John Yoyogi Fortes, Swati Khurana, Karen Su, Karlyn Koh, Jan Christian Bernabe, Sarita Echavez See & Midori Yoshimoto

To commemorate the thirty-fifth year of mounting arts in a community context, the Asian American Arts Centre (AAAC) presents “Out of the Archive: Process and Progress,” a major exhibition program.  It aims to draw attention to the AAAC Artists Archive and its recently launched digital archive - artasiamerica.org .  This program includes a special exhibition installation, a gallery talk, a catalogue, several essayists, and online interactive events and opportunities for the audience. The digital archive, a major undertaking over two years in the making, consists of about 10% of the total 1,500 Asian American artists entries in the original archive, which reflects the last 60 years and several generations of artistic production.

The four artists presented, Tomie Arai, Albert Chong, John Yoyogi Fortes, and Swati Khurana, have been selected from a review of all the artists posted in artasiamerica.org by guest curator Angel Velasco Shaw. The printed catalogue has been edited and coordinated by Sarita Echavez See who selected four writers to participate with her in reviewing the artists' work: Karen Su, Karlyn Koh, and Jan Christian Bernabe.  AAAC seeks to expand the ways in which it has presented Asian American art in a community context. Expanding our approach to the literary arts, we are introducing a critical writing component in order to draw upon literary and cultural criticism for visual interpretive and critical thinking.

These essays shed light on these artists in a variety of ways such as: the artists' relationship to the work that they exhibited at AAAC in the past; the critique and contextualization of their current work; and the national and international context for these artists' creative production. Moreover, these essays launch an investigation into the shifting rhetorics of art criticism and cultural criticism. By bringing forth new perspectives in the context of the exhibition we aim to open up a critical dialogue that generates an appreciation for these art works and a critical language for substantively engaging with Asian American art.  In the era of globalization, the marketplace and the discourse associated with international art events, the exploration of identity has come to be seen as passé in many sectors of the art world.  Insisting anew on the importance of visibility and recognition for Asian American artists, the AAAC wants its archival resources to serve artists and audiences by providing opportunities for continual interpretation and valuation of diverse artists and their works. 
In addition to the online essays, the exhibition will also be online with an opportunity for online responses and comments by the audience. The Gallery Talk event on Oct  7th will be broadcast live on artasiamerica from White Box.   
Artists:
"The pieces in this exhibition span a period of two decades, from the family narrative of “The Laundryman” who sojourns to America to the social themes of Asian American writers and filmmakers in “Motion Pictures”. Since those gritty days on the Lower East Side the exchange of stories that captivated me as a muralist still informs my art practice."  –Tomie Arai

"It is my intent to present photographs that exist in a form contrary to the normal conception of what a photograph is . . . This new configuration is my attempt to find a creative and visually dynamic solution to the premise of the exhibition, which is how these four artists from the archives have used processes in their work and how it has enabled the growth or progress of their work. What may be less evident in the trajectories of our work may be the issues of race and identity." –Albert Chong

"Art is an integral part of my life and has been since I was a young boy . . . Most of the images used in my current work come from the Internet . . . Although culture and identity aren't the focus for creating content or imagery in my work, it does creep in from time to time . . . If there’s been progress, it’s the transition to my current process of working more intuitively at the onset combining materials and imagery with no concern for content, liberating me from my older more restrictive process."  –John Yoyogi Fortes

"As an Indian immigrant woman, I explore through my work gender, ethnicity and the seductive promises of rituals. Revisiting my large, traditional Hindu wedding composes a large part of my artistic practice, through video, sculpture, collages and drawings . . . The documenting of weddings and other personal moments as necessary fictions makes up the narratives of our lives. I became increasingly invested in exploring South Asian female subjectivity in my work."  –Swati Khurana
 
Swati Khurana
Albert Chong
Tomie Arai
John Yoyogi Fortes

Scholars: 
Dr. Karen Su is director of the Asian American Resource and Cultural Center at U of Illinois at Chicago. She has a Ph.D. in English and has taught and helped to develop Asian American Studies at numerous campuses on both coasts and the Midwest.
 
Dr. Karlyn Koh is associate professor of English and director of the Honors Program at LaGuardia Community College. Her current research includes a study of Asian North American avant-garde poetics and visual arts. 

Dr. Jan Christian Bernabe is a Futures of Minority Studies postdoctoral fellow at U of Michigan. He is currently working on a book manuscript tentatively titled Improbable Visions: Filipino Bodies, U.S. Empire, and the Visual Archives. 

Sarita Echavez See is associate professor of Asian/Pacific Islander American Studies at U of Michigan.  Her book The Decolonized Eye: Filipino American Art and Performance will be published this fall by U of Minnesota Press.
 
Dr. Midori Yoshimoto is associate professor of Art History and director of two galleries at New Jersey City U. Her book Into Performance: Japanese Women Artists in New York, 1955-75 interweaves the art and lives of five artists.
 
Curator: Angel Velasco Shaw is an educator, cultural activist, freelance curator, and independent filmmaker. She spends her time between New York and the Philippines. In 2008, she produced a series of cross-cultural exchange projects with artists from Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore and the United States set in the Philippines. In 2002, she co-edited the anthology Vestiges of War: The Philippine-American War and the Aftermath of an Imperial Dream; 1899-1999 published by NYU Press.  
Asian American Arts Centre, Inc. is supported, in part with public funds from The New York State Council on the Arts, and The National Endowment for the Arts, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. With additional funding and support from Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, 9.11 Fund, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, Manhattan Mini Storage/Edison Properties Inc, the NYC Parks & Recreation’s public art program, Materials for the Arts, NYC Department of Youth & Community Development and the Office of Councilman Alan J. Gerson through CREATE in Chinatown, Inc, New York Cosmopolitan Lions Club, Pearl River Mart, United Orient Bank, Dedalus Foundation, Expedi Printing, Inc., Charles Yuen, Wing Tek Lum, Jody and John Arnhold, Danny C.K. Li, Jeanne Lee Jackson, Linda Peng, Wing Lee Yee, Mikyung Kim, Richard Kenny Esq,  John Yu, and the many generous friends of the Asian American Arts Centre.
The Asian American Arts Centre is located in Lower Manhattan at 26 Bowery (just below Canal Street, 3rd floor above McDonalds. Press bell #3.). It is a short walk from the N, Q, J, M, Z, and 6 trains at Canal Street or the B and D at Grand Street or the M103, M15, or M9 buses to Chatham Square.  
       
The Asian American Arts Centre was established in 1974 as a not-for-profit organization to address the distinctive concerns of Asian Americans in the United States. The Artist Slide Archive of more than 1500 artists is open to all visual artists residing in the United States and its trust territories, who are of Asian ancestry as well as those artists who are significantly influenced by Asia.
Gallery Hours: M-F 12:30PM - 6:30PM, Sat 3:00PM - 6:00PM

Contact: Phone: 212.233.2154/917.923.8118
FAX: 1.360.283.2154 | Email: aaacinfo@artspiral.org

Asian American Arts Centre

Heather, Coco and I will be heading to New York in October for a panel discussion at the Asian American Arts Centre. There are 4 artists, one being myself, who were chosen from the archives to exhibit new work. Heather's pretty excited to be going to the Big Apple where she lived while being a photo assistant, then photographer. I haven't been there since I last showed at AAAC. This is one of the pieces being shipped there.

Breaking Down!

Well the big move is coming up so I've been breaking down the studio. A pain in the ass! I have found a ton of art that I forgot I did. Will have to resurrect them once we're in Sac. Speaking of resurrect, I found this in the studio. I got it on ebay about 7 or 8 years ago. It was the same PBN kit that my brother had as a kid. I remember using the oil paints on a model car I was building and the paint never dried.

I used the image of the painting my brother did in a 7 x 10 foot painting called, "The Cannibalism of Topdok." Here's the painting that's in the collection at the Nevada Museum of Art in Reno.

New Stuff in the Works

Did a quick blues painting. Named it after a Skip James song. Check out this YouTube video of him doing Devil Got My Woman.

Here are some other pieces in progress.

Fresno! Corridor Reception

Went to my reception at Corridor 2122 in Fresno on Saturday. Met a lot of old (we are getting older after all) friends. Had a great dinner with friends after the reception and am glad to have reconnected. The show looked great and there was a little write up in the Fresno Bee on Sunday. Time to get busy for the next show in Healdsberg.

Coco

Quinn, Me, Nan and Jim

Good friend Erik Davison (left).

This is a photo of Richard Silva, a Fresno painter that has a studio next door to the gallery. I didn't have alot of time to check out his studio, but I definitely will spend more time next visit.

Works on Paper - In Progress

Went and saw the Squeak Carnwath show at the Oakland Museum. It is definitely worth checking out. There are small works as well as many larger works that I've never seen before. There's even a short video with Squeak explaining her work. I want to go back if we can find a baby sitter!

Here are some pieces that I've been working at off and on for a while.

Erik Kent Wine Tasting

Kent Humphrey of Eric Kent Wine Cellars invited us for a wine tasting which included the 2007 Stiling Vineyard Pinot Noir with my artwork on it. Kent's wife Colleen is an artist and she selects the artists that go on their wine bottles. All of us had a great time and I highly recommend giving their wine a try.

Works on Paper and Paint Caps

A few pieces that I'll working on. Pretty brain dead at the moment. Paint caps anyone!

2 New Paintings on Paper

Did these on Saturday. Trust in this case is suspect. The asp comes out from a hole in his teeth. The asphole, ha! Igerotica is a play on the word Igorot, which refers to indigenous Filipinos in the Northern mountains of the Philippines who were once headhunters.

Corridor 2122 in Fresno

Photos courtesy of Jim Heitzeberg

These were taken during the opening of my exhibit in Fresno at Corridor 2122 on Thursday, July 2. The work is a selection from 1983 to present. Jim Heitzeberg and his son, Quinn, curated the show.

Caffe Museo Review by Melissa Wyss

John Yoyogi Fortes at SFMOMA Caffé Museoby Melissa Wyss

SFMOMA Caffé Museo

151 3rd Street, San Francisco, CA 94103

May 21, 2009 - June 30, 2009

Gestural, textured and asymmetrical, John Yoyogi Fortes' show at the SFMOMA Caffé Museo is a punk rock alternative to the American modernist legends Georgia O'Keeffe and Ansel Adams currently showing upstairs.  

While O'Keeffe's and Adams' work reflects the beauty of the outside world, Fortes' psychological landscapes strive to illustrate complexity of the self.  His canvases are layered with impulsive colors, patterns and shapes which accumulate to both expose and conceal.  Collaged images, often humorous and quizzical, are sprinkled within the picture plane, suggesting narrative themes.  His pleasing palate contains hues which vary from pink to olive.  This combination of elements makes the disjunctive scenes very appealing, and a stark contrast to the soothing landscapes exhibited upstairs.

Fortes' sense of humor is reflected in his piece "Pump it Up."  An off-center sculpted bodybuilder flexes as if in a Mister Universe competition.  Projecting from his rather small Speedo is a large thought bubble filled with a nebulous form.  This blob becomes a central ingredient which may serve to symbolize artistic genesis.  As gestural components loom large in his work, Fortes undoubtedly values corporeal mastery.  The bodybuilder is also haloed, perhaps as a commentary on society or Mr. Fortes' own body image issues. Either way, I smiled when viewing it.

The painting entitled "Sword of Damocles" tackles more cerebral issues.  This piece reveals another haloed figure, in contrast to "Pump it Up," only his head and shoulders are included.   Positioned at the bottom of the painting, a beam of light projects from his eyes, directing the viewer through a sea of elements positioned above him.  This composition includes several knotted masses and intricate mazes, repeated on the canvas.  These elements express a psychological terrain of unsolvable puzzles and opaque obstructions.  A dark dagger shape projects from the top and into the center of the composition as an ominous presence hanging above the figure.  The title suggests that artistic liberty can sometimes carry a strenuous mental burden.

Fortes' work addresses a wide spectrum of personal and political issues, particularly identity, family and memory. 

The influence that comic books have had on him reflects more strongly in his previous work, but the sly humor of the genre remains in the work exhibited in this show. John Yoyogi Fortes' work is on view at the SFMOMA Caffé Museo through June 30, 2009.

Art Pickup for July Show at Corridor 2122

My old friend Jim Heitzeberg and his son Quinn came by Saturday to pick up the work that will be showing in Fresno at Corridor 2122. I was invited last year by Jim to exhibit there and time has flown by. I hadn't seen Jim since the late 80's, but after chatting it only seemed like it had been a few weeks. The show is a selection of work produced from the 1980's to present. I didn't have anything from the 90's though. Most of the work from that time was destroyed by mold from being stored in a damp garage. Lesson learned!

I'm looking forward to seeing the work installed and seeing old friends. Here is a piece that was at Fort Mason. Added more to it.

Jim and Quinn

Works on Paper - In Progress