My work invites the viewer to explore the hidden aspects of socially constructed and naturally occurring phenomena. I use my videos, installation and photographic investigations as a means to resist aspects of a culture that often seems to accept and encourage artifice.
I view all my work as excavations, metaphorically and, sometimes literally. In a tongue-in-cheek nod at psychological self-exploration, I use video to document myself digging a hole deep enough to fit my entire body. In an animation examining self-deception, a silhouette holds perfectly still until unbidden objects emerge from it, destroying the carefully crafted persona. My works on immigration history use the layering of maps to reveal historical socio-political struggles over land ownership, and related photographs featuring small 19th-century figures in vast landscapes, comment on shifting power relations and the fragility of an era.
Recently, I’ve employed hunting camera traps to surveille wild animals as they investigate holes that I’ve dug in the yard we share. The night vision photos and video from these cameras allow admittance to a generally unseen world. Typically, this involves animals urinating on the objects I’ve placed or holes I’ve dug, but they sometimes play with them, rolling them around or moving them to different locations; their innate behaviors contrast with the conscious/unconscious actions of humans. Both inspire me to create work that makes unseen narratives and actions more visible.
Education
MFA Radio, TV and Film, Northwestern University, 1994
BA Psychology, Drew University, 1984
Selected Exhibitions
-
2022
Sub/Terrain Show, Gresham Gallery, San Bernardino Valley College, San Bernardino, CA -
2021
A Quiet Place, The Music Center, Los Angeles, CA
https://www.musiccenter.org/digital/digital/special-events/a-quiet-scene-l-a-film-
screening-public-art-installation/
Sound Pedro2021, Online Exhibition, https://www.soundpedro.org/2021/artists -
2020
Habitat California, Flora and Fauna, Palos Verde Art Center, Palos Verdes, CA
The Home Cases: Home/the/at/from, Online Exhibition, Batman Art Laboratory,
Batman, Turkey -
2016
New Wave International Film Festival, Santa Monica, CA
Play, Los Angeles Municipal Gallery at Barnsdall, Los Angeles, CA -
2013
Compass, Orange County Center for Contemporary Art, Santa Ana, CA
MexiCali Biennial, Vincent Price Art Museum Monterey Park, CA
Best Shorts Film Festival, La Jolla, CA
Fear and Fantasy Film Festival Palm Springs, CA
Blue Stocking Film Festival, South Portland, Maine
Fantasy and Horror Film Festival, Los Angeles, CA -
2012
re:Present LA, Vincent Price Art Museum, Monterey Park, CA
South Bay Focus, Torrance Art Museum. Torrance, CA
2011 Yarn Bomb, Craft and Folk Art Museum, Los Angeles, CA
Reflections, Angels Gate Art Center, Los Angeles, CA
Art Night, 18th Street Gallery, Santa Monica, CA -
2009
Re-Materialization, Deborah Martin Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Works on Paper, Plastic Arts Association, Istanbul, Turkey
Knocking on Bricks, On-line Art Project, knockingonbricks.com -
2008
Portrait in Phase, Brand Art Gallery, Glendale, CA
Fragmented Visions, Lou We Gallery, South Pasadena, CA -
2007
Women’s Art Festival, 2nd City Council, Long Beach California
University of California Art Walk, Northridge, CA
Darkness and Light, Armory Center for the Arts, Pasadena, CA
Curiosity Often Leads to Trouble, Art of Framing, San Diego, CA
Laugh, Cry, Be Crazy, Altered Esthetics Gallery, Minneapolis, MN
California Arts Day, Lancaster Museum of Art, Lancaster, California -
2006
Apart From Speech, One Leaf Gallery, Pomona, CA
California Juried Exhibition, Barnsdall Center for the Arts, Los Angeles, California
Venturous Vanguard Video Festival, Echo Park Film Festival, Los Angeles, California -
2005
Art Above Your Head Show, Armory Center for the Arts, Pasadena, California
Municipal Juried Show Art Show, Barnsdall Gallery, Los Angeles, California -
2004
Glass Sky, Celluloid Moon, Claremont Colleges, Claremont, California
Carnival of Animals Show, Gallery 402, New York, NY
LA LA Land Show, One Colorado, Pasadena Art Night, Pasadena, California -
2003
Home Work/s Show, Betty Rhymer Gallery, Chicago, Illinois -
2002
Installational Show, Armory Northwest, Pasadena, California -
2001
Ars Electronica Festival, CAVE, ”Alive on the Grid. Linz, Austria
Intergalactica Show, Armory Center for the Arts, Pasadena, California
Center for Arts and Technology, 8th Biennial Symposium for Arts and Technology,
Connecticut College, New London, Connecticut -
2000
Light, Peppers Art Gallery, University of Redlands, Redlands, California
International Symposium on Electronic Arts, Paris France
FILE Web Art Show, Museum of Sound and Image, Sao Paolo, Brazil -
1999
University Film and Video Association, Emerson College, Boston, Mass
Ukranian Institute of Modern Arts, Chicago, Illinois -
1997
Broadcast on WTTW’s Image Union Show, Chicago, Illinois
Heartland Independent Film and Video Festival, Indianapolis, Indiana
Women In the Director’s Chair Festival, Chicago, Illinois -
1996
Bloch Gallery, Evanston, Illinois
Hometown Film and Video Festival, Chicago, Illinois -
1994
Big Muddy Film Festival, Carbondale, Illinois
Around the Coyote Art Festival, Chicago, Illinois
Sweet Alice Media Festival, Chicago, Illinois
Deep Dish TV “Beyond Censorship”, at The Museum of Contemporary Art, New York
Permanent Collections
“tellTale” as part of digital “HOME Project”, Block Gallery Northwestern University
Reviews/Articles/Interviews
Art Work featured in Julia Schlosser’s Presentation at Conference University of Derby,
England, “Life With or Without Animals” conference, 2020
Artist discussion included in on-line art project: The Home Cases, Istanbul Turkey, 2020
Arzu Arda KOŞAR & Deb DIEHL & Patricia LIVERMAN, 2020
THE Magazine Of And For the Arts, January Issue, 2009
Artweek Previews: “Portrait in Phase”, November Issue, 2008