monica wyatt

the exhibition, “diverted destruction #14 @ cal state la,” co-curated by liz gordon and mika cho, highlights art made of discarded objects to address global environmentalism and sustainability …>

Curators Words:

The exhibition, “Diverted Destruction #14 @ Cal State LA,” co-curated by Liz Gordon and Mika Cho, highlights art made of discarded objects to address global environmentalism and sustainability.

The exhibit (opening 1/25 and closing 2/26) features the works of eight Southern California artists (Michael Arata, Chelle Barbour, Kate Carvellas, Aaron Kramer, Dave Lovejoy, Vojislav Radovanovic, Anna Stump, and Monica Wyatt) and Cal State LA art students whose works were produced in collaboration with the aforementioned artists. Of particular interest is the novel display of art produced in twofold spaces; one in the artists’ studios and the other at the exhibit site.

The invited artists, the Cal State LA art students, and the curators will collect refuse and other found materials destined for the trash and produce art in two collage and assemblage workshops at the Gallery in view of the visitors. A panel of the invited artists and participating students will engage in an Artist-Talk to address various aspects of recycling in Los Angeles.

The exhibition Diverted Destruction, started initially and curated by Liz Gordon (Gallerist, Loft at Liz’s), has been shown in various galleries. The latest version #13, “The Fashion Edition,” was hosted at the Loft at Liz’s in 2021. Gordon’s first collaboration with university students is this upcoming “Diverted Destruction #14: Cal State LA Edition” at the Ronald H. Silverman Fine Arts Gallery. One of many unique aspects of the Diverted Destruction exhibition is the curator, Gordon’s, installation: Diverted Destruction Giveaway Tables. It has been included in every Diverted Destruction exhibition, where artists, workshop participants, gallery audiences, and students this upcoming exhibition can collect materials, which Gordon provides to create recycled and repurposed art.

With support from the Pasadena Art Alliance (PAA), this exhibition delivers on its mission to transform lives and sustain thriving communities and cultures. The PAA supports academic learning and real-world experience for Cal State LA art students through the experience of working with professional curators and artists and developing their unique talents and diverse life experiences through engaged learning. This exhibition manifests educational priorities and advances the PAA’s mission to foster an appreciation for contemporary visual arts in Southern California by supporting artists, exhibitions, educational programs, and art-oriented, non-profit institutions.

This exhibit may also be viewed virtually at the Ronald H. Silverman Fine Arts Gallery website:
www.ronaldhsilvermangallery.com

By Liz Gordon and Mika Cho
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MOAH: CEDAR presents continuum, monica wyatt’s first installation at the museum and the ongoing collaboration with curator jill moniz. wyatt is an artistic alchemist, collecting materials…>

…and turning them into precious objects. In this process, she fuses the history of disparate materials to create new beginnings, representing the cyclic nature of all things. Continuum is Wyatt’s three-dimensional expression of love, death and creativity. She shares her intentions in this deeply emotional and meaningful aesthetic through themes that speak to sustainability of joy, family, and the environment.

Wyatt’s assemblage has evolved from the early influence of Joseph Cornell to a more outside of the box approach. She credits Betye Saar, Claire Falkenstein, Ruth Asawa, Louise Bourgeois, Eva Hesse and Lee Bontecou with giving her the courage and impetus to pursue engaging themes and compositions that reflect her love for materials, and the new life and meaning she gives them.

Passionate in her hunt for materials, Wyatt honors the histories of these elements whilst stripping them bare so that her reworking feels organic and never forced. She dissembles organs, pianos, sieves and other utilitarian items from a past when people valued human production and craftsmanship and creates reimagined contexts for her constructs.

With assemblage made from both organic and manmade materials, Monica Wyatt challenges the viewer to consider the aesthetic qualities of each as they contribute to her compositions. She makes electric capacitors look like plants and zip ties mimic deep sea life in order to further a dialog about preserving all the things we should hold dear.

jill moniz, phd