unending beginnings
MA Practicum Exhibition

On view: Jan 21 - Feb 11
Gallery hours: Thurs - Sun, 12 - 5pm

Feb 11, 7pm
Closing Reception include a performance by Angel Lartigue in collaboration with H C - (M) & Qais Assali
Reservations here.
See below for Covid-19 restrictions

USC Roski Graduate Gallery
1262 Palmetto St., Los Angeles

The Exhibition

unending beginnings reckons with the precarity of our existence, presenting emergent strategies that consider world-making and survival on multiple levels, micro and macro, human and nonhuman, to imagine alternative futures. Nonhuman ecologies demonstrate resurgent possibilities, providing blueprints for survival that do not adhere to humankind's historical narratives of dominance. unending beginnings is an ode to mushrooms, water, trees, cacao beans, jungles, forests, Indigenous Resistance, and all other forms of life that do not abide by Western constructs of time. There is no end and there is no beginning, our livelihood is a multispecies entanglement dependent on collaboration and adaptability of all worlds, universes, and microcosms for survival. 

The exhibition aims to dismantle Western notions of progress as linear and individualistic, prompting us to consider the systems we value and whom those systems serve and inevitably harm. The artists included in the exhibition expand notions of community and kinship, embracing mutability and multiplicity over hegemonic systems of colonialism and capitalism that are intrinsically tied to destruction. Together these artists offer tools for envisioning a world organized otherwise, presenting a tentacular field of possibilities and unending beginnings. 

Participating Artists

Through his work, Eddie Rodolfo Aparicio (Los Angeles, US) addresses the political and racialized tensions between Los Angeles and El Salvador. He employs materials that have been traditionally associated with pre-Hispanic cultures in an attempt to spark a conversation on immigration and place-making issues.

Similarly, Pia Camil (Mexico City, MX) is a Mexico-based artist whose practice oscillates between painting, sculpture, film, and, sometimes, performance. Her work explores Mexico's urban landscape, a critical approach to modernism's legacy and the politics of consumerism.

As part of the Cahuilla community in California, Gerald Clarke Jr. (Cahuilla or Anza, CA)—a cowboy, university professor, and tribal leader—draws inspiration from his cultural heritage and contemporary art practices. He is committed to exploring his community’s struggles as well as its celebrations.

Cécile B. Evans (London, UK) is an American-Belgian artist whose work explores the tensions that arise when emotion converges with the physical and technological world. Through a variety of mediums such as video and installation, they expose the generative power that comes from creating relationships between seemingly disparate concepts. 

Colleen Hargaden (Los Angeles, CA) is an interdisciplinary artist and educator whose practice questions the intersections of ecology, futurity, and technology. Known for her use of time-based media, Hargaden’s work is influenced by survivalist culture, scientific development, and DIY culture.

Angel Lartigue (Houston, TX) is a research-based artist whose work explores the relationship between the body and land through the use of “putrefaction.” These interests have led them to experiment with archeological processes of decomposition, fungi, insects, and odors. As part of the opening reception, Lartigue will perform in collaboration with H C - (M) & Qais Assali.

Exhibition Catalogue

View the exhibition catalogue here.

Related Program:

February 5, 12 - 1:30 pm
As part of the exhibition programming, culinary anthropologist Claudia Serrato will be leading a workshop exploring indigenous food practices on the rooftop of the USC Roski Graduate Building. This event is free and open to the public.

Exhibition Credit

unending beginnings is curated by Emma Christ, Nahui Garcia, Lauren Guilford, Leah Perez, Austen Villacis and Ruei-Chen Tsai, as part of the completion of the degree requirements of the USC Roski School of Art and Design masters of Curatorial Practices and the Public Sphere.