Author: Natania Reed
The Getty Center-sponsored Pacific Standard Time initiative, a collaboration between more than 60 art institutions across Southern California, celebrates the growth of Los Angeles’ art scene and its establishment as a center of artistic innovation between 1945 and 1980.
“Under the Big Black Sun: California Art 1974-1981,” at the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, is a large-scale survey of Southern Californian art during the politically tumultuous 1970’s. The exhibit explores social and political themes through an extensive variety of artistic mediums, from film to photography. The exhibition, which is aptly named after the 1982 album by Los Angeles-based punk band X, showcases the growing political involvement of Californian artists and simultaneously marks California as a center for artistic freedom and experimentation. The exhibition opened its doors on Oct. 2 and will show until Feb. 13, 2012.
“Under the Big Black Sun” addresses political issues spanning from Nixon’s resignation to Reagan’s inauguration that dominated the post-Watergate, post-Vietnam era of 1970’s America. The artistic reaction to nuclear weapons development is especially prevalent in the exhibit. One of the highlights of the exhibit is Chris Burden’s “The Reason for the Nuclear Bomb” (1979), which consists solely of 50,000 nickels, each with a matchstick placed on top. Spread evenly across the floor, each nickel represents a Soviet Union tank. It is a powerful perspective of Cold War power dynamics and a critique on the United States’ buildup of nuclear weaponry, representing the power play between the Soviet Union and the United States. The work creates a visualization of just how massive this buildup of weaponry was. Bruce Conner’s “Crossroads” (1976) also comments on the development of nuclear arms, but addresses it through film. For his piece, he juxtaposed U.S. government archival footage of nuclear weapons testing with a soft, meditative instrumental soundtrack, highlighting the destruction brought on by the atomic age.
Another critique of the United States’ economy can be seen in photographer Jim Goldberg’s book of photographs “Rich and Poor” (1985), many of which are featured at “Under the Big Black Sun.” These black and white photographs portray individuals or families from a variety of socioeconomic groups in their homes, alongside a handwritten note from the subject, delineating their personal views on wealth and poverty. The images bring attention to the disparity of wealth distribution in America and do so by providing a voice to both the wealthy and the impoverished. Wealth disparities are further critiqued in the exhibit by artistic duo Bob and Bob, comprised of Francis Shishim and Paul Velick. They use just pen, marker and elements of collage to create “Beverly Hills Suicide” (1976) which, through satirical representations of wealthy Beverly Hills residents, draws attention to excessive consumption and materialism in Southern Californian communities.
Several artists featured in “Under the Big Black Sun” explore themes of homosexuality and gay pride during the 1970’s as well. Artist Hal Fischer, an advocate for gay rights, combines photography with text. “Blue Handkerchief Red Handkerchief” (1977) serves as a diagram that illustrates the signaling devices that were used by gay men in the Castro and Height-Ashbury districts in San Francisco. The text identifies how different colored handkerchiefs and their unique placement in pockets would signal the men’s sexual preference to others on the street.
Gronk, a Chicano painter and performance artist, has several pieces featured at the exhibit that also deal explicitly with sexuality. A series of black and white photographs, which portray Gronk, his friends, and his lovers, openly explores his own sexuality within the context of art. Gronk was previously known for his performance pieces with the Chicano art collective ASCO, but focused on more introspective pieces of photography dealing explicitly with his own sexuality during the 1970’s. One image in particular at the exhibition called “Twins” (1976) depicts Gronk kissing a mirror, creating the illusion of two individuals kissing. This suggests an acceptance and pride in his identity as a gay man.
“Under the Big Black Sun” is a cohesive and comprehensive look into a time in which social and political issues were the primary focus of art and its creation. From social critiques on the conspicuous consumption and capitalism of the United States to a reflection on the unfathomable effects of the nuclear weapons development, MOCA’s exhibition captures a plethora of pertinent issues that permeated the Californian mindset during the 1970’s.
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