Work After Work

(press release)

April 28–May 8, 2011

MAK Center for Art and Architecture in Los Angeles

Featuring work by Michael Asher, Eternal Telethon, Andrea Fraser, Alex Israel, Sharon Lockhart, Yvonne Rainer, State of the Arts, Kenneth Tam, Anton Vidokle, and Carey Young

The Master of Public Art Studies Program: Art/Curatorial Practices in the Public Sphere at the USC Roski School of Fine Arts is pleased to announce “Work After Work,” an exhibition, program of events, and accompanying catalog. “Work After Work” is organized by graduating students in the MPAS program as part of a curatorial practicum, and represents the collaborative culmination of two years of research and study.

The project explores issues of artistic production and labor, and is motivated by a keen awareness of how the current economic situation applies particular pressures on the many connotations of artistic “work.” It is a crucial moment to reexamine the shifting value, both economic and cultural, of artistic labor and to explore the ways in which artists navigate, resist, and reproduce these values. Each of the participating artists in the exhibition implement distinct methodologies for transforming the economic conditions of their artistic activities: from reflections on artistic practice as labor and entrepreneurial venture; to developing practical contracts that enforce artist fee structures; to resisting the speculative art market by offering unlimited multiples; to conceptualizations of artistic service provision, among others. Beyond evidencing economic models, the exhibition aims to reveal the shifts in political and social dynamics that artists face when negotiating the conditions of production, reception, and consumption of art.

In conjunction with the exhibition, “Work After Work” will present a program of artist conversations, panel discussions, screenings, and performances:

THURSDAY, APRIL 28
6–9 pm: Opening Reception

SATURDAY, APRIL 30
3 pm: Instruction of Yvonne Rainer’s Trio A by Sara Wookey
5 pm: Transmission: A conversation with Yvonne Rainer and Sara Wookey

SUNDAY, MAY 1
1 pm: A conversation with Alex Israel
3 pm: Negotiating Institutional Relationships: A discussion with W.A.G.E., Sue Bell Yank and Robby Herbst

SATURDAY, MAY 7
11 am: Eternal Telethon: Performance and online broadcast at http://www.eternaltelethon.com

SUNDAY, MAY 8
12 noon: Film Screening: Sharon Lockhart, Lunch Break (2008), 80 minutes