Not All There, 2018
Participating artists: Bettina Atala, Anna Ayeroff, Amitis Motevalli, Marisa Williamson, Arden Surdam, Olivia Mole, Kristina Wong, Roxy Farhat & Zhala, Claire Titelman, Mothertongues, Emmy Bright, Samantha Roth, Eva Medin, Hazel Haendel & Sarah Johnson
Writing collaborators: Cassie da Costa, Emily Mast, Rachel Kauder Nalebuff
Performed by: Davie-Blue
Production: Human Resources; with aid from GuestHaus Residency, Los Angeles
Curated and organized by Emily Mast, this exhibition included pieces by 15 artists who use humor to to take on serious social and political issues, ranging from terrorism to racism to sexual violence. While the pieces “featured” in the show do all exist in the real world, none of them were present in the gallery. Instead, visitors experienced them by way of a guided tour given by the actress and comedian Davie-Blue.
The result of a collaborative effort between Mast, playwright Rachel Kauder Nalebuff, critic Cassie da Costa, and all 15 of the contributing artists, the tour was a mishmash of stand-up comedy bits, performance art, and art criticism. This unusual format was meant to inspire a more “active” approach to engaging with art, one where people were invited to use the exhibition as an opportunity to slow down and start to think about things differently.
The Not All There website contains images and video of all of the works not present in the exhibition, as well as links to the guided tour and access to the script.