Inarguably Uncertian: The 41st Annual UC Berkeley Master of Fine Arts Graduate Exhibition

My graduate thesis show is nearing its grand opening! Which means I'm about to graduate and I have a fresh new video project to share with the world! Liberaceón, a three-channel video installation with a 16 minute narrative at its center wherein I perform as the late great showman himself, Liberace! For those of you who don't know, I have been working on this for the greater part of my last year in the UC Berkeley MFA program and it is a story very dear to my heart. In this project, I rescript portions of the late showman's biography in order to insert him into a queer history of radical AIDS/HIV activism, but that's all I'm going to say (for now). You must see it to believe it, and believe me, the story I weave is unbelievable. I invite you to attend the opening (May 20th), as well as the artist talks (May 22th) to see for yourself!

Liberaceón video still (2011, 16 minutes)

Also on exhibit are the works of my six other amazing, brilliant, talented, and supportive classmates: Corinna Nicole Brewer, Chun-Shan (Sandie) Yi, Narangkar Glover, Plinio Alberto Hernandez, Merav Tzur, and David Gregory Wallace. Come meet 'em!

  

I'm also tickled pink to be named someone to "watch for" in this Bay Citizen blog post by Aimee Le Duc, An Art Lover's Survival Guide to Student Exhibition Season. Thanks, Aimee. Who knew!

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Opening Reception

Friday, May 20th, 2011, 5:30-7:30pm

Inarguably Uncertain: The 41st Annual UC Berkeley Master of Fine Arts Graduate Exhibition

May 20, 2011 - June 26, 2011
Berkeley Art Museum, Museum Lobby
2626 Bancroft Way
Berkeley, CA 94720


Sunday, May 22, 2011, 3pm
Artists' Talks
Berkeley Art Museum, Gallery 6
2626 Bancroft Way

Berkeley, CA 94720

Thank You & Merci, Philly et Montréal

 ...for such a lovely screening and for the longest and most engaged Q+A in recorded herstory at Penn on Wednesday evening! But especially for promoting the event so incredibly well. What a turn-out! Congrats to the newly formed Rethinking Queer group for the write-up on the event in the Daily Pennsylvanian. This was their first event! Thanks for the memories...

 

Now we're finally in Monréal! We narrowly missed our own Homotopia screening tonight at 2110 Centre For Gender Advocacy, for which we were 30 minutes late due to our first scary small-plane flight out of New Haven being delayed thus missing our connection in Philly, and having to take a much later plane into Canada...plus customs. But the show must and did go on. Thanks for your patience, Canada. You are a kind people. And you have such awesome queer community centres...

Comin' atcha: East Coast & Canada

Psst, I've got some stuff to tell you. Eric and I are about to embark on a mini tour making two stops on the East Coast and three in Canada. That means if you are in Philly, Middletown CT, Montreal, Ottawa, or Kingston, Ontario we're coming your way!!! We're alternately screening both Criminal Queers and Homotopia--but not at the same events. See below for details...

 

Wednesday, March 30, 2011 @ 7:00pm

Criminal Queers at Penn

Philadelphia, PA

Fisher Bennet Hall 401

Facebook event

 Thursday, March 31, 2011 @ 6:00pm

Criminal Queers at Wesleyan

Shanklin 107, Middletown, CT

Wesleying event page

&

Sunday, April 3rd, 2011 @ 7:00pm

Criminal Queers at University in Kingston, Ontario CANADA

Facebook Event

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Friday, April 1, 2011 7:00pm

 Montreal, Quebéc CANADA

2110 Centre for Gender Advocacy

2110 Mackay (between Sherbrooke and Maisonneuve)

Facebook event 
&

Monday, April 4, 2011 7:00pm

University of Ottawa, Agora CANADA

Facebook event

Original Plumbing BLOG post #7: Irina, Nico & Scenes Unseen

You may or may not have noticed that I did not post my usual Sunday blog interview last week. Let me just give it to you like the 1990s group SNAP and say, around here: it's gettin, it's gettin, it's gettin kinda hectic! My MFA graduation date is less than 2 months away and while interviewing my friends in these posts about their wonderful projects has been inspiring, I am ready to go full force into my own work and head! Stay tuned for details on the opening of the 41st Annual UC Berkeley, Master of Fine Arts Graduate Exhibition. Til then, look what I got for you this week...

For my grand finale OP blog post I have closed the circle. Back to my roots of 8 weeks ago. I have returned to talk to Irina Contreras (remember all the way back to post #1 on The Miracle Bookmobile?). This time though, I talk with her and her other collaborator: Nico Dacumos. The two of them make delicious and social food together via Lubao's Supper Club, and they are currently putting together a performance event for the National Queer Arts Festival called, Scenes Unseen. It is a show about gender, sexuality, nationality and border crossing--of all kinds.

But don't take my word for it, read all about it: HERE!


Thanks again for reading and reposting these posts, people. It was a fun li'l weekly project, and I sincerely appreciate all the kind words I received about it. Did I ever tell you you're my hero?

Original Plumbing BLOG post #6: Onya's Taste In Men

I'm 3/4 through with this OP blog writing assignment. Phew! I can almost see the finish line. Another race with another finish line that has been happening parallel to this one is my upcoming UC Berkeley MFA thesis (group) show on May 20th! Can you believe it's happening so soon? I can't...

Last week, in the vein of prepping for and stressing about thesis shows I talked to my friend Onya Hogan-Finlay about hers, called "My Taste In Men" which is solo (not group) and taking place down in the Roski gallery at USC.

Read the blog post here: Onya's Taste In Men

If you're in LA, please do check it out! The Miracle Bookmobile (from my first OP post) will be parked and slinging books at the closing reception.

Transbiological Body Event at NYU

I wrote a small piece on my video Extraordinary Pregnancies for a special issue of Women & Performance: a journal of feminist theory themed "The Transbiological Body." This event celebrates the release! Go check out the performance and pick up a copy!

Wednesday, March 9, 6:30-8:30

NYU Department of Performance Studies

721 Broadway, 6th floor studio
New York, NY

At Bay II: Selections from the 2010 Murphy, Cadogan and Phelan Awards

Hey party people! So, I won this award last Summer from the San Francisco Foundation (SFF) called the Murphy, Cadogan and Phelan Fellowship. It's open to MFA students in between their first and second years of their grad program, chosen from select schools here in the Bay Area.  Well, wouldn't you know it: I was one of the recipients chosen from UC Berkeley!


The SFF usually funds a big show of all the award winning work but this year, due to lack of money they decided not to. But we students got together and decided we wanted a show anyway so we coordinated with the Worth Ryder Art Gallery on the UC Berleley campus and made it happen! It opens this week, see details below...

March 9-19, 2011 | Reception Wednesday, March 9, 4-7 PM

“At Bay II” presents selected works by recipients of the 2010 Murphy,
Cadogan and Phelan Fellowship Awards, granted by the San Francisco
Foundation to students transitioning from their first to their second year
of graduate study in the Visual Arts. In support of these exemplary student
artists, the Murphy, Cadogan and Phelan Fellowships in the Fine Arts offer
 multiple awards of $3,500 to graduate students for continued academic study.

510-642-4582

 artdept@berkeley.edu

 http://art.berkeley.edu

Gallery Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 12-5 PM

116 Kroeber Hall (corner of Bancroft Way and College Ave)

http://www.worthrydergallery.org

Original Plumbing BLOG post #5: Getting Nutty with Lex Vaughn

For this week's Sunday OP blog post I interview the US-turned-Canadian [dual] citizen, creative comic genius, and heart throb: LEX VAUGHN! I am certain I've gushed about ol' Lexxy once before on this here blog, but this time it's personal! She's a riot and a productive tour de force, and she took the time this week to talk to li'l ol' me. I'm so flattered I could cry...

Read it and weep along with me: HERE!

Original Plumbing BLOG post #4: The Joy of Jason Fritz Michael

This week for my OP blog post I chat with dear friend Jason Fritz Michael! If you've seen any of my movies or videos it's likely you've seen his performing talent in action. But he's so much more than an actor in my work...

Read about his many talents HERE!

Original Plumbing BLOG post #3: Wu Tsang

This week I posted an interview that's been in the making since I got this weekly blogging assignment! A post I've been very excited to share with the Original Plumbing fans and readers. It's an interview with LA based artist Wu Tsang about his his film & club WILDNESS and his blog CLASS.

Wu Tsang photo by Ren'yo Hwang

Read the post HERE!

Are you bi-QUEEROUS?

Want to see how Greg Youmans and I do in our interview with our friend and talented filmmaker/musician H.P. Mendoza in his New Camp blog series on queerious.com?! Read HERE!

drawing by Jason Fritz Michael

Original Plumbing BLOG post #2

This week on my OP blog day, I'm proud to present to you my dear friend and acclaimed poet, Mr. J. Ely Shipley. It was recently pointed out to me that my OP blog entries are "very adult" and this person didn't mean in the "adult entertainment" sort of way. Adult in the age, kinda way. And to that I say, that's great! If adult means talking to your talented queer friends in depth about their creative process, BRING IT ON! Look at me, I'm embracing my budding Queer Elder status.

What some adult reading material?! READ THIS!

Ely and Joey: Argyle Becomes Them

Criminal Queers **almost there!!**

Wow, it's going on 4 years now! 4 years ago that Eric and I shot the first scene for the Homotopia sequel Criminal Queers. I don't remember what or when exactly that was but it's sometime around now, 4 years ago. I'm writing today to say, it's almost done! I swear, I'm not just saying it this time. Yes, I know I've been declaring it almost done for 2 of the past 4 years, but this time it's really true. We have an amazing editor, Hokulani Beale and she is cutting it the F up! It's starting to look like a real movie. A good movie, in fact. One you'd be chompin' at the bit to see! And this Sunday, we're shooting the final scene of the movie. A mass prison break! If you want to come, check out the Facebook event and contact me directly to confirm. No messin' around. We need to be absolutely sure who can come because 1. we're going to feed you and 2. we need to make sure we have enough orange "County Jail" jump suits for you all. This is so very important, so please consider showing up and helping us make prison abolitionist, queer visual history!

Then! Ready or not, we're screening a cut of the movie at UCSC on February 28th, 2011 at 7-9 PM! Whoa, right?! The clock is tickin'! We got some work to do. But, if you're in Santa Cruz you should absolutely come. It's guaranteed to be something else!

Original Plumbing BLOG post #1

This week kicks off two months worth of my blogging for Original Plumbing! I'm thrilled about talking to all the people I plan to talk to, then posting it for you to read on the internet-but I'm not giving any secrets away just yet. I want you to be suprised!

For my first post I talk to two very special and committed people, Kelly Besser and Irina Contreras about The Miracle Bookmobile of LA and Oakland. Read the entire interview: HERE!

Part Time Lovers

A video by Yvette Choy commissioned for the New Sound Karaoke party in NYC, which sounds so incredibly fun. Check out the long hair I used to sport in this Bay Area queer rewrite of the Stevie Wonder song. Wow, right!? Amazing. I never realized my hair looked so sleazy until this video. Why didn't anyone tell me? Besides my hair, the video stars and cameos many other local celebs. Check it on out!

Heaven in '11!

Happy New Year!

I hope I don't die this year or this entry's subject heading will be taken to be way more inauspicious and prophetic than intended! I just read a NY Times article on that very subject and now I'm sketched out about each of my online and social networking activities being my last and all you friends and lurkers reading too deeply into it. For the record, I don't plan on dieing and going to heaven this year! I plan to create heaven here on Earth this year! Here's what's going on so far...

On Monday, January 17th I turn 33 years young! I'm having my birthday party at Playland-Not-At-The-Beach in El Cerrito and the word to describe my feeling about this event is: STOKED! If you are around and you self-identify as my friend I'd probably love to see you there!

The Facebook event page, for more info!

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On Tuesday, January 18th Greg and I are proud co-presenters for the RADAR show at The Luggage Store!

*Also part of the package: a reading by Vendela Vida, Hot Probs with Ali Liebegott, an interview between literary jocks Tara Jepsen and Sara Seinberg, and art by Angie Wang, work by Joël Barraquiel Tan*

*Submit an advice question before the show and get a homemade treat!*

7-10PM

1007 Market St.

San Francisco, CA

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And finally, opening on January 21st is NAGAS- The North American Graduate Art Survey show at the Katherine E. Nash gallery at the University of Minnesota. Greg and I and our Falling In Love... with Chris and Greg "Hair Breakdown Special" and my own "Have You Ever Seen A Transsexual Before?" will be on heavy video rotation for about a month. If you are in or around Minneapolis you should check it out and report back to me! I'd love to know how it all looks!

*Opening Reception: Friday, January 21st 6-8:30 pm

The show runs from Tuesday, January 18th to Thursday, February 17th, 2011

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That's all for now! Let's not be strangers in '11. And let's collectively promise to not die!

No More Potlucks

I'm proud to announce the launch of my interview for the web-based and print journal No More Potlucks, lucky issue no. 13, around the theme of Chance! Lucas Crawford, whom I haven't yet met in person--but who I know via our non-stop email contact since this past Summer, is an extremely charming and brilliant Canadian. He wrote and patiently conducted the interview with me, and through his skilled question-asking and editing skills made me sound way smarter and articulate than I usually feel I am.

Read it and see for yourself: Redistributing Life Chances: The Fantastical Homotopias of Chris Vargas


Also, read this co-written piece by Lucas: Rethinking Hate Crimes: The Hard Work of Creating Social Equity

Falling In Love... with Chris and Greg: SEASON ONE DVD

Greg and I are finally ready to take your orders for the much anticipated Falling In Love... with Chris and Greg SEASON ONE DVD!!!

25 BUCKS buys you a full color scrapbooklet which contains 6 collaged pages related to the themes addressed in each video, short synopsees for each of those videos, a full credit list, and of course the DVD. The DVD contains all three episodes: 1: O Canada!, 2: Road Trip! TV Special, 3: Food! (not online), and our three specials: A Special Election PSA, Hair Breakdown Special, and Oh La La! Paris Special. A total of 6 videos, that's 86 minutes of hilarity and awkwardness! PLUS a commemorative criterion collection-style book designed by yours and Greg's truly! And there's only 100 of them out there in the world! This is serious!

"Buy Now" lest you regret this once in a lifetime opportunity to throw your hard earned money our way... tis the season, right?!? And if you're lucky you may get it right in time for Christmas! No promises, though...

Emily Roysdon: If I Don’t Move Can You Hear Me?

 Tomorrow afternoon, 3 PM! My dear friend Emily Roysdon's MATRIX show opens at the Berkeley Art Museum. For the occasion of the opening, Greg Youmans and I will do a performative reading of "A Little Prairie" Eileen Myles & Leopoldine Core's piece from Emily's new zine: A Queer Relational Associative Project Dictionary! In addition, there will be more readings and screenings, and my body silk screened in many a performative pose. Should be real fun!

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In conjunction with MATRIX 235/ Emily Roysdon: If I Don’t Move Can You
Hear Me?, on view December 12, 2010 – March 6, 2011

Performance and Screening
Emily Roysdon
Sunday, December 12, 3 p.m.
Galleries 1 and B

Admission free!

Emily Roysdon’s frequent collaborators, Craig Willse and Chris Vargas, will present a performative reading of A Queer Relational Associative Project Dictionary, a zine that Roysdon created for her MATRIX exhibition. In addition, Roysdon will screen Social Movement and Story of History, two films she made in the series that now includes If I Don’t Move Can You Hear Me?

Artist and writer Emily Roysdon produces projects at the intersection of social, political, and aesthetic space, evincing an interest in the invisible histories of public sites, the potencies of both language and
movement, and the possibilities of abstraction as both a form and mental
construct. Her practice is shaped by collaboration, and its implication
of negotiation, improvisation, and dialogical thinking. This is embodied
in her activities as the editor and cofounder of the influential queer
feminist journal and artist collective LTTR; as a member of the band MEN;
and as a curator, most recently of Ecstatic Resistance. Her work
interrogates the representation of collectivities (as both movement and
movements) by engaging in an expanded field of choreography as organized
movement in both an aesthetic and political sense.

Like much of her recent work, Roysdon’s MATRIX project, produced largely
on-site in Berkeley, uses public space and the city as material, context,
and form. The exhibition comprises performance for camera in the form of
video and photographs and a new publication in which Roysdon and
collaborators consider the project’s vocabulary of use, regulation,
structure, and frame.

Reception to follow in the Bancroft Lobby.
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UC Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive
2626 Bancroft Way / 510.642.0808
facebook.com/bampfa / bampfa.berkeley.edu

Falling In Love... with Chris and Greg: "Oh La La! Paris Special"

We finally posted it! Yes, another Falling In Love... "special" and again we take our relationship on the road, but we swear--really, this time it's different. We're in Paris, not the American Southwest and we're dealing with a whole other set of relationship problems: namely our precarious financial futures in regards to our respective 'careers.' It's going to be awkward and it's going to end badly, but if you've seen any of the other videos in the series this is not a shocker.

Hope you like!

(2010, 10 minutes)
Synopsis: "Chris and Greg think about moving to France. Then they realize that neither of them will be making any money anytime soon."