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Artforum Critic's Pick: Kenzi Shiokava

Most of Kenzi Shiokava’s sculptures consist of organic matter, like bark and dragon-tree fronds, combined with found materials, such as chicken wire or brooms. In Untitled (Urban Totem Series), 2000, an upright railroad tie narrows into two sharp prongs at the top. Of a similar shape, Untitled (Urban Totem Series), 2005, was carved from a discarded telephone pole. Each sculpture resembles a statuesque humanoid form.

DesignLA: Otis at 100

Two days before Christmas in 1916, Los Angeles Times publisher General Harrison Gray Otis gifted his Wilshire Boulevard home—aka The Bivouac—to Los Angeles County so it could be utilized “continuously and perpetually for the Arts and advancement of the Arts.” In September 1918, when the Otis Art Institute opened its doors as part of the Los Angeles Museum of History, Science and Art, it became the city’s first art school.

 

Darel Carey's Masking Tape Masterpiece

What do the U.S. Air Force, tattooing icon Kat Von D, and masking tape have in common? They each play a crucial role in Otis College alum Darel Carey’s journey as an artist. Growing up in Colton, CA, Darel loved to draw, but never considered it for a possible career. After high school he ran into a friend who had a similar artistic streak. She told him she’d just started tattooing and that he should try it too.

Los Angeles Times: Judithe Hernández’s ('74) Latest Exhibition

Lotería is to the pastel drawings of Judithe Hernández ('74) what the I Ching was to John Cage’s avant-garde music after World War II or the “Three Standard Stoppages” were to the Dada objects of Marcel Duchamp a century ago.

New York Times Style Magazine: In the Studio with Eduardo Sarabia

Many artists claim that their work is multidisciplinary. But Eduardo Sarabia’s (BFA Fine Arts '99) varied practice includes painting, sculpture, mezcal making and even treasure hunting. “There’s a lot of fantasy and imagination involved in my work,” he says, seated in his studio on the first floor of a 1950s industrial building in the Zapopan district of Guadalajara, Mexico. He shows me the handcrafted, blue-and-white Talavera-style ceramic tiles he’s produced for an upcoming solo exhibition in Antwerp, Belgium.

Los Angeles Times: Painter Gajin Fujita keeps his norm-violating spirit

At the summit of a steep incline in Elysian Heights, past an unassuming gate, down a slightly dangerous walkway, you’ll find a concrete landing that serves as the plein-air home studio of Gajin Fujita.

Creating Community for Otis College Alumni: A Q&A with Director of Alumni Relations Hazel Mandujano

Hazel Mandujano (BFA ’03, MFA ’10) has been appointed Director of Alumni Relations in the Office of Institutional Advancement at Otis College of Art and Design. Her connection to the Otis College community spans 20 years, having earned her undergraduate degree in Fine Arts and a graduate degree in Graphic Design at the College. She served as a senior lecturer for Communication Arts and Foundation, a lecturer for Creative Action, and an academic coordinator for Graduate Graphic Design and, most recently, Foundation.

Artforum: Preview of This Brush for Hire: Norm Laich and Many Other Artists

At the art-world Oscars, Norm Laich would be a perennial shoo-in for best supporting role. The Los Angeles–based artist, sign painter, and fabricator has been instrumental in producing the iconic works of a great number of big-name leads, including Kay Rosen, Stephen Prina, Mike Kelley, and Lawrence Weiner.

Otis Alumni and Faculty Create Publishing Project to Highlight Underrepresented Voices

Becoming a good literary citizen in the world can take all different paths. For two recent Otis College of Art and Design graduates, that path meant partnering with a faculty mentor to create a broadside publication that will publish poetry every other month. Otis College of Art and Design MFA Writing faculty member Guy Bennett and MFA Writing alumni Krystle Statler and Kevin Thomas published the first issue of their broadside, every other, in February 2018, with an original and previously unpublished poem entitled “Icarus” by Nick Flynn.

Out of This World Environments Begin with a Solid Foundation

This year's invitees to the 2018 Annual Exhibition are being welcomed by the spacey, gritty, beautiful work of 3D environmental artist Mimi Park ('17 Digital Media). It has become something of a tradition for the invitation and signage of the college's most popular event to feature the artwork of a graduate from the previous year. In 2017, alumna Momo Givens ('16 Toy Design) was featured.