and I hope this exhibition begins to fill in some of these missing histories of queer Chicana/o artistic experimentation, as well as spur future projects and shows on the many participants the exhibition presents. Over the course of organizing the show many friends, partners, and family members of artists have also donated collections of letters, correspondences, artworks, and other materials to ONE Archives, expanding the collection in ways that will undoubtedly shape projects at ONE into the future.” Frantz continued, discussing the highlights of putting the exhibition together and what it meant to him, personally. “Uncovering the multiple spaces and contexts these artists working in was one of the most exciting parts of the research. Many artists worked outside of traditional art spaces, instead founding their own venues, presenting work in bars and clubs, or working in the fashion industry. Mundo Meza and Simon Doonan (who later went on to great acclaim for his windows at Barneys
New York) produced irreverent and shocking window displays at the high-end clothing boutique Maxfield Bleu in West Hollywood in the 1980s. These windows also combined strange props and on occasion Simon shared left-over objects with the punk performer Johanna Went. She would then utilized these objects in her chaotic, improvised performances at punk clubs in Los Angeles. Artistic movements often follow the mood of
the society and the happenings that occurred, such as things like the HIV/AIDS crisis, which had a profound effect on the LGBT community. Frantz spoke of how things like that were reflected in the Axis Mundo exhibit. “Responding to the AIDS crisis, many of the artists in Axis Mundo politicized their artistic practices, often taking inspiration from their earlier participation in gay and lesbian and Chicana/o rights movements. Many organized in groups: Ray Navarro, for example, was a founding member of the AIDS activist video collective DIVA TV in New York, standing for Damned
Interfering Video Activists. Artists Joey Terrill, Teddy Sandoval, Jef Huereque, and others were all active participants in the Latina/o artist group VIVA, which advocated for AIDS awareness. Other artists in Axis Mundo memorialized those lost to the disease, while some took up their own mortality and disability as content for their work.” What do organizers hope that people take away
from the Axis Mundo experience? “We hope visitors to the show walk away with a better sense of the wide-reaching and dynamic scene these artists fosters in the ‘70s and ‘80s and the sense of playful- ness and possibility that permeated their work across art, life, and activism,” concluded Frantz.
Axis Mundo: Queer Networks in Chicano L.A. is presented simultaneously at two locations in West Hollywood: MOCA Pacific Design Center at 8687 Melrose Avenue and ONE Gallery, West Hollywood at 9007 Melrose Avenue. For more information on the exhibit, or for hours and directions to both locations, go to
one.usc.edu/axis-mundo
OCTOBER 2017 | RAGE monthly 15
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56
