
Jennifer Herrema w/guest Kurt Vile and Jason Yates – The Banana Question (02.28.18) →

Shooting Louise Parker in the middle of artist Jason Yates’ Boyle Heights studio gave us the opportunity to pivot from our so-called ‘usual’ turf. The always lovely Louise was the perfect idea: a recent L.A. implant, a model and a great photographer in her own right. See here and here and ok–we get it, Louise–you’re talented. Detroit-born, Los Angeles-based Yates had arranged some works of his–inanimate (barely), nostalgic and part of his exhibit Homemade Ice Cream–so Louise could stand in front of them, as one does, and role play a life as a gallery assistant. The artist and ‘miner of ontological garbage’ has been in L.A. some twenty years cultivating his work, and cultivating the art scene itself, but you won’t be able to see his Homemade Ice Cream there; it’s at the Wasserman Projects gallery–in Detroit. His largest solo installation to-date also marks a 25 years since his last exhibit in his hometown. Louise spoke to Yates for Models.com.
How would you describe your work?
I’m usually trying to locate the beauty in dysfunction. I cherish the same pathologies people go to therapy to get rid of. I guess I’m a miner of ontological garbage.
Have you always worked with mixed media?
Yes. I’ve never been a purist. I mix media. I mix styles. I mix emotions. I thrive on anxiety.
Who inspires you and who are your favorite artists?
From the time I was young the work of Chicago artist Pedro Bell has excited me. He is a grand escapist with a visual and written language of great complexity. Most people would know him from the covers he did for Funkadelic, amongst others. He altered the greater consciousness and is a true source of inspiration that most people have never heard of. He remains relatively obscure and I fear most of his accomplishments were not preserved or archived.
Gotta ask, what was it like working for and being a student of Mike Kelley’s?
It was expensive. It was also very rewarding. If I’m to being very honest–it was also stifling. Being much younger, his brilliance and tenacity was a lot to process and there were times that I was overwhelmed by this. I think of the famous quote by Brancusi on his time assisting Rodin, “Nothing grows well in the shade of a big tree”.
Being much younger, his brilliance and tenacity was a lot to process and there were times that I was overwhelmed by this. I think of the famous quote by Brancusi on his time assisting Rodin, “Nothing grows well in the shade of a big tree”.
What are your thoughts on the fashion industry? Have you collaborated with fashion before?
That’s a big question. Mostly, the “industry” is everything that’s wrong with humanity. That said, there is so much poetry and beauty located there, too. At best, it’s art. At worst…the worst. I absolutely love pouring over magazines like Pin-Up, Supplement, AnOther Magazine, and Purple…I really enjoy magazines. Tactility is very important to me. I did a project with Christophe Lemaire a few years back. It wasn’t a great experience. He and his people lacked integrity and failed to honor their commitments. It was a great lesson for me and I actually am very grateful. It reinforced how I wanted my relationships to be and to beware anytime someone wants to “collaborate”. It’s usually parasitic.
Tell us about your studio space…
My studio is an old dance hall in Boyle Heights. It was built in the late teens. I’ve been here for about a year and I share it with painter Jed Ochmanek.
You said school wasn’t for you, what are other life experiences that informed you and your artistic practice?
Going to “good” schools can give you a lot of access. There are things to be learned there. But the environment is typically pretty sterile and contrived. Art is really about conversations and relationships. While you can get this in school, it’s absolutely possible…but, hanging out and developing relationships outside of schools and institutions was fundamental to my development. My friendships and rivalries are far more rewarding. I am a city kid. I’m from Detroit and have lived in both NYC and Los Angeles. New York in the late 80’s and early 90’s was a great education. Getting mugged and stabbed on 14th Street after leaving Peggy Sue’s or dropping acid at Oppenheimer’s cabin in New Mexico, or being chased by a pack of rabid wild dogs in Goa–for instance–was just as enriching as four years in an institution of higher learning. Curiosity, willingness, and inviting the unanticipated are my favorite tools for mind expansion. Adventure.
You said you’ve been in LA almost 20 years, how have you seen the art scene change during this time?
It’s changed dramatically. There was a time when you could see everything in a couple days. Now it just isn’t possible. LA has always been competitive, but not like New York. Now I would say that’s not true. People come here thinking they can carve out a “career”. This town will chew you up and spit you out. I mean, it’s always had the ability to do that, but now it’s really hungry. It’s getting very expensive here. I moved here for a variety of reasons, one of them being that it was inexpensive and you could take risks in both lifestyle and artistic practice. Now you have to have your proverbial shit together and that simply isn’t as much fun. We need a good earthquake.
New York in the late 80’s and early 90’s was a great education. Getting mugged and stabbed on 14th Street after leaving Peggy Sue’s or dropping acid at Oppenheimer’s cabin in New Mexico, or being chased by a pack of rabid wild dogs in Goa–for instance–was just as enriching as four years in an institution of higher learning.
What are you working on right now?
I’m working on a show in Detroit at Wasserman Projects that opened September 22nd. It’s one of the more ambitious shows I’ve done and it will function as a sort mutant survey and party that will go on for 3 months. I’ve invited various artists to participate. Penny Arcade, Bruce Hainley, Allee Willis, Third Man Records, and many artists of various disciplines from Detroit will be either presenting, cooking, performing, or “collaborating” with me. The show honors oral traditions and will be very social. The show is called Homemade Ice Cream. I’m also working on a project with Charlie Fox for a show at Rodeo Gallery in London that is supposed to open next spring. I’m having fun.
What advice can you give to young aspiring artists?
Don’t listen to me. I can’t be trusted. Also, it’s not an “art career” and you should be suspicious of anyone who calls it one.
Louise and Jason Yates.
Fugue State
including an excerpt from an interview on the topic of Julie Becker with Jason Yates
What about Power? draws together a range of perspectives that examine the contemporary intersections of power and sculpture. From ritual to monument, sculpture is embedded within various power dynamics, whether political, spiritual, erotic or otherwise.
Sculpture’s relationship to power is distinct, as it is engaged with particular spatial and physical realms hinged on considerations of architecture and the body.
The book reflects on themes of will, subjugation, desire, fetish, scale, and reflects on the way these relationships have shifted throughout time. The contributors to this publication speak to where they stand now, asking, what are the power dynamics around sculpture today?
Comprising essays, short reflections and images throughout, What about Power? is a comprehensive and insightful exploration, with contributions from an international assemblage of artists, writers, art historians and curators working in the field.
Contributors include: Heman Chong, Malik Gaines, Gordon Hall, Anthea Hamilton, Jumana Manna and Carissa Rodriguez.
In partnership with SculptureCenter.
Read Morebroadcasting on 1630 am, chinatown, los angeles
Read MoreJim Isermann's hand rendered version of Very by Pet Shop Boys
The Blast! [12] silent auction showcases original “Bootleg LP” artworks inspired by record album covers, and features more than sixty artists including: Julie Adler, Tom Allen, Kevin Appel, Skot Armstrong, Lisa Anne Auerbach, Judie Bamber, Miyoshi Barosh, John Bauer, Scott Benzel, Leonardo Bravo, Anita Bunn, Carolyn Castaño, Jeff Colson, Aaron Curry, Sam Durant, Brad Eberhard, Elif Erkan, Morgan Fisher, Sarajo Frieden, Francesca Gabbiani, Liam Gillick, Phyllis Green, Mark Hagen, Stephen Hillenburg, Margaret Honda, Violet Hopkins, Steven Hull, Jim Isermann, Farrah Karapetian, Alice Könitz, Norm Laich, Richard Laudenbach, Joseph Lee, T. Kelly Mason, John Miller, Yunhee Min, Aaron Morse, Fredrik Nilsen, Stanislav Orlovski, Joel Otterson, Gary Panter, Anthony Pearson, Joe Potts, Rick Potts, Stephen Prina, Tom Recchion, Lynn Robb, Steve Roden, Eddie Ruscha, Amy Sarkisian, Alex Slade, Leroy Stevens, April Street, Ricky Swallow, Mungo Thomson, Devon Tsuno, Dani Tull, Michael Uhlenkott, Tam Van Tran, Pae White, Chris Wilder, Julie Wilson, B. Wurtz, Jason Yates, Liz Young
Read MoreArtists Noah and Karon Davis founded The Underground Museum in 2012 and operate the ongoing not-for-profit project. The Underground Museum is a revolutionary platform for the arts and community in the West Adams/Crenshaw district of central Los Angeles. It offers a new public entity for exhibitions and programming as no inner-city institution has done before. Through exhibitions, film screenings, and a public garden and library, The Underground Museum upholds the belief that art is an essential part of a vibrant, just, and healthy society.
Please help support the Underground Museum by bidding on artwork in the online Paddle8 auction.
The auction ends Wednesday, May 6 at 10:30pm PT. Proceeds from the sale of the Noah Davis piece go to the LA Film Fest; proceeds from the sale of everything else go to the Underground Museum.
The auction features donations from Uta Barth, the Bruce High Quality Foundation, Shepard Fairey, Piero Golia, Francesca Gabbiani, the Haas Brothers, Dennis Koch, Ariana Papademetropoulos, Ry Rocklen, Ed Ruscha, Eddie Ruscha, Henry Taylor, Jason Yates
"Cuteness is often a tool for manipulation. That's when it becomes more interesting to me: when 'cuteness' is a weapon."
Read More"Jason Yates is preternaturally disposed to emulate, extrapolate and thoroughly and passionately investigate anything that relates to pop culture."
Read MoreRichard Hawkins enlisted friends, Vittorio Brodmann, Julien Ceccaldi, Aaron Curry, Andrei Koschmieder, Ruby Neri, Tyson Reeder, and Jason Yates to create live paintings, which served as the backdrop for a number of readings and performances.
Read MoreThe event is organized by Paradise Garage in Venice and Freedman Fitzpatrick in Hollywood, and one of this year’s more anticipated additions is that of the Parisian dealer Chantal Crousel, who lends some blue-chip gravitas. Programming galore begins with “live painting on stage,” for which the local artist Richard Hawkins has enlisted painters Vittorio Brodmann, Julien Ceccaldi, Aaron Curry, Andrei Koschmieder, Ruby Neri, Tyson Reeder, and Jason Yates to do just that.
Read MoreThank you for to all that attended the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit's 2014 GALA + ART AUCTION
Read MoreInstallation view, “Semiotext(e): New Series” (2014) by’ Jason Yates,’ Whitney Biennial 2014, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York (collection of Jason Yates Studio, photo by Bill Orcutt)
"we wanted to collaborate on the installation with someone we knew. I’ve known Jason Yates for years. He went to Art Center [College of Design, Pasadena] around the same time I did, studied with Mike Kelley. Chris wrote about his work in Where Art Belongs. There is a history of Semiotext(e) collaborating with artists as book designers that stems from a desire to keep things not too compartmentalized or professionalized. Joseph Kosuth designed one of our publications; Richard Serra and Mike Kelley made posters for events. Jason did something really beautiful for us that I think very well complemented the material we were presenting. The black sculptures with stitching look kind of industrial, kind of crafty. The rope could evoke the binding of a spiral notebook, but Jason used bondage ropes so it had also a vague S&M feel to it that called to mind the Polysexuality issue ofSemiotext(e) and looked very at home in the Whitney’s Breuer building."
Read MoreWhat an amazing record collection. It looks like you have quite an eclectic taste. If you were stranded on an island which ones would you take with you?
None. You need electricity to play records. Instead I would take pot seeds and a couple guitars.
LACE auction this year was a blast. Pieces went for cheap... a Mike Kelley for only 3K, a Richard Jackson for about the same, Raymond Pettibon for a mere $4000. You missed it. And the liquor was flowing. Copious vodka drinks. Even the bartenders ended up sloshed.
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