Speaker: Kara Carmack, Exhibitions and Public Programs Officer at the New York Studio School
Event: Spring 2023 Evening Lecture Series
Title: "Four Dimensions" by Esteban Cabeza de Baca
Support: Funded by various organizations including NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, National Endowment for the Arts, Robert Lehman Foundation, and individual donors.
Format: Includes a Q&A session and post-lecture refreshments.
Artist Background
Name: Esteban Cabeza de Baca
Hometown: San Ysidro, California, near U.S.-Mexico border
Education: BFA from Cooper Union (2010), MFA from Columbia University (2014)
Residence: Queens, New York
Representation: Garth Greenan Gallery
Work Style: Combines graffiti, landscape, pre-Columbian pictographs, and challenges traditional perspectives.
Historical and Personal Influences
Ancestor: Alvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, explorer shipwrecked in 1527 and enslaved by native tribes; advocated for indigenous sovereignty.
Father: Bodyguard for Cesar Chavez and Angela Davis; influences themes of liberation and justice.
Personal Experience: Grew up in a fertile borderland environment, impacting his views on space, imagery, and creativity.
Artistic Inspirations
Jackson Pollock: Influenced by the 1941 MoMA exhibition "Indian Art of the United States."
John Quick-to-See Smith: Salish Kootenai artist, inspired Cabeza de Baca's ideas on land acknowledgment and representational justice.
Artistic Process
Medium: Observational painting, starting outdoors in the southwest U.S. and moving into studio work.
Techniques: Uses projectors metaphorically and practically; creates complex imagery by layering and masking.
Themes and Concepts
Environmental Concerns: Addresses global warming, resource extraction, and the impact of the oil industry.
Cultural Repatriation: Interested in returning cultural artifacts and knowledge to their origins.
Protests and Activism: Engages with themes of resistance, inspired by Dakota Access Pipeline protests and U.S.-Mexico border issues.
Exhibitions and Travels
Residency in Europe: Explored European art and engaged with Southwestern U.S. themes.
Installations: Combines sculpture and painting, often collaboratively, to explore land use and native plant integration.
Notable Exhibits: Solo show at Rijksakademie, first New York solo show at Boers Lee Gallery in 2019.
Artistic Contributions
Collaborations: Works with partner Heidi Howard on large installations and sculptural projects.
Public Art: Created a bronze sculpture for Crystal Bridges Museum, incorporating native plants into the design.
Future Projects: Focuses on borderland ecosystems and native plant growth.
Q&A Highlights
Process Insights: Combines intuitive techniques with structured layering in painting.
Cultural Impact: Discussed representational justice and its importance in art.
Cross-Medium Influence: Draws connections between painting and sculpture in his practice.
Conclusion
Focus on Interconnectivity: Stresses the importance of art in envisioning future possibilities.
Invitation: Audience invited for further discussion and refreshments post-lecture.