Opening Reception and Performance: Saturday, October 5 from 7-10pm

Monolith (ic) is a reference to singular stones that have been used to create heroic sculptural works and monuments throughout history. At the center of the exhibition is a found object recreation of a Lamassu of the citadel of Sargon. The image is of a Babylonian protective demon that was a sign of power and strength. A surrounding and intermingled structure will serve as a stage for performances, lectures, and an open-ended think tank incorporating collaborations with invited guests and the larger community.

The Lamassu have an interesting polemic in that they serve as signs of power, whilst they are also monuments to self-aggrandizement, subjugated suffering, and master/slave history. The artist uses these issues to ignite an informed and robust discussion and reflection on historic and current world power structures of economy and their effects on the global human condition.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Martin Durazo received a Master of Fine Arts from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Art from Pitzer College. Durazo is the recipient of the 2012 C.O.L.A. Individual Artists Fellowship from the City of Los Angeles and a 2011 California Community Foundation Fellowship Award, funded by the Getty Trust. His work was included in the inaugural 2011 SUR Biennial and in 2010 he was an Artist-in-Residence at the 18th Street Arts Center in Santa Monica. He has exhibited at the Torrance Art Museum; PULSE Los Angeles Contemporary Art Fair; Pomona College Museum of Art; MexiCali Biennial 2013; Harris Art Gallery at the University of LaVerne; White Box in New York City; ArtForum Berlin and Art Basel Miami Beach. His work has been reviewed in Flash Art International, the Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, LA Weekly, Artweek, and Art Review.