Group Show

Luis De Jesus Seminal Projects is very pleased to present COCKED! The Possessed Male: Object of Desire — Art and the Masculine Evolution, on exhibit from July 18 through August 23, 2008. The opening reception/party will be held on Thursday, July 17, from 7 to 11 pm, and will feature performances by Seth Augustine and Brian Dick.

COCKED! The Possessed Male: Object of Desire is a contemporary survey of post-masculine art created by 21 artists, almost all of them living and working in the San Diego/So Cal region. COCKED! will examine issues of masculinity, art and “production”—the idea that men are predisposed to make, build or transform objects, starting from an early age (forts, go-carts, etc.) to adolescence (cars, music/instruments, etc.) and on through adulthood (houses, furniture, the old garage "shop"—that bastion of unrequited dreams), and even their own bodies (through weightlifting, plastic surgery, and drag/gender manipulation).

Participating artists include: David Adey, Scott Amour, Seth Augustine, Jack Balas, Jeff Colson, Lael Corbin, Dean Deane (aka Deanna Erdmann), Brian Dick, John Dillemuth, William Feeney, Marcelino Goncalves, Scott Horsley, Criag Kane, Owen Mundy, Andy Ralph, John Patrick Salisbury, Jason Sherry, Tristan Shone, Trey Speegle, Robert Twomey, and Zuri Waters.

Exploring a wide and inclusive range of directions and positions—from social, political, and geographical to gender, sexual and philosophical, and including a broad range of media—from painting, sculpture, and photography to video, installation, and performance—the exhibition poses a number of questions and hypothesis. Are these objects a repository of male ideals, desires, fantasies, pleasures—of the conscious and the unconscious—and by extension a reflection of each man’s sense of self and their individual manhood? Are they objectifications of the artist's desires—a literal production/performance in response to being under the influence or subjugation of his own (or another person’s) thoughts and feelings—a “power play”? To what extent is the male’s proclivity to construct, build, tinker, fantasize, and objectify a response to the male’s expected role of mastery and control? And is mastery a form of machismo? Can a city be masculine or feminine based on the activities that occur within its boundaries? COCKED! The Possessed Male: Object of Desire hopes to engage in a broader discussion of these and other related issues pertaining to the evolution of the human male species in contemporary society.

COCKED!

The Possessed Male: Object of Desire

July 17- August 23, 2008

Press Release