Tilt Shift LA: New Queer Perspectives on the Western Edge

Curated by Darin Klein & Friends, the exhibition features 15 local Los Angeles contemporary queer artists and a series of free programs including an opening-night performance by Our Lady J, followed by 'Zine Fest 2012!, February 12th; and itch dance, February 18th.

"Tilt-shift" refers to the use of camera movements typically employed in creating a simulated environment or miniature scene. The term in this context is well suited to Los Angeles-based queer artists who do not shy away from exploring and exploiting the visibility of a specific timeframe and geographic location, skewing and adjusting concepts of queerness to illuminate individual ideals. Acknowledging the ongoing "gay vs. queer" dialogue, this exhibition comprises artists and artworks that resist the boundaries and representations of aggressive confrontational sexuality in favor of a broad range of ideas concerning the politics and aesthetics of marginalized bodies, cultures and identities.

In the introduction that accompanies this exhibition, Darin Klein writes:

As queer artists, we navigate a city that may have been built on illusion but is being held together by individualized histories. Our bodies and our intellects seek harmony with or rebel against the disparate confluences of our surroundings while gleaning information and inspiration. Our art proposes pragmatic solutions to, fantastic alternatives for, or straightforward documentation of the world as we experience it at the western edge of western civilization. …Because the ground we stand on is unstable—literally and metaphorically—the fortification of our psychological landscape is of utmost importance. There is no singular viewpoint on important issues that are certain to affect entire communities where nature and man threaten to wipe out the bedrock of our collective and varied efforts and hopes. Piece by piece we work to ensure that each of our voices is heard, confident that our contributions must strengthen the foundation of a future historical dialogue as it will pertain to queer artists living and working in Los Angeles right now.

Much of the art in Tilt-Shift LA has been created specifically for this exhibition, while key pieces from the past half-decade were sourced from the artists’ studios, and several recent works not exhibited previously will now be on view for the first time.  

A symbolic representation of celebration, play, and rituals that punctuate the passing of time, Brandon Andrew’s neon sculpture points to the precariousness of the human experience and references exuberant moments of the absurd.  Zackary Druckerand A. L. Steinercollaborate (Zackary Drucker= A. L. Steiner) to produce staged photographic tableaux wherein their bodies are positioned in opposition of traditional gendered representations.  The digital video animations of Deanna Erdmann collapse time by weaving together found and original footage in specific sequences.  In her latest work, a tranquil river voyage shot on a trip to Southeast Asia unfolds as a mesmerizing Rorschach test.  Folklore, cultures of fluid or interchangeable gender, self-representation and psychedelia are threads connecting Matt Greene’s earlier paintings to the new work on view here, featuring stark ghoulish figures set against dark fields.