MAMx Presents Slanguage: Chicos Pero Locos
LAXART - 7000 Santa Monica Blvd, W Hollywood, CA, 90038
MAMx provides an opportunity for MAM to broaden its curatorial, artistic & educational reach. Its inaugural exhibition is Slanguage: Chicos Pero Locos.
Slanguage: Chicos Pero Locos opens in W Hollywood then makes its way to San Antonio (dates TBA). Los Angeles-based internationally-known artist-run collective Slanguage Studio honors California-based artists in Chicos Pero Locos which plays with the traditional meaning of this colloquial Spanish phrase valuing artistic quality over quantity. In true with their nature, & emphasizing the value of marginalized narratives, small independent artists & collectives, Slanguage artists chose to use a variety of mediums to explore their individual practice. A multi-faceted, diverse age group of artists made up of senior artists & younger generations of art students, they touch upon issues of identity, the urban environment & personal histories.
Chicos Pero Locos Artists: Valerie J. Bower, Karla Diaz, Mickey Lee Everett, Daniel Gibson, Cynthia Lujan, Monica A. Martinez, Felix F. Quintana, Gloria Sanchez, Marlene Tafoya, Eris De La Torre & Mario Ybarra, Jr.. Chicos Pero Locos will exhibit from June 4-July 9 in W Hollywood then travel to San Antonio (dates TBA). Artwork will be on sale & proceeds benefit the artists, MINI ART MUSEUM & Slanguage Studio.
Slanguage Studio
Founded in 2002 by Karla Diaz and Mario Ybarra, Jr., Slanguage is an artist group headquartered in Wilmington, California, a harbor area of Los Angeles. Currently, members make artwork, curate exhibitions, coordinate events & lead art-education workshops. A diverse group at various points in their careers, Slanguage includes teenagers, street artists & established mid to late-career artists, the majority of whom live & work in the greater Los Angeles area.
Slanguage bases their practice on a 3-pronged approach to art-making to include education, community-building & interactive exhibitions. Focusing on art education, the collective has organized numerous artist residencies in museums across the United States & abroad. Fostering dialog about the meaning & value of contemporary art, Slanguage uses their studio space & resources to cultivate relationships between diverse artists, students, communities & organizations. Artwork ranges from multimedia installations to performances, public events & workshops. The collective enriches, inspires & provokes viewers’ imaginations through exhibitions across the world.
Slanguage’s projects include Engagement Party, a three-month residency with the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (2009); Sweeney Tate (2007) for the Tate Modern, London; & The Peacock Doesn’t See Its Own Ass/Let’s Twitch Again: Operation Bird Watching in London (2006) for the Serpentine Gallery, London. In 2009, the collective hosted workshops at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, as part of the Slanguage Teen Art Council. For more information please visit slanguagestudio.com or follow Slanguage on Instagram: slanguagestudio.
