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Alter Space
December 6 - January 10, 2015Info
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http://alterspace.co/
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(415) 735-1158
Alter Space presents Self Illuminated, a new installation in the Peephole Gallery by Christina La Sala. Self Illuminated is a telescopic view to 1930s middle class American culture through a 21st century lens. Serving as a collector of words and an interpreter of the esoteric, La Sala takes joy in examining conventions and language. With the aid of The Giant Quiz Book from 1938, a text that the artist found at a flea market, she postulates and expounds on its details:
Q: Can a person ever actually see his own face?
A: No, only a reflection or a picture of his face.
In a contemporary context the poetic quality of such a combination of question and answer can make one wonder what the author of such a book was really trying to inspire. The book is situated in a long tradition of language based games like riddles, anagrams and trivia that use information and language to reflect the interests and concerns of a culture. In Self Illuminated, La Sala asks, “What can we learn from The Giant Quiz Book?” This propels her to explore the possibility of illumination through assemblage, dioramas, and light, offering interpretations on questions from the book. Accompanying the installation, La Sala has included printed quizzes that allow viewers to experience their own forms of self illumination.
Christina La Sala is a San Francisco based artist and educator who has exhibited nationally and internationally. She holds a BFA from the Tyler School of Art, with emphasis in Glass and Art History, as well as a MFA in New Genres from the San Francisco Art Institute. La Sala has been an artist in residence at The Headlands Center for the Arts, The Hermit Foundation in the Czech Republic, and Elsewhere in Greensboro, North Carolina. Her diverse background lies in her love of craft, history, and investigation. La Sala has experience in set and costume design for theatre, film, and dance, as well as in art restoration and conservation, both of which are apparent through her meticulous creation of immersive collections. La Sala is currently the chair of the Individualized Department at the California College of the Arts. She states that her studio practice maintains a balance between research, process, and invention.