CalArtians in Pomona College Museum of Art’s R.S.V.P. Los Angeles

Naotaka Hiro, ‘Four-Legged (Toe to Heel),’ detail, cast aluminum, 65 in. x 18 in. x 20 in., 2014. | Courtesy of the artist and Brennan & Griffin, New York

Pomona College Museum of Art celebrates the 50th anniversary of its Project Series with the exhibit R.S.V.P. Los Angeles, on view through Dec. 19.

Michael Decker, ‘Black and Decker,’ found cardboard boxes, PVA, and museum board on hardwood panel, 96 in. x 66 in., 2014.

For the milestone year of the forward-thinking exhibition series, the curators asked former featured Project Series artists—including CalArts alumni Christina Fernandez (Art MFA 96) and Hirokazu Kosaka (Chouinard 70) and School of Art faculty Charles Gaines—to each nominate two emerging or lesser-known artists based in the Los Angeles area whose work contributes to the vibrant contemporary-art dialogue.

Of the seven artists chosen for the exhibition, three of them are CalArts alumni: Nikki Pressley (Art MFA 08), Michael Decker (Art BFA 05) and Naotaka Hiro (Film/Video MFA 00). Rounding out the roster are Justin Cole, Wakana Kimura, Aydinaneth Ortiz and Michael Parker.

From the museum’s website:

Their work includes drawing, installation, photography, sculpture, social practice art, sound art, and video. The content of the work is equally varied; a photographic exploration of Detroit and its hidden cultural histories, explorations of the body in beeswax, unraised Egyptian obelisks, found objects from California thrift shops, Japanese mythology and the difficulties of translation, the liminal space between landscape and domestic interiors, and deeply personal stories of loss and redemption.

A publication designed by Kimberly Varella (Art MFA 99), featuring prints and text by the artists, has been published concurrently with the exhibition.

Pomona College Museum of Art’s Project Series focuses on emerging and underrepresented Southern California artists. It brings experimental art that introduces innovative forms, techniques and concepts to the campus.