2019 Felix Gonzalez-Torres Foundation Grant Recipients Present Work, Travel Experiences

Chan 1

Casey Chan examined public restrooms and culture in China through the Felix Gonzalez-Torres Foundation Travel Grant. | Image: Courtesy of the artist

Chan 2

Casey Chan examined public restrooms and culture in China through the Felix Gonzalez-Torres Foundation Travel Grant. | Image: Courtesy of the artist

Chan 3

Casey Chan examined public restrooms and culture in China through the Felix Gonzalez-Torres Foundation Travel Grant. | Image: Courtesy of the artist

Reyes 1

Jorge Alexeis Reyes examined the regulation of artistic production in Cuba through the Felix Gonzalez-Torres Foundation Travel Grant. | Image: Courtesy of the artist

Reyes 2

Jorge Alexeis Reyes examined the regulation of artistic production in Cuba through the Felix Gonzalez-Torres Foundation Travel Grant. | Image: Courtesy of the artist

Reyes 3

Jorge Alexeis Reyes examined the regulation of artistic production in Cuba through the Felix Gonzalez-Torres Foundation Travel Grant. | Image: Courtesy of the artist

Reyes 4

Jorge Alexeis Reyes examined the regulation of artistic production in Cuba through the Felix Gonzalez-Torres Foundation Travel Grant. | Image: Courtesy of the artist

On Monday, Oct. 28, from 6:30-8:30 pm in CalArts’ F200 classroom, the 2019 recipients of the Felix Gonzalez-Torres Foundation Travel Grant — Casey Chan (Art BFA 20) and Jorge Alexeis Reyes (Art MFA 20) — present their research and projects funded by the awards. The event is open to the Institute and refreshments will be served. 

The Felix Gonzalez-Torres Foundation awarded grants to Chan and Reyes earlier this year to fund domestic or international travel to pursue their artistic projects.

This past summer, Chan traveled to Beijing to continue research on her project, which according to Chan, examines “the ongoing development of the sanitation of public toilets in China and the relationship of architectural design to communist ideals of simplicity, functionalism, and working-class sensibilities.” The artist is particularly interested in examining how various countries approach public bathrooms and how culture influences social behaviors in these spaces. While in Beijing, she conducted a walking tour of public bathrooms in high traffic tourist areas. She also documented her research through written records, drawings and photos. 

Reyes traveled to Cuba during the final weeks of the 2019 Havana Biennial to examine the effects of Decree 349, a law that went into effect in December 2018 that strictly regulates artistic production in the country. Reyes was born in Cuba and this was his first time returning to the country in 30 years. For his project, he documented how Decree 349 affects intercultural communication between independent artists and state-recognized artists. Reyes also investigated how state control of cultural activity operates against cultural production.

Established in 2014 with a five-year commitment from the Felix Gonzalez-Torres Foundation, the travel grant is named for artist Felix Gonzalez-Torres, who taught at CalArts in 1990, and whose work often referenced concepts of travel and the potential for meaning to unfold in changing settings and locations. The award supports projects that reflect student artists’ interests and creative ambitions in the broadest sense.

—by Cathy Akers, Office of Advancement