Tony Labat History Cuban multimedia and installation artist
Tony Labat
History ● ● ● Cuban multimedia and installation artist Born in 1951 in Cuba Lives and works in San Francisco He received his BFA and his MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute, where he later taught at He is currently Chair of New Genres of the San Francisco Art Institute He has exhibited internationally over the last 25 years, developing a body of work in Performance, Video, Sculpture and Installation. His work has dealt with investigations of the body, popular culture, identity, urban relations, politics, and the media.
As an installation artists his work often identifies the outsider, whether it’s as the artist or the immigrant. He makes frequent commentary on displacement and marginalization and his art reflects that.
Peace Roll 2006 ● Sculpture, Performance piece ● Made with wood, rubber, paint, with a small flatscreen/DVD video of a waterfall on loop, color, and sounds ● 55” diameter x 6” ● The white symbolizes purity of peace and wholeness ● The peace symbol is tilted in a slightly upward fashion gesturing towards the DVD player
I Want You 2008 ● ● ● Held live auditions Tony asked Bay Area residents to make their own demands of the public in live performances. Five winners were chosen, and their slogans appeared on posters around town At least fifty sloganeers turned up for round one to deliver their I Want You imperatives to Tony and his team of judges The bound, wailing creature was one of the more curious and dramatic of the auditions but definitely not the only one to leave an impression There was a lot of half-nudity, a lot of enviro-positive, a sex-positive demand, and a small amount of sloganeering directly addressing the upcoming presidential election http: //www. flickr. com/photos/23162340@N 02/sets/72157607134957097/
Untitled spring line 2012 http: //anglimgilbertgallery. com/tony-labat/#ms-459 ● ● ● Bright, colorful with a lot going on Patterns and textures Asymmetrical design Identifying with the outsider Model he chose
● Poverty ● Hard work ● "For me, Cuba isn't just a place, ” he says. “Cuba is an attitude––my body. It is everything somatic that exists in me. “Now I am here in Copacabana” he continues, “and I am looking out at the Brazilian countryside, this beautiful Brazilian landscape that is beautiful. And I don't want to be anywhere else. . . aside from here. That's also Cuba isn't just a place: it is an experience, and it is also an attitude. "
Tony Labat’s artwork has inspired me to dig deep and truly express how I view the world with my art. I enjoy that he works with many different mediums to convey his vision and aspire to do the same.
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