New Media at OCCCA 11/24

I had not run across the OCCCA gallery before and was very hopeful when I saw the title “New Media” with the promise of many interesting video works. I found myself disappointed, however, by what I didn’t see. What I didn’t see were many things turned on correctly, or even at all, and other pieces in a various state of working. Putting on a new media show is a good noble cause, but I would rather not have work up than it not working. The art community would not allow paintings to be displayed in an “almost finished” form nor would a sculpture under construction be acceptable either. However, always in shows with media it there are works either not working at fault of the artist or the fault of the gallery staff. In this day and age it is not acceptable. The only thing of note was a video by Deva Eveland, part of a sub curated online exhibition by Humberto Ramirez. The video is a real time endurance work where tiny little flags are painstakingly forced into the crevices of the mouth of the featured performer. You can’t look away, but you cant stop as the symbol for the USA becomes a literal source of pain. Unfortunately, the artists who are part of the online part of the exhibition are not indicated in the publicity for the show. I hope that the OCCCA continues to have new media shows but, in the future, holds up there part of the art bargain, by working harder at having art that is really truly “there” instead of a place holder for what the artist would intended.