This week we paid a studio visit to My Barbarian Malik Gaines. Besides his performative work, teaching at CalArts, writing, and getting a Ph.D. at UCLA, Malik also has curated several shows at places like LA>. He also curated Fade (1990-Present): African American Artists in Los Angeles, a Survey Exhibition, and has an upcoming showof text-based art at the Armory in Pasadena. This was the first curator that we talked to that didn't see his curatorial work as his primary practice. What was also different was that many of his past projects were themed shows that somehow related to his own interests and existence as a African-American gay performance artist/writer. He seemed to get pulled into some of these projects rather than shows coming to fruition based on his own inertia. His life seems incredibly overwhelming with all the hats he wears, and it seems like his curatorial work will play a minor role until he graduates.
I liked what he had to say about the upcoming show at the Armory in the Spring, with his interest in the bifurcation in the art world (in the mid-90's) between political work and work interested in beauty and the sublime.
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