Closing Reception: Political Animals - Categorically Not

Please join us this Sunday March 27, for the closing reception of Evolution/Revolution: The Interconnectedness of All Beings and Categorically Not, the occasional series of discussions of art, science and "whatnot" hosted by KC Cole. This week's topic is "Political Animals" an examination of politics in the realms of art, activism and close primate relatives.

The discussion includes guerrilla artist Robbie Conal, Jim Lafferty the executive director of the LA chapter of the National Lawyers Guild, and USC Anthropologist Amy Parish.

Date & Time:

Sunday March 27, 2011  5 – 8 PM (Program starts at 6:30)

Location:

Santa Monica Art Studios – Arena 1 Gallery

3026 Airport Avenue Santa Monica, CA 90405

The event is FREE. We e ask for a small donation (suggested amount is $7.00) to cover expenses.

Please RSVP to 310 397 7449 or sabine@santamonicaartstudios.com

Politics has been around longer than people. In fact, just about every living thing on Earth is engaged in some kind of power grab—the better to survive, reproduce, make the world safe for our progeny and, with any luck, evolve. Politics usually means trouble because goals can clash. So we do our best to manipulate, coerce and persuade—using intimate conversation and mass media, art and song, law and government, and all too often, violence. For this month’s Categorically Not! we’ll examine politics in the realms of art, activism and close primate relatives.

Jim Lafferty, executive director of the LA chapter of the National Lawyers Guild—an association of lawyers, law students and legal workers who give their time to protect the rights of ordinary folks—wonders whether there’s a future for the political activism in the U.S. What happens when governments chill free speech for all but the bravest and most committed; when the Supreme court decides corporations are more important than people; when concentrations of money, power and media make mass movements all but impossible. Is the human political animal obsolete in our country?

Change often requires what Robbie Conal would call Art Attack. “America’s foremost street artist” according to the Washington Post, Robbie’s posters skewering politicians, bureaucrats, and “other people dangerous to democracy and the future of rock'n'roll” have lined the streets of major cities; he’s the subject of the documentary “Post No Bills” and recipient of a NEA individual artist’s grant (he holds an MFA from Stanford). Featured in venues ranging from The Wall Street Journal to "Charlie Rose,” Robbie’s work will be on display at the hangar, along with his book: “Not Your Typical Political Animal.”

Humans aren't the only political animals, of course. USC Anthropologist Amy Parish will discuss politics among other species, especially our closest living relatives--chimps and bonobos. As Amy's research has revealed, bonobo societies are dominated by females, who control access to everything from food to mating. Such a political landscape challenges many popular assumptions about human evolution—including the “natural”  political order of things. At USC, Amy teaches classes on Darwin and culture, ethical issues in health and "Love, Marriage, and the Experience of Being a Wife.”

About the Exhibition

Evolution Revolution: the Interconnectedness of All Beings is curated by Karen Fiorito and features the work of William Wegman, Robbie Conal, Sue Coe, Gee Vaucher, Peter Kuper, Yuri Shimojo, Emek, Cole Gerst, Jonathan Horowitz, and Karen Fiorito with a video installation by Pouya Afshar. Presented by Buddha Cat Press, SOCIARTS and Santa Monica Art Studios,

The mission of this exhibition and forum is to use art to open new dialogues and explore human perceptions about nature and the environment, awakening and inviting people to make more conscious decisions about their food, clothing, pet and lifestyle choices. The exhibition also includes a vibrant forum of artists, activists, educators, filmmakers and thinkers, who focus on the subject of animal liberation.