Collective Responses to the Anonymous Pictures from the Files of Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions on the Occasion of its 20th Anniversary

May 5 – July 7, 1998

In a unique twist, this exhibition was assembled collaboratively by a group of artists who live in Los Angeles but are not professionally associated with the city and are not thought of as “Los Angeles artists.” The artists selected the images and chose the presentation of the images in terms of size, digital manipulation, and format. The artists’ unfamiliarity with the organization’s history allowed them to consider the images in terms of what was visually arresting, lyrical or just plain curious. The show is meant to enhance the idea that the history of Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions is not just one voice but that of many. The exhibition represents a desire to mount a non-traditional, unconventional historical show and is meant to encourage the viewer’s response to its history as well as discussion about its future.