Artists in Residence: 1-31 October, 1999
Due to be screened: January 2000
Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster and Ange Leccia were Artists in Residence with Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibition during the month of October, 1999, in conjunction with 01 . While in residency, Gonzalez-Foerster and Leccia began principle production on their collaborative film Gold, (previously titled Abstraction Valley), to be screened by Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions upon its completion. During their residency Gonzalez-Foerster and Leccia presented sevral lectures which were be held on October 5 at 7:30 p.m. at Art Center College of Design, on October 6 at 7:30 pm at the Santa Monica Museum of Art, and on October 28 at 6:30 p.m. at the Museum of Contemporary Art.
Gold is a project of psycho-geographical investigations. Beautifully shot on location in desert regions throughout the southwest, Gold alludes to the seductive lure of the American west and its history of speculation and spectacle. Leccia and Gonzalez-Foerster weave a visual fabric of color, pacing, sound, and movement, and by exploring narrative and character through the abstraction and contradiction of traditional filmic devices.
Similar to Hilton International’s appropriation of Paris, France for the purpose of a Las Vegas hotel and casino, (recall those Vincente Minnelli-esque commercials, where crews of movers strip the streets of all signs-Parisian), Gonzalez-Foerster and Leccia remind the viewer that an understanding of location, of place, of history, and ultimately, of identity, are tentatively predicated on signifiers that are as mobile as stage props.
The artists return to Los Angeles to present the premiere screening of their collaborative film Gold. The film project began last October through a residency sponsored by Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions, in conjunction with the Côte Ouest exhibitions and the French Ministry of Cultural Affairs, will be premiered in Hollywood.
