Interdiscipline

Interdisciplinary is a very good word; I am thinking reading the description of the work of Michael Arcega’s, the “Collections Connections” artist of the quarter (Not sure how their timing works) at De Young. One of my favorite pals Sally drove up the coast with my favorite honorary nephew, Leo, so we could check out what was new at the museum and hang out on Sunday. Arcega moved to LA from Manila as a 10-year-old, and the sculptures and installations he’s showing as part of his “Homing Pidgin” exhibit at De Young get at the collisions and fusions and mish-mashes of European-Indigenous cultures. “Hybrid objects,” much of his work was termed: “Sporks,” a map of Oceana made of Spam (note the anagram) and pushpins, whimsically carved wooden “war” clubs transcending their usual violent use. His work got at the fusion of influences—be they cultural, spiritual, musical or professional—that most people I know are working with at some level. My two-year old friend and me liked the stained glass-like window frames (above) that managed to merge the look of a church’s stained glass and island iconography while creating a nice optical effect, as well as the “Dance Club” which lit up, emitted a club mix and gave us an excuse to dance....as a ps, I had to show you this shot of Sally, me and her brother way back when...