Edgar Arceneaux
(b. 1972)Edgar Arceneaux uses such materials as glass shards, cloth, and steel to address the disjointed natures of self-understanding and the creation of historical narratives.
Biography
Arceneaux grew up listening to his mother tell stories about his grandfather—his namesake, a painter, and an inventor. From a young age, Arceneaux recalls being fascinated by philosophical questions about how to both emulate his beloved relative and make a name for himself.
In the 1990s, as a graduate student at CalArts at a time when identity-focused art was expected from artists of color, Arceneaux maintained a conceptually focused practice: “I was told to make work about my race, but I was more interested in epistemology.”1 Since then, he has sought to create art using familiar imagery that fosters conversation regarding the dualities of history, memory, erasure, and reformation.
In his drawings, videos, performances, and installations, disparate subject matter, such as elements of science fiction, speeches and records of the civil rights movement, and architecture of urban environments, come together. He uses such materials as glass shards, cloth, and steel to address the disjointed natures of self-understanding and the creation of historical narratives. He has also collaborated extensively with other artists, including Charles Gaines and Rodney McMillian. In addition to his creative practice, Arceneaux served as Director of the Watts House Project from 1999 to 2012, where he oversaw efforts to remodel a series of houses surrounding the Watts Towers.
Arceneaux earned a BFA from the Art Center College of Design and MFA from CalArts, and also studied at the Fachhochschule Aachen and Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. His work has been supported by organizations such as Creative Capital, the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, and the Mike Kelley Foundation. The Studio Museum has presented his work in exhibitions such as Edgar Arceneaux: Drawings of Removal (2002); The Bearden Project (2011–12); and The Shadows Took Shape (2013–14).
Exhibitions and Events
Edgar Arceneaux
(b. 1972)Edgar Arceneaux uses such materials as glass shards, cloth, and steel to address the disjointed natures of self-understanding and the creation of historical narratives.
Sagittarius, 2008
Biography
Arceneaux grew up listening to his mother tell stories about his grandfather—his namesake, a painter, and an inventor. From a young age, Arceneaux recalls being fascinated by philosophical questions about how to both emulate his beloved relative and make a name for himself.
In the 1990s, as a graduate student at CalArts at a time when identity-focused art was expected from artists of color, Arceneaux maintained a conceptually focused practice: “I was told to make work about my race, but I was more interested in epistemology.”1 Since then, he has sought to create art using familiar imagery that fosters conversation regarding the dualities of history, memory, erasure, and reformation.
In his drawings, videos, performances, and installations, disparate subject matter, such as elements of science fiction, speeches and records of the civil rights movement, and architecture of urban environments, come together. He uses such materials as glass shards, cloth, and steel to address the disjointed natures of self-understanding and the creation of historical narratives. He has also collaborated extensively with other artists, including Charles Gaines and Rodney McMillian. In addition to his creative practice, Arceneaux served as Director of the Watts House Project from 1999 to 2012, where he oversaw efforts to remodel a series of houses surrounding the Watts Towers.
Arceneaux earned a BFA from the Art Center College of Design and MFA from CalArts, and also studied at the Fachhochschule Aachen and Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. His work has been supported by organizations such as Creative Capital, the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, and the Mike Kelley Foundation. The Studio Museum has presented his work in exhibitions such as Edgar Arceneaux: Drawings of Removal (2002); The Bearden Project (2011–12); and The Shadows Took Shape (2013–14).
Exhibitions and Events