Just as poets will write for several decades and have a volume entitled “New & Selected Poems,” visual artists who have produced an intriguing body of work deserve to have a major retrospective at least once, if not also a second and instance, in their lifetimes. One artist who might well have been granted such concentrated attention is Kathi Flood. A combination of things has worked to forestall such an exhibition, not the least of which was the pandemic. Covid-19, of course, altered the lives of tens of millions of people in the United States in ways that can never be recuperated, so Flood is hardly alone in that dispiriting interruption.
Nevertheless, as artistic social life begins to acclimate itself to the stupendous technological changes of the past quarter-century, it would behoove a major gallery to at the very least make her one of the featured artists of a retrospective of some sort. Among all the activities of human consciousness, art has a singular capacity to defamiliarize the hypnotic allure of the present tense; it’s all too easy to succumb to the whiplash messages of our individual inadequacies when confronted with the indefatigable dismissals of our self-worth. Kathi Flood’s jaunty collages and assemblages create an environment that pulls out of that tailspin and revivifies our internal landscape with the poignancy of our cherished yearnings. How, in fact, do we manage to hold out against the bullying odds of what is construed to be a zero sum game? Resistance involves minor moves, the kind only an adept guerrilla sociologist can bring about.
The Long Beach Museum of Art takes pride in having been part of the first breakout points.of the work associated with the Woman’s Bouse project that led to the establishment of the Woman’s Building in Los Angeles. LBMA would be a perfect venue to present a retrospective of Flood’s work.
ARTIST’S STATEMENT
My work offers colorful narratives about urban life, much of it specific to Los Angeles. I categorize and comment on local issues such as traffic patterns, over-development, qualities that define a city, and the architecture of Los Angeles. I use sociology and psychology to consider contemporary issues such as telemarketers, surveillance, the complexity of modern life, relationships and communication, consumerism and excessive materialism, fashion, the evolution of media, politics, adjusting to the Electronic Age, the quality of our medical care, psychotherapy, the development of language, school cultures, and art marketing in Los Angeles.
As a guerrilla sociologist, I make farcical, narrative assemblages, wallworks and installations that heroicize the sweaty, vulnerable, fumbling, stuttering, impulsive aspects of humanity in the face of corporate globalization and its resultant dehumanizing effects. I chew on issues that threaten our self-reliance, such as surveillance, demographic over-quantification and standardization. I work tongue-in-cheek, and employ worthy objects, objects with a rugged complexion and empathetic potential.
My process embraces my affection for Americana as a symbol of desired values – a powerful work ethic, the responsibility to be an active citizen, and attention to community. I hunt and gather antique supports, ephemera and worn objects in backroad antique malls, gutters, and auto junk yards. I use lots of text, fibers, photography, etchings, and drawings to shape bombastic tales about bad drivers, singles ads, overstimulation, our quest for privacy, undrivable mall parking lots, grassroots politics, and the qualities it takes to maintain a creative life.
I aim to describe the richness and absurdity of urban life today, to catalyze reflection. I want to encourage everyone to tell their stories, to soften the frustration and isolation that we feel, and to infuse a poetic trance back into this impatient world.
— Kathi Flood
Website: https://www.KathiFlood.com
About Bill Mohr