How to Remain Human
Mary Ann Aitken, Derf Backderf, Cara Benedetto, Christi Birchfield, Dadpranks, Kevin Jerome Everson, Ben Hall, Jae Jarrell, Harris Johnson, Jimmy Kuehnle, d.a. levy, Michelangelo Lovelace, Dylan Spaysky, Carmen Winant
Curated by Rose Bouthiller, Megan Lykins Reich and Elena Harvey Collins
Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland, June 15 - September 5, 2015
... & everyday i sit here / trying to become one of you / after another / trying on those high school dreams / for size / it doesnt work / you dont fit me / as a poet i try to learn / how to remain human / despite technology / & there is no one to learn from / i am still too young to / be quiet & contemplative ...
—d.a. levy, excerpt from “SUBURBAN MONASTERY DEATH POEM,” 1968
How to Remain Human is both a question and a proposition. The question points to all that de-humanizes, the challenges and breakages that divide people and make the way forward unclear. The proposition suggests that there are ways to re-imagine, practice, and hold on to our humanity.
This exhibition is MOCA Cleveland’s second iteration of a bi-annual series featuring artists connected to Cleveland and the surrounding region, including neighboring cities in Ohio, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. These shows bring together emerging and established artists, some with deep histories in the region, others who have arrived from elsewhere. The goal is to reflect critically on contemporary art that comes out of, or passes through, particular places, here or nearby. We say particular as opposed to certain, because we are not working from a strict definition or geographical boundary. “The region” is equal parts geo-political, social, and psychological. It regularly shifts and transforms. Realization is Better than Anticipation (2013) was MOCA Cleveland’s first exhibition built from this vantage point, and it generated a topology for ongoing inquiry.
How to Remain Human continues the conversation with 14 artists working across a variety of media, including painting, sculpture, film and video, performance, fashion design, sound, and architectural installation. They share a need to make, in order to question, clarify, or understand life. They explore various ways of acting in and experiencing the world, examining how we can go on, relate, and be.
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Excerpt from “Introduction,” Rose Bouthillier and Megan Lykins Reich, How to Remain Human, moCa Cleveland, 2015. Download the complete catalogue here.
Mary Ann Aitken, Untitled, 2010-11, oil, sand, and paper on canvas, 11 1/4 x 14 inches.
d.a. levy, Agent from Vega H.S., 1967, collage, 8 1/2 x 6 inches. Courtesy of the d.a. levy Collection, Cleveland State University Library.
Michelangelo Lovelace Sr., Katrina Aftermath, 2006, acrylic on canvas, 50 1/2X 53 inches.
Jae Jarrell, Urban Wall Suit, c. 1969, sewn and painted cotton and silk, two-piece suit, 37 1/2 x 27 1/2 x 10 inches. Collection of the Brooklyn Museum.
Carmen Winant, A World Without Men (detail), 2015, collage on wall, 14 x 18 feet.
Kevin Jerome Everson, Grand Finale, 2015, still from HD video, 00:04:41. Courtesy of the artist; Trilobite Arts-DAC; Picture Palace Pictures. Copyright Kevin Jerome Everson.
Derf Backderf, excerpt from Trashed (detail), 2015, pen and ink, spot color, 11 x 14 inches.
dadpranks, 2014, screenshots from HD video.
Harris Johnson, American Ramble, 2015, acrylic paint on wall. Installation view, MOCA Cleveland.