LOVE, EMAEL

THE LAST AMERICAN ICON: June 17 & 20, 2008

emael — Mon, 12 May 2008 08:01:00 GMT

BOOK SIGNING AND READING

Tuesday, 17 June 2008: 7:00 PM. @ Modern Times Bookstore
888 Valencia Street, San Francisco

A 21st CENTURY HAPPENING

Friday, 20 June 2008: 5:00 to 8:00 PM. @ The SF LGBT Center
Ceremonial Room & Roof Terrace, 1800 Market Street @ Octavia

As part of the 2008 National Queer Arts Festival, emael (loveemael.com) and Diego Pacheco (postminimal.com) invite you to enjoy rooftop cocktails on the summer solstice in celebration of their first book, The Last American Icon. Recognized by San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom as an "outstanding professional achievement," the book is offered as a guide to help the reader meditate daily on living together peacefully on this planet.

If you have been searching for a completely new urban ritual, join us for this unique event. Expect to come aboard a living vessel that will host visual stimulation and a freeform mix of techno & house music, with doses of glitch, pop, and new wave by dj space_mike. Wearable objects, costumes galore and avant-garde fashion are strongly encouraged.

Vodka, wine and hors d'oeuvres will be served.

QCC Event Listing

The Last American Icon (My first book)

emael — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 09:06:00 GMT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

"[emael's] outstanding professional achievement, The Last American Icon
clearly communicates the human value of harmony and integrity that San
Francisco strives to inspire in the world."

~San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom

THE HOUSE OF EMAEL is pleased to announce its first published book, THE
LAST AMERICAN ICON. Beautifully merging art theory with a daily
meditation practice, THE LAST AMERICAN ICON was conceived and developed
to address the specific needs of people in the face of vague and
changing times.

Formerly known as Ernesto Arellano, emael legally assumed his present
name as a cultural strategy in 1998 while completing an MFA in New
Genres at the San Francisco Art Institute. He recently completed his
first book with Diego Pacheco titled, THE LAST AMERICAN ICON: a
meditation guide, where he wrote a haiku a day coincidently the year
that the World Trade Center was destroyed. emael and Mr. Pacheco first
met at UC Berkeley in 1990 and have been friends since then.

Excerpts from THE LAST AMERICAN ICON were first published under a
working title, A HAIKU A DAY, with an introduction by Performance Artist
Guillermo Gómez-Peña in The Drama Review from MIT Press in 2003. After
the publishing rights were released in 2006, emael asked Mr. Pacheco if
he would be interested in designing the book; he accepted the challenge
and designed the graphics for the book based on the lunar calendar of
that year. The results are truly fantastic and signal a future of
groundbreaking projects from this pair that are fun, provocative, and
bold.

Here's to welcoming a perfect future. May your days be filled with
happiness, beauty, and peace.

-----

THE LAST AMERICAN ICON

preview the book now:
http://stores.lulu.com/perfect-future

http://myspace.com/the_last_american_icon

Chicana/o Biennial Performance @ MACLA

emael — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 06:33:00 GMT

MACLA Presents:
Chicana/o Biennial Performance Art Night
featuring new work by emael and Nao Bustamante
Thursday, August 23, 7pm
Admission: $5-10, sliding scale
@ Castellano Playhouse/ MACLA
510 S. 1st Street
San José

Un Hombre en la Obscuridad by emael

In the aftermath of his prior work, Performance Art Direct, a four year endurance piece, and the recent success of The Last American Icon, emael ponders what it means to be Chicano. Much of emael’s performance work has had to do with resistance, about occupying space as a "Mexican-American" and dealing with the ignorance of a rather misinformed power structure. Exploring the political realities of the word Chicano, an identity born out of a struggle, he ponders the future by asking a series of questions. Will the struggle ever be over? If the struggle ends, will we call ourselves something else? Have we internalized "the struggle" as an eternal obligation/preoccupation? Un Hombre en la Obscuridad is a site-specific performance inspired by these questions and a desire to cultivate joy in the world.

About emael

emael es de Los Angeles, nacido por padres Mexicanos. Since 1995, his work has primarily focused on performance as spiritual journey and the body as site for ritual exploration. Mapping/documenting this voyage has become increasing challenging in recent years, as formalizing life as art suggests a 24/7 model that is only presently unavailable. Until this is possible, emael spends his time learning to live well and writing. From 2002 to 2006, emael wore a uniform made of hemp canvas as part of a project called Performance Art Direct. As part of a daily art practice, nothing other than the uniforms were worn in this four year period, be it in private appearances or in public performances. He finished the project with a tri-city tour of Manhattan, Mexico City and Los Angeles in 2006. emael has received critical acclaim for his work, and Performance Art Direct was highlighted in Visiones, a PBS documentary on Latino art and culture. For more information see www.loveemael.com

PLEASE NOTE: No flash photography, lights from personal phones or other lcd screens allowed.

Given Over to Want by Nao Bustamante

Given Over to Want is an ongoing conversation within Nao’s larger repertoire of performance works. Sculpting the body with tape, shadow-play and boxed wine all provide material for the exploration between human want, both natural and contrived. The performance deals with the themes of transformation and desire. The image is as primordial as it is hungry and holy, both fully human and fully alien. The performance is approximately 30 minutes in length and there is an installation remnant left in the space.

About Nao Bustamante

Nao Bustamante is an internationally known performance and video artist originating from the San Joaquin Valley of California. Her work encompasses performance art, sculpture, installation and video. Bustamante has presented in Galleries, Museums, Universities and underground sites. Her work has been exhibited, among other sites at, the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Arts, and the Kiasma Museum of Helsinki. In 2001 she received the prestigious Anonymous Was a Woman fellowship. Currently she is living in Los Angeles and holds the position as Associate Professor of New Media and Live Art at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. For more information see www.naobustamante.com

The Chicana/o Biennial
@ MACLA/Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana
Exhibition: August 1 – September 22, 2007

MACLA is pleased to announce its second Chicana/o Biennial -- an exhibition and public forum conceived to take inventory of and invite reflection every two years on the continuously emergent energy, critical edge, and aesthetic interventions within contemporary Chicano art.

The Chicana/o Biennial is a juried exhibition featuring work by:

Nao Bustamante
Cristina Cantu Diaz
Martin Charlot
emael
Roberto Delgado
Quintin Gonzalez
Jaime Guerrero
Ester Hernandez
José Lizárraga
Annie Lopez
Gustavo Martinez
Jetro Martinez
Joaquin Alejandro Newman
Alejandro Oliva
Viviana (Viva) Paredes
Lydia Sanchez
Anna Salinas
Santos Shelton
Daniela Steinsapir
Rene Trujillo
Paul Valadez
Rosa Valdez
Deborah Kuetzpalin Vasquez

Over the last thirty-five years the field of Chicana/o art and scholarship has developed and expanded exponentially. As an art movement that developed alongside the Chicano civil rights struggles of 1960s and 1970s, Chicano art emerged in direct correlation to social change. Today, there are more points of view and subsequent artists contributing to this important movement of contemporary art, some of which are re-defining what it means to create “Chicana/o art” at this moment in time.

MACLA is looking to challenge the questions and concerns that are currently being brought forth in the contemporary art world. As such, this year’s biennial takes a thematic approach to by asking the following questions: 1) What are the pressing concerns at this moment in time? (politics) 2) What does Chicana/o art look like today? (aesthetics) 3) How do artists engage the community? (activism & organizing).

Exhibition dates: August 1 – September 22, 2007
Jurors
Isis Rodriguez, artist
Eugene Rodriguez, artist and professor of Art at De Anza Community College
Anjee Helstrup-Alvarez, MACLA’s Associate Director & Curator

For more information email biennial@maclaarte.org.

Image Credit:

Homie in a 40, Jaime Guerrero, glass and silver foil, 2005

ARTIST UNDER HOUSE ARREST FOR YOUR PLEASURE: 7 days later

emael — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 07:30:00 GMT

One week has passed since having completed this project at Queens Nails Annex, and I still have not reverted back to my normal way of life. Relax, this is a good thing. It's actually one of those things you strive for as an artist, where the work actually affects you as much as you would like for it to affect other people.

The entire process was brilliant. I could not have asked for a more supportive or professional group of people to have collaborated on this project with me. A big thank you to everyone who helped make this possible. IT WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED WITHOUT YOU!

While I was living under house arrest in the street-level front gallery of Queen's Nails Annex, I wrote brief daily reflections on my experiences and placed them in the window for people to read. I posted them alongside a sign with quote by San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom in regard to the work. I post these same items here for your pleasure.

Be well and enjoy.

THE LAST AMERICAN ICON

[emael's] outstanding professional achievement, The Last American Icon
clearly communicates the human value of harmony and integrity that San
Francisco strives to inspire in the world.

~ San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom

SATURDAY JULY 6th - WEDNESDAY JULY 11th

PERFORMANCES NIGHTLY FROM 8PM.
open space/mic to follow.

friday>>>july 6, 2007

gps> global positioning system.

i am presently on voluntary house arrest at queens nails annex. the stress of the install is over. i have developed a strange way of walking in only 12 hours of wearing the gps anklet. it is 2 am and i have not gone to bed for two reasons. 1. writing these words. 2. i am recharging the gps anklet. you literally have to connect it to an outlet through an extension cord.

a white stretch limo just passed my window moments after my friend iraya robles strolled by after leaving the club. i wonder if the limo people were as interested as iraya and friends or as disinterested as everyone else passing by at this hour. i want to go to bed. how soon is now? i am again reminded of morrissey/the smiths. i am presently listening to natacha atlas. my friend trilce santana left her dj equipment so i can plan/play to my heart's content. so what is the core of my work? is it to simply be the best living artist in the world today, or, do i simply use my art as an opportunity to hang out with my friends. i do it for both reasons, and as much as i have accomplished by now, it is simply not enough. i want more.

the evening was incredible. really. my capricorn tendencies simply can get in the way sometimes. it was beautiful, magical. thank you to those who made it possible. i love you.

saturday>>>july 7, 2007

there is always a question of how public you want your private life to be. i sit in here knowing that there is a certain immediacy to these words. they will be written. they will be printed. they will be placed in the gallery window in order to be shared with passersby. will this project be understood? will people care about this in the moment, or will they have to wait until someone else legitimizes the work for them? how would that be for irony? i would rather people understand the value of the work in the moment; this would mean so much more.

life on display. the idea makes me consider how safe it is to create work in one place, then turn around and release it into the world isolated from the actual experiencing of it. i can understand the allure of such a model. why? this project makes me feel vulnerable on every level. not only is it difficult to define what my goals are for the work, but the mere act of living/presenting art in such a manner leaves little space for anything else. although the outcome of being on house arrest for art is unclear, i have committed myself wholeheartedly to the project with the hope i will have learned how to make the world a better place. how is that for breaking with the stereotypes of what it means to be an important and vital artist living today? are people ready for what's to come? are people ready to embrace an artist seeking a meaningful way to be in the world? there is nothing to fear here, only a great opportunity to learn from one another. is there anything standing in our way?

sunday>>>july 8, 2007

this is my third evening sleeping in the gallery. it is funny. people are starting to bring their friends by to check out the artist on house arrest. what would be really cool is if they dared to stroll into the gallery. this would be great. in any case, i am happy to see that people are talking about what i am doing. may it reach the ears/eyes/minds of the right people.

my ritual right before going to sleep is two fold. 1: to write a few words about where my head is at, thanks to the suggestion of gallery director brian storts; and, 2: to recharge the gps anklet for the daily two hour minimum. i find the latter the most challenging. i wait until right before going to sleep for this because during the day i am too busy running around working on things that it is difficult to sit still plugged into the wall. i am also uncomfortable with the idea of falling asleep while plugged into an outlet. what if some freaky surge occurs while i am asleep? obviously, the belief is that if a strange occurrence would take place while i were awake, i would be able to do something about it. the more i sit with this, the more i realize that if some strange electrical surge would happen while i were awake, it still is very likely that i would not be able to do anything beyond consciously recognizing that the end was near...

the nightly performances have been incredible. i had forgotten how soul nourishment was a part of the criteria i used to plan the festival. it could do so many people an incredible amount of good.

monday>>>july 9, 2007

what does it mean to live without fear? without doubt? without regret? without hate? without anxiety? without stress? without that which keeps one locked in a joyless life? wouldn't that be a great thing to find out?

prior to beginning this piece, i thought i would be fasting while in here. i could not go through with it. i broke down emotionally. being on display for the public to see on top of an internal cleansing was a bit too much to handle. all i wanted to do was sleep or cry and i thought that that would not be cool. i needed to be building and not removing or breaking down. i wanted to bring people in and not further disenfranchise them. an internal cleanse means going inward and what i am doing is essentially going outward, making public that which i had been planning for a year. a time for cleansing will come later.

how are witnesses to this piece handling the energy? witnessing a man in captivity, even if in the name of art, is bound to raise some internal reactions. it has for me. it has made me understand the extent to which we give away our freedom on a daily basis.

the incredible healing we experienced here this evening has left me full of energy and excitement. i was tempted to end the project early as a result of the feeling that came over me. i soon realized, however, that if it had not been for the piece to begin with, the healing would not have occurred. let's see what else comes from this beautiful opportunity. hopefully more visitors!

tuesday>>>july 10, 2007
tonight is the last night i will be staying in the space. the piece ends tomorrow, july 11, at 11 pm. you could therefore say that this is the last night of the piece. i articulate this because the last time i completed a voluntary house arrest in the name of art, which at the time had lasted for 30 days, it had rained on the last night. it is raining tonight. this is a good sign.

it is difficult to articulate precisely how i feel. i am extremely thankful to everyone who made this project possible. i feel fortunate not only for having had the opportunity to present the work, but more importantly for all of the loving people who supported me through the process. from the queens nails annex community for accepting me into their space, to the nightly performers who helped me carry the torch, to the artists who contributed their incredible work, to the loyal friends who brought me my food and coffee, to the visionary sponsors for their creative spirit, to the countless visitors on both sides of the glass who have inspired as many smiles, and finally to the little chihuahua who made me realize that love truly is selfless - this would not have been possible without you. thank you.

if you are interested in finding out more about the last american icon, including information about the forthcoming book, please visit:

www.loveemael.com.

you will be glad you did.

THE LAST AMERICAN ICON: under house arrest

emael — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 07:30:00 GMT

THE LAST AMERICAN ICON
Sponsored in part by Bi-Rite Market and Mannequin Maddness

THE LAST AMERICAN ICON: July 6th - 11th @ Queen's Nails Annex
Home detention surveillance, fellow elders, post-911 human rights, poetic releases, internal interrogations, rare possibilities and shoe gazing surface for the Queen's Nails Annex Performance Series, The Professionals, with an exhibition, nightly events and a forthcoming book.

The exhibition highlights Performance Art Direct and the hemp canvas uniforms used exclusively in the project's four year period by the artist emael. Shown for the first time as a collection since the project's culmination on January 20, 2006, these uniforms will be accompanied by photographs, video, objects and legal documents that attempt to contextualize their place in the art world.

A performance festival revolves around a voluntary house arrest titled "(IN)BOUND: A Pop! Meditation on Life, Art and the Patriot Act." In this re-presentation of the work, emael will live in the gallery and host nightly performances by incredible Bay Area Artists for the length of the show.

This week at Queen's Nails Annex is not to be missed.

VISUAL WORK by: Jaime X. Cortez, Ted Jocson, Eduardo Luna, Dolissa Medina, Juanita MORE!, Diego J. Pacheco, Julia Reodica, Manuel Trujillo, Moriah Ulinskas, Susana Valdez, and Marilyn Yu.

RECEPTION
Friday, July 6th: from 8-11 pm,
with DJs Trilce & Kinetic, a special blessing by MamaCoAtl and a molecular (re)configuration by Caleb Duarte.

Queens Nail's Annex
3191 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
415 648 4564

Radio-signal anklet and home detention surveillance kindly facilitated by Alfredo Pedroza of the Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Services and the San Francisco Sheriff's Department.

P E R F O R M A N C E * S C H E D U L E
Doors open nightly at 7PM with performances starting at 8PM. Doors close at 11PM.

Saturday, July 7th
"A Visit by the Elders from the Dimension of IS"

As part of emael's retrospective, fellow elders (artists from (a)eromestiza and SpaceSuperStar) from the Dimension of IS will visit with the artist, who was also an elder from the Dimension of IS in a previous incarnation. They will sit and vibe with each other, perhaps engage in minor calisthenics, and join in communicine - a remnant ritual from MUVE, another previous work in which emael so beautifully collaborated with (a)eromestiza and SpaceSuperStar. The creatures will visit with the artist at some point during the hours of 8 and 9pm. For more information on MUVE and Dimension of IS, visit devilbunny.org.

Sunday, July 8th
Performance by Priya D. Mohan; accompanied by Musicians Randi Freemire and Freedom Bean.

Finding Human Connection in a Post-9/11 World- A Modern Song of Hope.
Join us for a soulful journey into the world of a Post-9/11 human rights lawyer, exploring the tension in reconciling violations through non-violent advocacy and compassion. In the face of seeing suffering through the eyes of another, Priya finds grounding and inspiration in breath, solitude and surrender. Over the years, creative expression has become an essential mechanism for recovery, revitalization and hope. In gratitude, she shares her stories as we build strength, and celebrate as a community.

Monday, July 9th
UNBINDINGS: a poetic release.

Energy swirls around creating realities thought out by the human mind, realities of joy and pain, energy does not discriminate. Humanity has collectively imagined this dream we see as hard reality impossible to change, however it all is nothing but invisible threads of emotion and thought. How does the Urban Shaman unthink or dissolve the energetic shackles that keep us in prison? Physical, legal, cultural, religious, economic...?

Lets journey together into the realm of PERFORMAGIC and create the space for UNBINDINGS: A poetic release in the name of all those in prison in California, come and get a healing, hold whole hearted space for a clearing of cosmic magnitude. If one light worker is capable of transforming the energy of ¾ of a million people who are unconscious, how many can we do if we were 20 hearts holding the intention?

This work is a collaboration between 5 San Francisco healers of different traditions.

Jorge Molina, a Native Peruvian Ritualist who incorporates ceremonial sounds and prayers from Indigenous wisdom throughout the Americas.
Marja West, from the Philippines, she is Mother of Absolute Balance Mastery, a cutting edge modality of energy work that efficiently unplugs the human body from artificial realities.
Maria Conlon, born in Canada, Maria is an eclectic healer, who works with ABM and the power of Stones, Angels and Ancestral guides.
Luis Vazquez, a Native Colombian, is a reiki master and works a Shamanic lineage with sound and sacred smoke.

Curated by MamaCoAtl,
Border Crossing Provocateur, she loves curing alternate realities into existence by the power of her wall collapsing Huarache.

Tuesday, July 10th
Eulipia Presents Internal Interrogations.

Eulipia explores alternative spaces within the diasporic spectrum through performance, sound, and sight. With a focus on lo-tech, neo-primitive/paleo-sophisticate, and invention outside the realms of conventional and mainstream expression, Eulipia becomes a destination for avant garde artists who revel in the collision of past, present and future, steel and wood, circuitry and artery, howl and song.
Featuring: Tan Khanh Cao, D.Scot Miller & Walter Kitundu.

Kitundu is a, sound/visual artist, graphic designer, composer and instrument builder. He uses an interdisciplinary approach to develop compositions-installations-instruments that blur the boundaries between media. He has constructed elemental turntables that rely on wood, water, fire and earthquakes for their power and pitch. Kitundu is the creator of a family of Phonoharps, beautifully crafted multi-stringed instruments made from record players. He strives to reconnect the technology of new music to fundamental principles drawn from the natural world.

Tan Khanh Cao:
Gia Dinh province
40 miles inland
northwest of Saigon
birthplace of my father's father
the red earth there is good
for growing pine trees and coffee plants
Willing to be care-full and present.
I paint.

D. Scot Miller:
Writer, artist, teacher, founder of The BlackBard Writing Collective, and a Director of the Board for noctunes returns celebrates recent publication of an excerpt from his afro-surreal novel, Knot Frum Hear, and inclusion in the Bronx Biannual Two. He presently is completing Slicker, a forthcoming book of poems.

Wednesday, July 11th
David Molina of Los Veneremos.

Combining elements of shoe gaze, slo-core, ambient, dream pop, space blues, and noise. Los Veneremos weave together cinematic textures, sound scapes, and lyrics which tell stories of pain, betrayal, self destruction, but with a faint glimmer of hope and revelation. Their sound brings to mind artists like Slow Dive, Swans, Calla, His Name Is Alive, Black Heart Procession, Angelo Badlamento, Brian Eno, Franklin Delano, Lisa Germano, Duster, & Gustavo Santaolalla.

The Quiet Beginnings of a New Way of Interacting with the World.

emael — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 06:30:00 GMT

I presently sit in a small apartment in San Francisco while sirens blare by my window, drowning out the KPFA programming coming from the television. It's another restless night, meditating over every thought struggling to take form; not everything is worth y/our time. I am torn between a great bowl of tofu with vegetables I just prepared and these very words I am invested in sharing with you this evening. What a strange thought. You, the reader, could be anywhere in the world. How is that for an incredible possibility?

Before continuing, let me say that this blog is not necessarily for everybody. This is to say that I am not here to entertain the bored individual or any person looking to spread more hate in the world, whatever the reason. Either scenario is exhausting and I would much rather spend my time nurturing the souls engaged in meaningful world-shaping, wherever you may be. If you feel we might have this quality in common, thank you for stopping by. I invite you to return and help make this site successful.

So, who is emael? Here is a recent artist bio I submitted to the Hemispheric Institute for their 2007 Encuentro.

emael es de Los Angeles, nacido por padres Mexicanos. Since 1995, his work has primarily focused on performance as spiritual journey and the body as site for ritual exploration. Mapping/documenting this voyage has become increasing challenging in recent years, as formalizing life as art suggests a 24/7 model that is only presently unavailable. Until this is possible, emael spends his time writing and learning to live well.

There is a great deal missing from this short bio! I promise that as time goes on, you will gain a better understanding of who I am and what my interests are. For now, I hope it is enough to say that I plan to use this blog as a place to develop a better relationship with the world in terms of my work and as a way to bring people together creatively to share in each other's beauty. Be well and I look forward to what the future has in store for all of us.