A Different Kind of Sushi

Beyond Theory at Sushi ©2008paulmbowers

Last weekend we celebrated the pre-opening of the visual art space at Sushi with a multi-media installation by a group of eight Serbians who were in residence in San Diego for about a week. I wasn’t sure what to expect with this one and I was happily surprised. Some of the art was really engaging and I understood what the hell they were trying to convey. Of course, some I did not. But that is to be expected. That’s what this blog’s about, right?

One of my favorite pieces was Death Anniversary by Vladimir Nikolic who was running a video of a women singing at the gravesite of Marcel Duchamp (incredibly, I found a clip of it). Here’s what Vladimir told me “I paid a Balkan woman to compose a song and sing at the grave of Marcel Duchamp….this is something we do all the time where I come from…but artists will take photos of these kinds of things and because it is exotic to Westerners, they say it is art.” He’s got something on his mind. “I call this false ready made, because it is not art, it is not contemporary.” See? He’s kinda pissed. It was good.

The images here show another section of the visual art space that had cloths printed with quotes about art. It was a maze. In a corner was another video with Vladimir sitting on the floor, tossing a ring onto a cone, while two British art critics discussed what was happening. These Serbians don’t have a very high opinion of the British art scene, or of much contemporary art. They’re a pretty intellectual bunch.

There was more, about the positioning of pictures, and how all the stories have already been told and nothing is original. Some of it went over my head, but all in all, the experience of being at Sushi, experiencing art in the space and seeing people who supported it all, was encouraging.

Here’s one of the quotes that was in the maze - Art is an adventure into an unknown world, which can be explored only by those willing to take the risks. (Adolph Gottlieb, Mark Rothko & Barnett Newman). I think that’s what we’re going to see at Sushi this season.

Beyond Theory at Sushi ©2008paulmbowers

After four years of wandering through bars and other public spaces, Sushi gets to go home. I’m writing about Sushi, A Center for the Urban Arts, based in downtown San Diego at Eleventh and J St. While the former Reincarnation building was re-imagined into Icon, a mixed use urban site, Sushi was homeless.

In about a week, the Sushi staff and volunteers will schlep all their stuff into the new space. And the adventure will begin anew.

I love what it says on the Sushi homepage about the space - “a new fluid and transparent space where the art experience will be personal, intimate, and unexpected.” I am expecting all of that and more.

This year’s line up of talent is exceptional. Due to the incredible relationships she has fostered over the years, Executive Director Lynn Schuette has put together an entire season of premieres. And with artists like Karen Finley, Guillermo Gomez Pena and Tere O’Connor that’s big news for San Diego.

I’ll keep you posted with photos of the progression, inside tips, interviews and insights. Let me know if there’s something you’re curious about.