‘The Work Is Not Confined to One Demographic’: See How Artist Lari Pittman Draws Inspiration From Cultures Around the Globe

There is a frenetic energy to the kaleidoscopic work of the Los
Angeles-based artist and beloved teacher Lari Pittman. And once you
hear him speak, it makes perfect sense that such dizzying images
would spring from his mind. Although he was born in California,
Pittman spent his formative childhood years in Colombia, where his
mother is from, and was introduced to a vibrant culture that
resonated with him and continues to inform his work today.

In an exclusive interview back in 2007 for Art21’s television
series Art in the Twenty-First Century, Pittman describes living a charmed life in the
country, where he was allowed “to express a fey side as a young
boy… given full reign and never, ever commented on, really allowed
[me to] bloom and blossom.” This stands in sharp contrast, he says,
to his experience living in America as an adult, where “what keeps
me radicalized is being aware of the overwhelming hatred that is
exhibited by the American population and through actual legislation
against homosexuals.”

Over the course of his decades-long career, Pittman’s work has
continued to address the intersection of politics and sexuality,
especially in the 1990s in response to the AIDS crisis and the US
culture wars.

His highly detailed works are shaped by a variety of influences,
from Victorian silhouettes to anonymous Mexican devotional
paintings called retablos. Speaking to Art21, he explained that he hopes
this range of inspirations will touch each viewer a little bit
differently. “The work is not confined to one demographic,” he
says.

Now, Pittman is being celebrated with the largest retrospective
of his work to date in “Lari Pittman: Declaration of Independence” at
the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles. More than 80 works culled from
private and public collections around the world will be on display
when the show opens later his week, offering the fullest account
yet of Pittman’s unique way of seeing the world.

Watch the video, which originally appeared in Season 4 of
“Art in the Twenty-First Century,” below. “Lari Pittman: Declaration of Independence” is
on view at the Hammer Museum from September 29, 2019–January 5,
2020. 

This is an installment of “Art on Video,” a collaboration
between artnet News and Art21 that brings you clips of newsmaking
artists. A new season of the nonprofit Art21’s
flagship Art in the Twenty-First
Century television series is available now on PBS. Catch
all episodes of New York Close
Up and Extended Play and
learn about the organization’s education programs
at Art21.org.

The post ‘The Work Is Not Confined to One Demographic’: See
How Artist Lari Pittman Draws Inspiration From Cultures Around the
Globe appeared first on artnet News.