Fred Tomaselli: Early Work or How I Became a Painter

The exhibition Fred Tomaselli: The Early Works or How I Became a Painter will feature one video, seven installations, and twelve mixed media works dating from 1984-1992. Many of these works have not been exhibited since they were originally fabricated and this is the first time the works will be exhibited together. Tomaselli made these works prior to the paintings for which he is best known. Mostly created shortly after moving to Brooklyn, these early works were influenced by Tomaselli's punk rock roots and interest in the California Light and Space art; two movements that were never supposed to be together. One of the unifying themes in this early work is the use of low cost, nondescript commercial objects to generate perceptually modifying experiences in the viewer. The exhibition is accompanied by a book published by the Cal State Fullerton, University, Grand Central Press. The publication will document all the works in the exhibition and include essays by Contemporary Art Museum Houston, director, Bill Arning; CSUF, Begovich Gallery, director, Mike McGee; and freelance curator, writer, and Art in America contributing editor Gregory Volk.

About the Author :
Mike McGee is currently director of the Lee and Nicholas Begovich Gallery and a professor of art at Cal State Fullerton University where he heads the museum studies/exhibition design graduate program. He has worked as an art writer, curator, and arts administrator since 1982. He has organized and written essays for more than two hundred exhibitions and accompanying pubications working with artists such as Don Bachardy, Tony DeLap, Paul McCarthy, Mark Ryden, Kenny Scharf, and Robert Williams. He is founder of both the Cal State Fullerton Grand Central Art Center in downtown Santa Ana, Californi Gregory Volk is a New York-based art critic and curator. He writes for Art in America and has contributed texts to exhibition catalogues such as Bruce Nauman (Milwaukee Art Museum, 2006), Avse Erkmen (Venice Biennale, 2011), and Sanford Biggers (Brooklyn Museum, 2011). Volk has curated numerous exhibitions in the U.S. and Internationally and he is also an associate professor in the School of the Arts at Virginia Commonwealth University. He received his BA from Colgate University and MA from Columbia University, New York. Bill Arning is the Director of the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston who has organized numerous exhibitions. Stan VanDerBeek: The Culture Intercom (2011), which Arning co-curated with Joa£o Ribas, Curator, MIT List Visual Arts Center, received the prestigious award of "Best Show Involving Digital Media, Video, Film, or Performance" from the United States section of the International Art Critics Association (AICA/USA).