This exhibition celebrates the twentieth anniversary of Fusebox. The brainchild of a group of young artist-friends living in Austin, Fusebox began in 2005 as a local festival for adventurous performance, staged in various venues and alternative spaces around town. Since then—having presented a wildly eclectic array of programs showcasing hundreds of local, national, and international artists—the organization has evolved to become both a cornerstone of the arts in Austin and a noted presenter of live and interdisciplinary art worldwide.

HOST: Fusebox presents an interactive gallery experience featuring a sampling of works by Fusebox artists. To contend with the problem of how audiences may tangibly engage with a history of ephemeral, performance-based artworks, especially when the actual record, or documentation, is limited, the exhibition, conceived as a playful Fusebox “record store,” invites visitors to browse through shelves of “records” displaying imagery and providing information about selected performances from Fusebox’s history. In addition, visitors may view screened excerpts of performances contributed by twenty Fusebox alumni and listen to many of the same artists speaking about their artistic practices via interactive listening stations. With an invitation to viewers to come in and browse, as one might at one’s favorite record store, the exhibition seeks to evoke not only the history but also the spirit of Fusebox—welcoming, adventurous, and always up for some fun.

This exhibition features video and audio content contributed by:

Action Hero (Bristol, United Kingdom), Kenyon Adams (Austin, Texas), Dickie Beau (London, United Kingdom), Tania El Khoury (Annandale-on-Hudson, New York), Michelle Ellsworth (Boulder, Colorado), Jim Findlay (New York City), Robin Frohardt (Brooklyn, New York), Manuela Infante (Santiago, Chile), Jiabao Li (Austin, Texas), Lagartijas Tiradas al Sol (Mexico City), Gesel Mason (Austin, Texas), Jaamil Olawale Kosoko (Detroit, Michigan), Poncili Creación (Santurce, Puerto Rico), Rude Mechs (Austin, Texas), Rubber Repertory Theater (Los Angeles and Austin, Texas), Shaboom/Paul Soileau (New York City), Justin Talplacido Shoulder (Sydney, Australia), Tetsuya Umeda (Osaka, Japan), Verdensteatret (Oslo, Norway), Samson Young (Hong Kong)

Rubber Repertory Theater (Josh Meyer + Matt Hislope) will generate a new work-in-progress during the month of April through a residency and durational performance at the Museum of Human Achievement co-presented by Fusebox and The Contemporary Austin. Additional performances by Jim Findlay, Jiabao Li, and Gesel Mason will occur at The Contemporary Austin — Jones Center during the exhibition run.

HOST: Fusebox is curated by Robin K. Williams, outgoing Curator, The Contemporary Austin, and Ron Berry, Co-founder and Co-artistic Director, Fusebox.

About HOST

HOST is an exhibition space and program series that amplifies The Contemporary Austin’s commitment to centering artists and welcoming publics. With each exhibition cycle, an artist will create a newly commissioned environment in the HOST gallery space at The Jones Center. Programming will accompany each work. Throughout the run of each exhibition, artists will invite visitors into their worlds.

Acknowledgments

Special thanks to Lope Gutiérrez-Ruiz with In-House International / Hundred Points for exhibition gallery graphic design; Jim Dawson for media design; Jim Findlay for collaborating on exhibition design; and End of an Ear Records for in-kind support. Thank you also to our friends at Fusebox for their spirited collaboration.

Read More

HOST: Fusebox booklet (English) HOST: Fusebox follleto (español)