On the Verge of an Image: Considering Marjorie Keller

LAND (Los Angeles Nomadic Division) presents On the Verge of an Image: Considering Marjorie Keller, a group exhibition of sculpture, painting, photography, video, and performance centered on the themes present in the work of under-recognized avant-garde filmmaker Marjorie Keller (1950–94), co-curated by Los Angeles-based artists Alika Cooper and Anna Mayer, presented at the historic Gamble House.

Cooper and Mayer seek to establish the significance of Keller’s contributions to visual culture, and to make visible states of being that are difficult to articulate or are deliberately avoided by mainstream culture. The exhibition considers Keller’s insistence on occupying a position not easily consumed by a singular ideological agenda. Her films are significant in the way they make clear the primacy of bodily engagement as a place from which to critique the status quo. Cooper and Mayer have chosen contemporary and historical works that explore the material aspects of vision and the act of envisioning, along with artists who have created commissioned site-specific works, responding directly to these themes within the context of the Gamble House. Included works range from figurative/representational painting and film to process-based sculptural works and performances that register the presence and absence of bodies and objects. In honor of Keller’s complex relationship to the feminism of her time, On the Verge of an Image: Considering Marjorie Keller presents artworks from multiple perspectives and stances.

The exhibition explores links between motifs and strategies emerging from Keller’s films, as well as the themes present in her work. Participating artists include renowned international practitioners from Keller’s generation, as well as younger artists, along with a selection of Keller’s work. Participating artists include Chantal Akerman, Shiva Aliabadi, Vanessa Beecroft, Ashley Carter, Alika Cooper, Cheryl Donegan, VALIE EXPORT, Naomi Fisher, Nan Goldin, Trulee Grace Hall, Donna Huanca, Kartemquin Films, Marjorie Keller, Josh Mannis, Anna Mayer, Paul Pescador, Vincent Ramos, Carolee Schneemann, and Jennifer West.