Amid the bustle of the Paris Photo VIP Opening at Paramount Studios, I sat down with artist Fawn Rogers for a chat about her new installation, works currently on view, and the crossover of public and private dialogue in art.

Los Angeles, CA, June 11, 2014 – TG: I recently had the chance to check out your installation of ten new works at The Bank showroom in downtown L.A. Can you tell us a bit about that installation?

FR: The Bank is a powerhouse space, and Jeannine Braden is great to work with. I’m excited to be showing work there, both from the Visible Light series and a couple of new paintings.

TG: In the area known as “The Vault” you have two large canvasses on either side of the entrance to a walk-in vintage bank vault. Can you tell us a bit about those works?

FR: Those two works are the first canvasses I’m showing publicly from my new project, “I Love You And That Makes Me God.” One of the elements of the new work is interaction with settings of potential worship, including financial.

TG: What other locations are you using for this work?

FR: Anyplace that houses an object of worship is fair game. Strip clubs, churches, vice-driven advertisements, etc.

TG: How does the public art interact with the video installation you’re creating?

FR: In some ways it’s a reaction. The level of intimacy of the video project is so intense, so personal, that it demanded an opposite response. This project encounters dialogue at the direct one-on-one level, and as an indeterminate public conversation.

TG: Some of those settings – strip clubs, cathedrals – might be seen as a bit controversial, right?

FR: Sure. But again, the goal of the project is to invite dialogue, not to impose meaning. Unless I get the chance to project it onto the walls of the Vatican. [Laughs]

TG: With a central statement as provocative as “I Love You And That Makes Me God,” faith, or belief, has to be part of the conversation in some way.

FR: It’s been a ride to explore.

TG: What is your experience of the faith aspect of the work, personally?

FR: The Bible, Torah, Quran – books of science? They’re texts of pervasive cultural impact. The project is not about religion, at least not in any conventional sense.

TG: What shape is the video installation aspect going to take?

FR: I’m working right now on developing a few different models. One is a small-scale installation box, designed with interior monitors and mirrored glass. The viewer approaches by putting their head inside the box to view the work. It’s very intimate, and meant to be a bit uncomfortable. The second model is a large-scale design, with dual-monitor projection spanning a space of about 800 cubic ft. It’s technically involved.

TG: You’ve mentioned a lot of social themes in conjunction with the project. If you had to summarize the work, what is “I Love You And That Makes Me God” about?

FR: I look forward to you experiencing the installation and letting me know.

Fawn Rogers is an American visual artist. She currently resides in Los Angeles.

Contact:
Amanda Bermudez
Fawn Rogers
3530 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 1460
Los Angeles, CA 90010
213-355-5125
amanda@fawnrogers.com
http://www.fawnrogers.com/