Change Lab Episode 3: Artist Edgar Arceneaux on Using Critical Thinking to Investigate our Past and Present
Edgar Arceneaux (BFA 96 Fine Art) is an LA-based contemporary artist whose creative practice dwells in the awe and mystery in life. For well over a decade, his widely exhibited body of work has made an impact on the art world internationally. From performance based projects to film and installation pieces, his works grapple with penetrating historical and cultural questions, which often lead to thought-provoking, perspective-altering experiences.
Redemption is not a destination. It’s a process that happens over time.
Most recently, Edgar wrote and directed Until Until Until, a live performance centered around a reenactment of Ben Vereen’s tragically misunderstood blackface performance at Ronald Reagan’s 1981 inaugural gala. Both an homage to Vereen’s performance and a powerful revisitation of a resonant and enduringly relevant historic event, the play explores themes relating to history, memory and trauma by reflecting on the power of the media, its ability to manipulate reality and the devastating consequences for the public and performers.
In his Change Lab interview, Edgar examines the ways in which his lifelong facility for critical thinking continues to inform his evolution as an artist with a creative practice distinguished by striking wisdom and bold experimentation.
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