Chris Basmajian at ArtHouse Gallery, San Francisco

CHRIS BASMAJIAN AT ARTHOUSE GALLERY, SAN FRANCISCO
“WORDS+MUSIC 2: TALES OF BETRAYAL AND REVENGE.”

The writing is on the wall, literally. It is also on the floor, in the air, and on the screen. The evidence reveals a plot to perpetrate upon the public new fiction, poetry, music, and interactive video artwork at ArtHouse Gallery’s upcoming event, “Words+Music 2: Tales of Betrayal and Revenge” on April 16, 2009.

Video artist Chris Basmajian is one of six artists and writers invited to participate in this multi-part series of collaborations. He will present interactive video installations that feature excerpts from new fiction works by Scott Hutchins and Adam Johnson. The installations combine the texts with images of viewers - in unexpected ways, making them part of the literary narrative. “My work explores the tensions between people, their image, and their self-image. I use processed real-time video of viewers as a basis for playful, humorous, and sometimes unsettling interactive experiences.”

Basmajian’s work has been exhibited in galleries and cultural centers in the United States, including the Orange County Center for Contemporary Art in Santa Ana, California; NYC Resistor in Brooklyn; the Foster Gallery at the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire; and the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore. Chris Basmajian was born in San Jose, California, in 1972. He received an M.F.A. from Maryland Institute College of Art, and a B.A. from George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

Scott Hutchins’ fiction has appeared in StoryQuarterly, Esquire, and Five Chapters. He is the director of the Online Writer's Studio at Stanford and Editor-at-Large of The Rumpus. Adam Johnson is the author of the short-story collection Emporium and the novel Parasites Like Us. He won the California Book Award in 2003, and his work has appeared in Esquire, Harper's Magazine, Tin House and The Paris Review. Other participants in “Words+Music 2: Tales of Betrayal and Revenge” include the chamber group Classical Revolution, composer Minna Choi, and poet Silvi Alcivar.

“Words+Music 2: Tales of Betrayal and Revenge” will be held at 7:30 pm at ArtHouse Gallery, 1360 Mission Street, San Francisco.

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Press Contact:
Chris Basmajian
415-652-4668
[email][email protected][/email]
http://basmajian.net