Artist Michael Buitrón

Michael Buitrón– Artist Statement

In between the time of my graduate and undergraduate degree in art, I spent fifteen years working in behavioral psychology. The studies I worked on sometimes included a full neuropsychological evaluation, including the administration of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI).

One of the most overused and misused psychological tests, the MMPI consists of more than five hundred statements that if agreed or disagreed with, may indicate the presence certain disorders. In use for nearly seventy years, some of the statements were originally designed to indicate the presence of homosexual tendencies, which was pathologized as a mental disorder when the test was developed. The statements remain in the test to this day.

In the series of works that use the MMPI, I’ve combined the statements with common objects, including embroidered pillowcases, martini glasses, and condoms. My hope with the work is to call into question out attitudes and assumptions surrounding the objects and actions in our day-to-day lives.

Resume

Education

2008 MFA, California Institute of the Arts, Valencia, CA

1987 BFA, California Institute of the Arts, Valencia, CA

Exhibitions

Solo

2008 Social Spaces, A402 Gallery, Valencia, CA
2007 ProsopoGnosia, The Main Gallery, Valencia, CA

Group

2009 The Polemics of Love, Conrad Wilde Gallery. Tucson, AZ
2009 Threads, SOMArts Cutural Center, San Francisco, CA
2009 Being Gay, 2nd City Council Gallery, Long Beach, CA
2008 Domestic Settings, COMA Art Space, Los Angeles, CA
2008 We Want a New Object, David Salow Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2008 Convincing People, The Cube, Valencia, CA
2008 ArtSEEN3, Exhibit and Auction, Culver City, CA
2008 MFA Group Show, Via Café, Los Angeles, CA
2007 Open Call, I-5 Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2007 Call it a Rebus, Make it a Rebus, The Main Gallery, Valencia, CA
2007 Echo Chamber, AMP, Los Angeles, CA
2006 How to do Things with Words, The Cube, Valencia, CA
2006 ArtSEEN, Exhibit and Auction, Los Angeles, CA
2006 Confessions, Orange Co. Ctr. for Contemp. Art, Santa Ana, CA
2002 Learning to Love You More, Diverseworks, Vancouver, BC
1998 Selected Artists, Public Corporation for the Arts, Long Beach, CA
1998 Altar-ed State, ARK, Long Beach, CA
1996 Passion, Clay Doyle Gallery, West Hollywood, CA
1994 New Queer Art, Clay Doyle Gallery, West Hollywood, CA
1993 This Can’t be Love, Clay Doyle Gallery, West Hollywood, CA
1992 Far Bazzar, FAR, Los Angeles, CA

Professional Experience

2009 Grant Writer, Los Angeles Nomadic Division, Los Angeles, CA
2008-09 Writer, ArtScene Monthly, Los Angeles, CA
2007-08 Graduate Teaching Assistant, California Institute of the Arts, Valencia, CA
2006-09 Writer, Leap Into the Void, http://imoralist.blogspot.com/
1992-96 Exhibition Coordinator, Doyle|Logan Gallery, West Hollywood, CA
1985-86 Preparator, Los Angeles Institute of Contemporary Art, LA, CA
1986 Studio Assistant, East Park Gallery, Santa Clarita, CA



	Michael Buitrón– Artist Statement In between the time of my graduate and undergraduate degree in art, I spent fifteen years working in behavioral psychology. The studies I worked on sometimes included a full neuropsychological evaluation, including the administration of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI). One of the most overused and misused psychological tests, the MMPI consists of more than five hundred statements that if agreed or disagreed with, may indicate the presence certain disorders. In use for nearly seventy years, some of the statements were originally designed to indicate the presence of homosexual tendencies, which was pathologized as a mental disorder when the test was developed. The statements remain in the test to this day. In the series of works that use the MMPI, I’ve combined the statements with common objects, including embroidered pillowcases, martini glasses, and condoms. My hope with the work is to call into question out attitudes and assumptions surrounding the objects and actions in our day-to-day lives. Resume Education 2008 MFA, California Institute of the Arts, Valencia, CA 1987 BFA, California Institute of the Arts, Valencia, CA Exhibitions Solo 2008 Social Spaces, A402 Gallery, Valencia, CA 2007 ProsopoGnosia, The Main Gallery, Valencia, CA Group 2009 The Polemics of Love, Conrad Wilde Gallery. Tucson, AZ 2009 Threads, SOMArts Cutural Center, San Francisco, CA 2009 Being Gay, 2nd City Council Gallery, Long Beach, CA 2008 Domestic Settings, COMA Art Space, Los Angeles, CA 2008 We Want a New Object, David Salow Gallery, Los Angeles, CA 2008 Convincing People, The Cube, Valencia, CA 2008 ArtSEEN3, Exhibit and Auction, Culver City, CA 2008 MFA Group Show, Via Café, Los Angeles, CA 2007 Open Call, I-5 Gallery, Los Angeles, CA 2007 Call it a Rebus, Make it a Rebus, The Main Gallery, Valencia, CA 2007 Echo Chamber, AMP, Los Angeles, CA 2006 How to do Things with Words, The Cube, Valencia, CA 2006 ArtSEEN, Exhibit and Auction, Los Angeles, CA 2006 Confessions, Orange Co. Ctr. for Contemp. Art, Santa Ana, CA 2002 Learning to Love You More, Diverseworks, Vancouver, BC 1998 Selected Artists, Public Corporation for the Arts, Long Beach, CA 1998 Altar-ed State, ARK, Long Beach, CA 1996 Passion, Clay Doyle Gallery, West Hollywood, CA 1994 New Queer Art, Clay Doyle Gallery, West Hollywood, CA 1993 This Can’t be Love, Clay Doyle Gallery, West Hollywood, CA 1992 Far Bazzar, FAR, Los Angeles, CA Professional Experience 2009 Grant Writer, Los Angeles Nomadic Division, Los Angeles, CA 2008-09 Writer, ArtScene Monthly, Los Angeles, CA 2007-08 Graduate Teaching Assistant, California Institute of the Arts, Valencia, CA 2006-09 Writer, Leap Into the Void, http://imoralist.blogspot.com/ 1992-96 Exhibition Coordinator, Doyle\|Logan Gallery, West Hollywood, CA 1985-86 Preparator, Los Angeles Institute of Contemporary Art, LA, CA 1986 Studio Assistant, East Park Gallery, Santa Clarita, CA





represented artists \| guest artists \| current exhibitions \| future exhibitions \| past exhibitions \| future events \| past events \| class information \| class schedule \| supplies and classes \| hours \| submissions \| employment \| contact