Art Farm Presents

Central City Auction

Friday, October 11, 6:00 PM

LA Artcore
Brewrey Annex
650 A South Avenue 21
Los Angeles, California

In the Central City Auction, artists will be peddling questionably functional apparatuses and endearingly nostalgic tchotchkes, taking bids from visitors for dimes on a dollar, and sketching out whimsical moments from a small town auction in Nebraska.

With the advent of craigslist, eBay, second-hand shops, and garage sales, auctions in the city have been reduced to a sentimental ritual only seen on television or at niche affairs such as a fine arts auction. In rural areas with low populations, auctions functioned as social events where farmer Bob and mechanic Joe discussed weather and college football. Inspired by an ongoing weekly auction in Central City, Nebraska, the performance re-contextualizes a practically forgotten tradition of promoting the waste of others to the highest bidder into the setting of LA Artcore, a fine arts gallery in downtown Los Angeles.

Bringing this act to the gallery is an opportunity to question and reflect upon various aspects of an auction.
The Junk: What is the line between fine art and 'junk'? In a world that must quickly reduce its consumption of 'junk', should we reconsider the possible uses of said 'junk' and redefine the term altogether?
The Location: How does the the location affect the price of the 'junk'? Auctions can take place in numerous settings: It can be in a cold tin shed with dusty flakes of asbestos peeling off the ceiling. It could also be in an insulated room with warm track lights, drywall, and a concatenation of artworks. In the city, will the same items be worth less because of the mundaneness of an item or will it be worth more because of the affluence of the buyers?
The Chant: What are some similarities and differences between impulsive buying from an auction and from the internet? The tickled tongue of a trained auctioneer runs quickly as participants subtly nod and wink in acknowledgement of a bid. The opportunities for a dirt cheap bargain can be missed within the blink of an eye… Is mindless consumption a means of staving off boredom?

The performers are recent residents of Art Farm, a rural artist and writer's residency in Nebraska.