Nervouscism: A Profile of Carlos Ulloa

TheGlazedEyesOfLibertyMeatTheWorld-(10)-web

Kolaj Associate Editor Ariane Fairlie profiled Los Angeles-based collage artist Carlos Ulloa in Issue Nine.

In her profile, Ariane Fairlie explored how Ulloa’s collage practice “creates the push and pull between standardized curatorial practices and collage’s unfamiliar territory” and how the artist highlights and experiments with it.

Fairlie writes:

Ulloa uses Instagram to create a dialogue with other artists as well as a platform for presenting his final product in full. His work is very humorous, and a lot of that humour resides in his titles. The Glazed Eyes of Liberty Meat The World is a quintessential piece; functioning on many levels; using sarcasm, puns, political and cultural relevancy, and absurd sexuality. The artwork is easily enjoyed as is, but seeing it on the street without the title denies the viewer much of the insight. This re-incites the debate on experience. Where an artist statement in a gallery can dictate the viewers’ understanding of a piece; in Ulloa’s case, the viewer has to dig for the information if they care for it, and is otherwise permitted to enjoy the piece at face value. The title can be important, but not essential, and the work must speak for itself.

Ulloa, who is of Cuban descent, has an MFA from Vermont College at Union Institute & University (now the Vermont College of Fine Arts) in Montpelier, Vermont. In addition to collage, he works in sculpture, installation, illustration and mask-making. His work has been shown in solo and group exhibitions in Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Caracas, Panama City, and in several German cities.

To read the whole article, purchase Issue Nine or SUBSCRIBE to never miss an issue.

Image:
The Glazed Eyes of Liberty Meat the World
by Carlos Ulloa
appox. 42″x30″ (vinyl stickers appox. 8″x8″ each)
appropriated movie poster and vinyl stickers
2014
Image courtesy of the artist