Lauren Halsey
we still here, there, 2018
mixed media
installation dimensions variable
Installation view, Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), Los Angeles
Lauren Halsey - written by Hope Ezcurra
On a grey winter day in DTLA two years ago, a couple of friends and I ducked into MoCA to get out of a sudden downpour. “Trapped” without umbrellas at the museum, we bought tickets to what was their current exhibition at that time: Lauren Halsey: “we still here, there”. None of us at that point in time had heard of Lauren Halsey, but all three of us were promptly blown away by her unique artistic voice. I have been a fan of hers ever since.
Although all the work that I have seen of hers since then has shared the strong artistic identity that drew me to her, “we still here, there” is still my favorite. It may have to do with my proclivity for installation art, I have a soft spot for art that creates an encompassing environment. This piece was second only to Yayoi Kusuma’s infinity rooms in its ability to engulf the viewer in a work of art. Lauren Halsey shut off the outside world in her MoCA installation. Viewers are left feeling unmoored in a biomorphic layer of her subconscious. The walls of the museum gave way to undulating white cement that was reminiscent of caverns designed by “Dark Crystal” era Frank Henson. The lighting added to the sense of otherworldly-ness, bathing the entire installation in varying hues of red, pink, fuschia, and purple. 99 cent store plastic plants provided both a sense of artifice and identity. The small caverns that played host to tiny vignettes in the white cement were tiled with pieces of mixed tape CD’s. The floor was carpeted by nubian inspired swap meet rugs. The strength of Halsey’s artistic voice lies in her ability to produce mesmerizing works of magical realism that speak directly to her personal experience, a queer person of color from South Central LA.
I am very thankful for all the Lauren Halseys of the world that are creating meaningful art that share their distinctive experiences. The art world needs more of this type of artist, that both widens the perspective of the casual viewer and creates meaningful visibility for underrepresented minorities.