Kim Victoria Abeles

Kim Victoria Abeles (born August 28, 1952 in Richmond Heights, Missouri) is an American interdisciplinary artist and professor emeritus currently living in Los Angeles. She is described as an activist artist because of her work's social and political nature. She is also known for her feminist works. Abeles has exhibited her works in 22 countries and has received a number of significant awards including a Guggenheim Fellowship. Aside from her work as an artist, she was a professor in public art, sculpturing, and drawing at California State University, Northridge from 1998 to 2009, after which she became professor emerita in 2010.
Early life and education.
Abeles was born in Richmond Heights, Missouri. As a child, she spent some time living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, an experience which she says influenced her work "The Smog Collector."
Abeles received her BFA in painting from Ohio University and earned a MFA in studio art from the University of California, Irvine in 1980. In connection with her thesis, about Shingon Buddhism, she created constructions incorporating kimonos.
Critics connect Abeles' early works to those of Edward Kienholz and Wallace Berman, founders of the California assemblage tradition. Kienholz's "The State Hospital" was an early inspiration to Abeles.
Work.
Abeles has worked in a variety of different mediums including repurposed materials, drawing, multimedia, sculpture and installations. She often experiments with materials. Intensive research, in which she immerses herself in her subject, is a significant part of her working process. Kim Abeles commented on her art as, "results from the urban experience, chronicling historical and contemporary issues housed in sculpture and installation." Her work begins with a singular person or idea and through her own independent research and exploration will delve into her chosen topic until she feels comfortable beginning her artwork. She describes her artwork as the poetic spirit in a visual language.
Many of her projects address contemporary social and environmental issues. She has explored topics including HIV/AIDS, pollution, gender roles, domestic violence, feminism, civil rights, and labor. Kim Abeles explores such topical issues through humor and metaphors. Most of her work has revolved around three central themes: civil rights, feminism, and the environment. With her range of media and distinctive styles, Kim Abeles seamlessly unites her call for activism with her work aesthetics through new innovative techniques.
Collaborative work.
Abeles has worked with several educational organizations and schools to collaborate on installations and exhibitions. She has worked with the multiple art centers like: The Contemporary Art Center in Cincinnati, Community Arts Resource in Santa Monica, Orange Country Museum of Art Teen Council, the California Science Center, and the CU Museum of Natural History in Boulder. Her more defining collaborators include the Bureau of Automotive Repair, the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Project, and the Lakota Indians of South Dakota.
"The Smog Collector".
In 1987, her work "Smog Collector" caught national and international attention, mentioned in "Newsweek", "National Public Radio", "CBS Evening News", and "The Wall Street Journal". Abeles created an innovative technique, using stencils and adhesives to collect smog particulate and produce symbols and images. Abeles was motivated to create the project through her own curiosity and the effects of a year-long protest against a factory near her home that she said was "spewing formaldehyde". She considers the work an ongoing series to which she is currently contributing.
"To Sit As Ladder (In Honor of Rosa Parks)".
In some of her works pertaining to human rights, Abeles has taken a subjective approach that includes a presentation of individuals' portraits through text, maps, drawings, and objects. An example is her 1991 sculpture "To Sit As Ladder (In Honor of Rosa Parks)" which displayed a chair with text to represent the life of Rosa Parks.
"HIV/AIDS Tarot".
Abeles' HIV/AIDS Tarot cards incorporate both image and text, and discuss issues pertaining to the socioeconomic and medical aspects of AIDS. Only seven cards were issued, not a complete Tarot deck. They were printed in both English and Spanish, and used as part of a public health information program in Los Angeles in 1992.
"Walk a Mile in My Shoes".
The initial inspiration for "Walk a Mile in My Shoes" was the political work of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the civil rights movement. Searching for images of King's actual shoes, Abeles was deeply affected when she viewed civil rights activist Xernona Clayton's "profound collection of shoes belonging to members of the peace marches." The installations she created at the intersections of Jefferson Blvd. and Rodeo Rd. and Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. included bronze casts of King's work boots as well as photographs of national and local activists' shoes.
Exhibitions.
Abeles has exhibited her work in twenty-two countries, including Vietnam, Thailand, the Czech Republic, England, China, and South Korea. Abeles' work has been shown at National Center for Atmospheric Research; Museum of Arts and Design in New York; National Museum of Fine Arts in Santiago; Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles; Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro; and, Intersection for the Arts in San Francisco. She has also been a United States representative in Antwerp for Fotografie Biennale Rotterdam and Cultural Centre of Berchem.
Kim Abeles took her art to the road in 1993 with the release of Kim Abeles: Encyclopedia Persona A-Z. The collection, curated by Karen Moss of the Santa Monica Museum, was sponsored by The Fellows of Contemporary Art in North America and United States Information Agency in South America.
Her art show "Encyclopedia Persona", at the Santa Monica Museum of Art, featured a 15-year survey of her work; including 80 of her sculptures, installations and artist's books.
Awards.
Abeles is the recipient of a number of awards from the Guggenheim Fellowship, the J. Paul Getty Trust Fund for the Visual Arts, the Andy Warhol Foundation, the California Community Foundation, and the California Arts Council.