“What am I going to do with it [time] and how can I do less better? How can I make better, stronger work, slower and better… Who is it that I really want to support? How can I support them better?”
Artists and Rights, Episode 5: The Brown Ceiling and Possible Futures
Artists and Rights, Episode 6: Behind the Closed Door: Intimacy, Collaboration, and Access
Los Angeles native Marcus Kuiland-Nazario is an interdisciplinary artist, curator, and arts educator who is a 30-year veteran of the Los Angeles art and culture landscape. He has been involved in the formation of many arts organizations and advocacy groups including ACT UP LA, Viva! the nation’s first Latino Gay and Lesbian arts organization, Cara a Cara, the nation’s first Latino HIV AIDS org, The 18th Street Arts Center, Highways Performance Space, Clean Needles Now, Max 10 Performance Lab, and Oficina de Proyectos Culturales, in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Currently, he is an Artist in Residence at The 18th Street Art Center. His performance works/installations investigate extreme states of emotion and have been included in national and international festivals and many underground/nightclub/alternative sites including the streets. He is also a contributing writer at the LA WEEKLY.
His current project, MACHO STEREO, is loosely based on the 1955 Mexican novel Pedro Páramo by Juan Rulfo and 1966 film of the same name by Carlos Velo. Kuiland-Nazario invited men to examine their relationships with their fathers through the lens of Rulfo’s book. Kuiland-Nazario’s process resulted in numerous audio interviews, a 2 channel video, an interactive stereo installation, photographs, and a performance developed in a group process that included a team of guest artists Paul Donald, Michael Anthony Ibarra, Hiroshi Clark, and therapist Mario Prietto. The heart of the project was a series of one-on-one interviews that Kuiland-Nazario conducted with members of the public and his community on the subject of their fathers. These interviews were organized with the Santa Monica Public Library, where Kuiland-Nazario engaged with library visitors to identify interview subjects.
Kuiland-Nazario recently presented Rage Room, a one-on-one performance exploring rage and anger at LA Freewaves’ Love and Fear on Hollywood Boulevard, in the back of a stretch limousine.
Kuiland-Nazario produced LA Freewaves 2018 performance festival Ain’t I A Womxn? In addition to creating a new work for it, in collaboration with Nao Bustamante titled Gender Reveal Party.
Created and performed work in 11/2018 in collaboration with Paul Donald titled 30lb Duet—a durational performance exploring cooperation. Performed at 18th Street Art Center’s 30th Anniversary alongside Guillermo Gomez-Peña’s Pocha Nostra.
For PST/LALA, Kuiland-Nazario curated and produced VARIEDADES at The Mayan—a performance art variety show including works by Rafa Esparza, Nao Bustamante, Alice Bag, Dorian Wood, La Chica Boom and Cheech Marin, and created a video installation exploring grief and mourning titled Si Pero No that was also included as a part of Self Help Graphics’ Day of the Dead exhibition.
Kuiland-Nazario has taught community arts and performance art at numerous institutions including Otis College of Art and Design, Highways Performance Space, Beyond Baroque Literary Foundation, and Cal State University, Northridge. As an arts educator, Kuiland-Nazario has lead and designed art workshops at venues including MOCA, Santa Monica Museum, The Getty Villa, The Getty Center, Grand Park, Noah’s Ark at the Skirball Cultural Center, The Heart Project, REDCAT, The 18th Street Arts Center, ICALA, Stories Bookstore, Self Help Graphics, The City of Santa Monica, OUTFest, Craft Contemporary and Virginia Avenue Park.
You can also find Marcus Kuiland-Nazario here:
Let’s Start with the Obvious, a play by Johanna Reed performed at Machine Project, starred Marcus and Johanna.
Freewaves presented LOVE &/OR FEAR: A Celebration of Genders in 2019, featuring the artist.
Selected Work
Marcus Kuiland-Nazario, Moontone, 2018. Photo credit: Hiroshi Clark.
Pictured is Mariel Carranza. I consider my curatorial practice an extension of my art practice and a way to be of service to fellow artists. Moonstone is one of several shows I have curated at Human Resources. This edition included Mariel Carranza, Sarah Johnson, Jennifer Locke and Austyn Rich.
Marcus Kuiland-Nazario, Macho Stereo, 2019. Performance.
Companion performance to my project MACHO STEREO. Approximately 2 hours long
Marcus Kuiland-Nazario, 30 Weight Duet, 2018. Performance with Paul Donald, approximately 2 hours. We The Artists, 18th Street Arts Center, November 10, 2018. Photo Credit: Judy Sisneros.
Marcus Kuiland-Nazario, Maxi Kitsch, 2017. Performance, record albums.
Performance approximately 25 minutes long. Part of a series of performances I do with record albums from my childhood.