![]() She was then asked to put on a set of wireless headphones through which she heard esparza’s voice, who, in a quiet almost whispering tone, recounted Corpo RanfLA’s story: where they came from and what the point of their joint mission would be. With Ruiz’s assistance and another of esparza’s key collaborators on the project, fellow Angeleno and multidisciplinary artist Karla Ekatherine Canseco, Smith mounted Corpo RanfLA. Art Basel is also known for its parties that draw celebrities, but other public engagement initiatives include conversations with artists, guided tours, educational opportunities for kids, and performances such as Corpo RanfLA, the reason I had flown to Miami last November. Corpo RanfLA had landed in Miami Beach, Florida only a few hours before, hailing from some mythic-futuristic place-that we just might as well call East Los Angeles, California or Elysian Park-and was stationed outside Art Basel Miami Beach, one of the premier global art fairs where, as we all know, the main goal is to sell art. In case it is still not clear, dear reader, esparza was in the entrails of this sculpture and would serve as Smith’s guide on their journey. The other dominant colors were the bright green and blue used to paint the cast of the bottom half with the aforementioned four sets of flying golden feet attached, resembling some ancestral, mythic creature. Other golden details included upward-swept handlebars, a chain-link wheel, and vanity side mirrors. The excess number of spokes were gold-plated and matched some other details of this kinetic sculpture: the four sets of feet-eight in total that simulate movement, as if swimming, dancing or flying-were also golden, as were the chrome plated sleeves of the artist behind Corpo RanfLA. Los Angeles multidisciplinary artist rafa esparza wore them while extending his arms to grab the outer parts of the front wheel’s hub. The lower half, in turn, was inside the lowrider bike’s body (See image 3). ![]() The ticket, which was designed by Mexico City-born, New York-based fashion iconoclast and artist Víctor Barragán (See image 1), would give Smith access to ride Corpo RanfLA: Terra Cruiser, a repurposed and retrofitted coin operated pony ride that had shape-shifted into a futuristic cyborg lowrider bike (See image 2). Like the affective contours of hope itself.”Ĭruising Utopia: The Then and There of Queer Futurityĭuring the afternoon of Novemoutside of the Miami Beach Convention Center, I witnessed a ceremonious ticket hand-off that, although a micro gesture, felt immensely significant: Los Angeles artist Gabriela Ruiz placed a ticket on the cupped hands of fellow Angeleno artist Cauleen Smith ever so gently. Is a kind of potentiality that is open, indeterminate, ![]() “The anticipatory illumination of certain objects
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