June 5 – July 12, 2009 · Solo exhibition, San Diego Art Institute: Museum of the Living Artist, Balboa Park
Site-specific installation; acrylic and spray paint, stenciled objects, stamped words
Length: 45′

Created and painted from a series of recent photographs of landscapes and people taken in San Diego and the adjacent deserts, C’est la Vie is a series of snapshots of how I saw the place where I lived. The puzzle-like installation was made especially for the SDAI space.

The work reflected my interest in the social and political aspects of living in Southern California, close to the Mexican border. My way of looking at the world began in Senegal, where I lived from ages eleven to fifteen. Traveling through the desert, we brought our water, food, wood, and even oil for the car in large metal containers. We met people with little who were ready to share what they had, and I never wanted to stop seeing more of the world. I hope something people see in my work will trigger their curiosity, and maybe change the way they see the day.

It continued the exploration begun with Here It’s Peace, my first solo show at SDAI in June 2008, and with Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness, an ensemble of six large paintings presented in New Contemporaries II (San Diego Art Prize 2009) at Noel-Baza Fine Art, February–March 2009.

“A San Diego artist distills everyday moments and world events into a pure essence of color, space and shadows, inspiring others to connect to the world around us.”
Sandra Shrader, Under the Sun Magazine, June 2009

Photos: Leslie Ryan