Back in April Month of Photography Los Angeles was in full swing. As part of that The Robert Graham Studio played host to AFTERMATH, a group exhibition including photographs by Jim McHugh. When it came time for Jim McHugh to remove the installation from The Robert Graham Studios, Wayne Connelly (USA Director, Innova Art) paid a visit to catch up with Jim, hear more about the project and see what Jim’s plans are for the future.
AFTERMATH was a commemoration of Robert Graham’s project MOCA Torso and featured photography, painting and sculpture. In the aftermath of the 1992 Los Angeles riots, many in the city felt the need to do something. The MOCA Torso project was created by Robert Graham in response to this, reaching out to the endangered youth of Los Angeles and teaching them how to make art: encouraging them to redirect their energy into something creative and productive.
Under his guidance the artists were trained in the art of bronze sculpture, created a series of small bronze works and all the proceeds from sales went to the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles. The resulting body of work remains one of the most iconic works by Robert Graham and became a symbol of possibility for many. Juan Carlos Munoz aka “Heaven” was one of the artists included in the MOCA Torso project and Jim McHugh photographed the project throughout 1992 for various publications.
Since then Juan Carlos Munoz has gone on to build his own internationally recognised art career as a painter and sculptor, he was also one of the graffiti artists featured in Jim McHugh’s most recent project. AFTERMATH commemorated the meeting of these artists who first crossed paths in the early 90’s to raise awareness of the problems faced by inner city youth in Los Angeles and featured work by Jim McHugh, Robert Graham, Big Sleeps, Prime, Juan Carlos Munoz and Alex Kizu. The exhibition also featured a screening of Dark Progressivism, a documentary telling the story of the unique Los Angeles art scene through interviews with local muralists, tattoo artists, graffiti writers, musicians, gang members, art historians and political figures.
As part of the display Jim McHugh curated a collection of work from his recent two year project photographing the creative lives of graffiti artists living and working in Los Angeles today. He also selected a group of images from his years photographing Robert Graham, including a number of photos taken of the MOCA Torso project in progress. The images were originally produced on Polaroid and Impossible Project film but were reproduced for the exhibition in various formats on FibaPrint® Ultra Smooth Gloss 285gsm (IFA 49) and Exhibition Matte PolyCotton Canvas 350gsm (IFA 35) with some given additional enamel embellishment by the graffiti artists featured in the show.
For the future, Jim plans to continue his work photographing the unique creative centre that is Los Angeles. He is currently working on a selection of projects, including exhibitions, for 2017. Follow Jim on Twitter: @jimmchughphoto or visit his blog, Jim McHugh: Just One More for news on his current work.