Project description

VIDRIERA:FRAGMENTX
Single channel video

Echoing the defiance of several U.S. churches that chose to offer services at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, VIDRIERA:FRAGMENTX challenges the familiar notion of blind faith overshadowing mortal fear, via a non-denominational mass in four sections, drawing inspiration from stained glass religious dioramas. The Tinworks space becomes a temple in flux with scheduled screenings of the 30-minute performance. Attendees are asked to remain in their seats in complete silence throughout, except when prompted to respond by the officiant on screen. The artist embodies each section differently, aesthetically depicting different facets of their true being, outside of the boundaries of their brownness, their fatness and their non-binary queerness.

ABOUT DORIAN WOOD

Los Angeles-based artist DORIAN WOOD is "armed with a vocal charisma that would befit a preacher and an experimental streak that would make avant-gardists swoon" (WNYC Culture). Through their corpulent body and distinctive voice, Dorian challenges the separation of artist and spectator, using subject matter informed by their own perspective as a non-binary person of color. 

Born in Echo Park, California, Dorian first gained exposure performing on the queer bar circuit of Los Angeles. Their debut album, BOLKA, received wide critical acclaim for its impeccable merging of folk, soul, Bulgarian choral music and experimental music. Their follow-up EP, Black Pig Suite, featured members of the L.A. experimental orchestra Killsonic, of which Dorian was a principal member for three years.

In 2010, Dorian received critical praise for their performance and "picture perfect" art direction (Los Angeles Times) in the Killsonic opera, Tongues Bloody Tongues, presented at the REDCAT in Los Angeles. 2010 also saw the release of the album Brutus, which featured only Dorian on vocal and piano, and was recorded live at St. Giles-in-the-Fields, a church in London, in the midst of their European tour.

In 2011, Dorian was commissioned by LACE (Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions) to present a new work for the performance series Los Angeles Goes Live, part of Pacific Standard Time. Dorian's performance installation, Athco, Or The Renaissance of Faggot Tree, incorporated over 30 performers, and was presented at Barnsdall Art Park. Dorian also performed with acclaimed artist Marina Abramovic in her piece An Artist's Life Manifesto, presented at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA).​

Dorian's 2013 breakthrough album, Rattle Rattle, involved over 60 musicians, including a 45-member choir assembled by Dorian, The Difficult Women. That same year, Dorian directed the controversial video for the single "La Cara Infinita", which featured a guest appearance by actress Margaret Cho. In 2014, the Rattle Rattle companion EP Down, The Dirty Roof was released.

​Dorian's musical, performative and visual works have been presented worldwide, at such institutions as The Broad (Los Angeles), LACMA (Los Angeles), The Stone (NYC), Museum of Latin American Art (Long Beach), MASS Gallery (Austin), Stockholm Fringe Fest, La Teatreria (Mexico City) and Museum Folkwang (Essen), and at such festivals as Cruilla (Spain), Festival de Arte Sacro (Spain), Moers Festival (Germany), Cully Jazz Festival (Switzerland), Approximation Festival (Germany), Festivals Kometa (Latvia) and Saint Ghetto (Switzerland).

In 2017, Dorian released the album XALÁ, recorded in Villarreal, Spain with bassist Xavi Muñoz (Laetitia Sadier) and percussionist Marcos Junquera (Daniel Johnston). In a first for Dorian, the album is sung completely in their mother tongue of Spanish. XALÁ generated two videos conceptualized by Dorian: "CORPULENXIA", "MARTILLOS", and the 2019 short film, PAISA, co-directed by Dorian with longtime collaborator Graham Kolbeins. 

2019 also saw the debut of XAVELA LUX AETERNA, Dorian's chamber orchestra tribute to the life and legacy of Chavela Vargas, with string arrangements by Spanish artist Alberto Montero. The premiere of XAVELA LUX AETERNA took place at the Festival de Arte Sacro in Madrid. 

Dorian was recently selected as a 2020 Creative Capital Awardee.

Website: https://www.dorianwood.com

@dorianwoodmusic