Clubbing It

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More About

• Michael Arcega
• Manila
• AK-47 Assault Rifle
• Arts, Entertainment, and Media
• Government and Politics

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Local artist Michael Arcega tackles issues of globalization using historical icons. But once you dive into his work, such as his petroleum-based cathedral, his AK-47 made out of rice, his SPAM maps (palindrome alert!), and his 15-foot Noah's Ark hauling strips of dried meat, you begin to notice something else — Arcega is a riot. Now, after logging hours at the Oceanic and Friede Collections at the de Young, Arcega brings his show "Homing Pidgin" to the same venue. His "pidgin objects" reinterpret the ancestral tools and ceremonial objects of the Oceanic collection, bringing them to the logical (at least for Arcega) present, after Western influence has had its way with the islands. Showcasing his usual regard for humor, wordplay, and obsessive craft (we're still dizzy over the seaworthy Manila galleon he made out of manila folders years back), he's topped ax-handle "war clubs" with miniature military ships, high-rise condos, and other western imports. And his "dance clubs" are topped with — what else? — dance clubs.
Oct. 6-Jan. 20, 2007