Michael C. McMillen's Museum of Distraction
August 28 - October 2, 2004
Curators | Ansley Davies and Carlos M. Herrera
About the Exhibition
Michael C. McMillen's Museum of Distraction transforms the Cal State Fullerton Main Art Gallery into a dimly-lit labyrinth of chambers. The viewer navigates through four separate installations constructed from fabricated and recovered artifacts from the streets and alleys of L.A.
"Doppleganger Cinema," created specifically for this exhibition, consists of a worn and deserted ticket window; an archaic film projector and a silent film montage that the artist describes as "more like a half-recalled dream." Other installations include recreations of "The Witch of Draconis, "A.C Crump, Proprietor" and "Hallway 509." Combining elements of Hollywood stage sets and assemblage, McMillen's work invites the viewer to contemplate and participate in the discovery of his somewhat surreal and disconcerting environments.
Southern California artist Michael C. McMillen has been creating evocative architectural installations, both full-scale and miniature, since the 1970s. His work has been shown nationally and internationally and he is represented by L.A. Louver Gallery in Los Angeles.
A brochure, with a cover designed by the artist, documents the exhibition and includes images plus an essay by Philip Linhares, Chief Curator of the Oakland Museum of California. This publication is available for purchase during the exhibition.
