chamanvision is a visual/literary arts studio.

 

The chaman is an indigenous tribal seer.  Tribes around the world consult their chaman for his/her ability to experience visions of the past and future.  The chaman helps in guiding the tribe in directions of growth, prosperity and peace.

 

chamanvision is:

 

Alma Villegas, Producer/Business Director:

Alma Villegas is the Producer/Business Director for chamanvision.  Alma handles production, licensing, promotion/publicity, marketing and sales to USA, Europe and Japan book distributors and book shops.  She has previous professional experiences in working with music record labels, music/art/fashion magazines and event production.  Alma also produces, promotes and curates art gallery/museum exhibitions and events.

 

Gustavo Alberto Garcia Vaca, Artist/Writer:

Gustavo Alberto Garcia Vaca is a multimedia artist and writer working in digital media, drawing, photography and science fiction narrative.  As an image-maker, he explores the realms of possibility found in the experiences of the universe.  Expanding on the abstractions of human thought and emotion, his artwork examines the truths of the past, the starkness of the present and the hope of the future.  A variety of influences can be found in his work, including elements from world art history, fantastic literature, Japanese calligraphy, graffiti, comicbooks/cartoons and Funk, Jazz, Hip Hop, Dub, Techno and Latin American music.  His work spans across artistic disciplines and applications - appearing in galleries and museums, as well as on T-shirts, record covers and toys.

Gustavo’s artwork is exhibited in art galleries and museums including the Institute of Contemporary Arts [ICA] in London; Parco Museum and G/P Gallery in Tokyo; and street/graffiti art gallery Crewest Gallery and pop culture/urban art gallery Meltdown Gallery, both in Los Angeles.  He has created art projects and live improvisational painting events at LACMA and MOCA in Los Angeles, and at the Mori Museum/Mado Lounge in Tokyo.

Gustavo’s artwork also appears on T-shirts released by BEAMS T, ABAHOUSE/GasAsIf and SOPHNET. in Japan; and on Be@rbrick toys released by Medicom Toy Corporation.  He has created concept artwork and art/music events for feature films, ad campaigns and products by Disney, Warner Bros. and Apple.  His work is published in various art books, including Yo! What Happened to Peace? and Graffiti World: Street Art From Five Continents.  His poetry has been published in literary anthologies and journals including Rattle and The Bilingual Review.  Press on his artwork include articles in “Art in America” magazine, “The Los Angeles Times” newspaper and “The Japan Times” newspaper; and television interviews on networks including ABC, Telemundo and CBS. 

There is also a strong collaborative aspect to Gustavo’s artwork.  For 12+ years, Gustavo has created artwork for record covers, websites and live concert projections for Jeff Mills' Detroit Techno record label Axis Records: their collaborative work has been exhibited/screened in Paris, London and Tokyo.  Gustavo also creates artwork for music releases by Francois K's Deep Space dub record label, Detroit Techno record labels Los Hermanos and Juan Atkins' Metroplex; and for the Foundation of legendary Jazz artists Alice and John Coltrane.  With comic book artist Kenny Keil [Mad magazine], Gustavo has created Rhyme Travelers, an all-ages comedy-scifi comic book series.  His writing has also appeared in the manga magazine Shueisha/Young Jump in Japan.  He exhibits his science fiction books and comics yearly at Comic Con San Diego.  For 10+ years, Gustavo has collaborated with Tokyo-based art director/graphic designer Hideki Nakajima: together they created the “Infinite Libraries” print series, which won the Best Poster Award from the Type Directors Club in New York City, was published in Typography 30 [published by Collins Design] and was exhibited at the Centre Pompidou in Paris.  Gustavo is also part of Unification Theory, a painting group that includes P-Funk painter Overton Loyd and aerosol/graffiti artist Man One - together they have created comics, T-shirts, album artwork and live painting events nationwide.

Gustavo is a faculty teaching artist in the Education Department of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.  He also directs workshops and creates curriculum for various art museums and community arts organizations.  He has traveled extensively throughout Japan, studying architecture, interior design and Zen garden design.  He has studied sumi ink calligraphy with Rinzai Zen Buddhist monks at Tenryu-ji Temple in Kyoto.  He received his BA from Hampshire College in Amherst, MA.  Along with his wife Alma Villegas, Gustavo has established chamanvision, an interdisciplinary arts studio that produces art books/graphic novels and directs/curates art/music exhibitions and events. 

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CV

Gustavo Alberto Garcia Vaca

Multimedia Artist/Writer

Solo Art Exhibitions/Projects:     

2014        Painting with Light, LACMA, Los Angeles, CA

2013        Jupiter Window, LACMA, Los Angeles, CA

2012        Spirit-Animals of Gondwana, Muse Artwalk, LACMA, Los Angeles, CA

2011        Milestones, Sunday Studio, MOCA, Los Angeles, CA

                Pursuance, Muse Artwalk, LACMA, Los Angeles, CA   

2010        Guidance, Muse Artwalk, LACMA, Los Angeles, CA

                Shadows and Prisms, NOS Ebisu, Tokyo, Japan

2009        Fathomless Dreams, loopline, Tokyo, Japan

                Pre-History, Muse Artwalk, LACMA, Los Angeles, CA

2007        Fusion, Mori Museum Mado Lounge, Tokyo, Japan

2005        Interstellar Transmissions: Return to Pangaea, Disk Union, Tokyo, Japan

                Interstellar Transmissions: Into the Infinite, Aero Theatre, Santa Monica, CA

2004        Interstellar Transmissions: Language of the Universe, Disk Union, Tokyo, Japan

2003        Interstellar Transmissions, Crewest Gallery, Los Angeles, CA

2002        Deep Space, Luners, Tokyo, Japan

2000        landscape, Inglewood Cultural Arts, Inglewood, CA

1999        La Ofrenda/The Offering, Open Studio, Los Angeles, CA

1998        The Many Faces of La Virgen, Beyond Baroque Arts Center, Venice, CA

                La Naturaleza/Nature, Fotoseptiembre, Centro de la Imagen, Mexico City, Mexico

 

Selected Group Art Exhibitions:

2014        Music in Our Paint, Britweek L.A.

2013        Where Light Ends, Miraikan, Tokyo, Japan

                Coming Soon, Melt Gallery, Los Angeles, CA

                Night Wake, The Falls, Los Angeles, CA

                99 Deaths of Jar Jar Binks, DesignerCon, Pasadena, CA

                The Doctor Is In, Melt Gallery, Los Angeles, CA

2012        Comic-Con International, WonderCon, L.A. ZineFest, DesignerCon art/book festivals

2011        Medicom Toy 15th Anniversary Exhibition, Parco Factory, Tokyo, Japan

                L.A. vs war, The Vortex, Los Angeles, CA

                Alice Coltrane Tribute Concert, Levitt Pavilion MacArthur Park, Los Angeles, CA

                Chain Letter, Shoshana Wayne Gallery, Bergamot Station, Santa Monica, CA

                Gag Me with a Toon 3, Melt Gallery, Los Angeles, CA

2010        California Now, Oakland Museum, Oakland, CA

                Edition One Art Print Fair, LACMA, Los Angeles, CA

                Angel City Jazz Festival, John Anson Ford Amphitheatre, Los Angeles, CA

2009        Vibrant Visions - dublab 10th Anniversary, Continental Gallery, Los Angeles, CA

                Fun Gallery tribute, Melt Gallery, Los Angeles, CA

                Kangol pop-up shop, Venice, CA

                Infinite Libraries, Crewest Gallery, Los Angeles, CA

                Gag Me with a Toon 2, Melt Gallery, Los Angeles, CA

2008        X102 Rediscovers the Rings of Saturn, Institute of Contemporary Art, London, UK

                Angel City Jazz Festival, Barnsdall Art Park, Los Angeles, CA

                Muse til Midnight, LACMA, Los Angeles, CA

2007        L.A. Art, Tower Records Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan

                Sonic Visuals, Metroplex Room, Submerge, Detroit, MI

                Sonic Entrance, Melt Gallery, Los Angeles, CA

2006        The Hidden Futures, Crewest Gallery, Los Angeles, CA

                The Dream Scene, A+D Museum, Los Angeles, CA

2005        Yo! What Happened to Peace?, Parco Museum, Tokyo, Japan (and world tour)

                Small Wonders, Pharmaka Gallery, Los Angeles, CA

                Republica de Artistas, Galeria de Arte Wifredo Lam, Habana, Cuba

2004        Evening of Jazz featuring Alice Coltrane, El Rey Theatre, Los Angeles, CA

                Undocumented Ground, Crewest Gallery, Los Angeles, CA

                Ignite, Gen Art event, Henry Fonda Theatre, Los Angeles, CA

2003        Up Our Sleeve, Rocket Gallery, Tokyo, Japan (and world tour)

                Ignition, Scion car launch event, Petersen Automotive Museum, Los Angeles, CA

2002        Night of 1,000 Drawings, Artists Space, New York, NY

2001        digital d.u.m.b.o., M3 Projects, Brooklyn, NY

2000        Exposure at Zero Hour, Self Help Graphics/Galeria Otra Vez, Los Angeles, CA

1999        Phototron, George's, Los Angeles, CA

                Moving Toward the Millennium, Watts Towers Arts Center, Los Angeles, CA

                Works of Now and Future Artists, Christie's West, Beverly Hills, CA

1998        Rockies to the Pacific, SITE Gallery, The Brewery, Los Angeles, CA

1997        Sightseeing, Seven Sainctuaries Galerie, Sherman Oaks, CA

Teaching Artist:

Aoyama Gakuin University/Women’s Junior College, Tokyo, Japan [Guest Lecturer]

California State University, Los Angeles, CA [Guest Lecturer]

Dr. George Washington Carver Middle School, Los Angeles, CA [Visiting Artist]

Craft and Folk Art Museum, Los Angeles, CA [Visiting Artist]

FIDM, Los Angeles, CA [Guest Lecturer]

Hampshire College, Amherst, MA [Visiting Artist]

artworxLA [formerly The HeArt Project], various Los Angeles County high schools

Idyllwild Arts, Idyllwild, CA [Guest Lecturer]

LACMA, Los Angeles, CA  

Levitt Pavilion Summer Concert Series, MacArthur Park, Los Angeles, CA [Visiting Artist]

MOCA, Los Angeles, CA

MOLAA, Long Beach, CA

Skirball Cultural Center, Los Angeles, CA

USC Pacific Asia Museum, Pasadena, CA

Writing Published:

Aoharu/Young Jump - manga magazine, “The Messenger” manga created with Jeff Mills and Kenny Keil, published by Shueisha in Tokyo, Japan

The Bilingual Review - literary journal, published in Tempe, AZ

Critical Multicultural Conversations - book, published by Hampton Press in Cresskill, NJ

Dance the Guns to Silence: 100 Poems for Ken Saro-Wiwa - book, published by flipped eye books in London, UK

Dark Planet - online literary journal

El Colombiano - weekly newspaper, published in San Fernando, CA

Forkroads - literary journal, published in Spencertown, NY

h2g2 - online literary magazine

La Selva/Jungle - book, published in Los Angeles, CA

Metamute - literary journal, published in London, UK

The Mississippi Review - literary journal, published in Hattiesburg, Mississippi

pocho - online satire magazine

Project Jericho - online literary journal

Rattle - literary journal, published in Los Angeles, CA

Rhyme Travelers - comic book series, created with Kenny Keil, published in Los Angeles, CA

The Santa Barbara Review - literary journal, published in Santa Barbara, CA

Spillway - literary journal, published in Los Angeles, CA

Strange Horizons - online literary journal

traffic report - literary journal, published in Santa Monica, CA

Unearthed - comic book, published in Los Angeles, CA

Wax Poetics Japan - music/culture magazine, manga created with Unification Theory, published in Tokyo, Japan

Where Icarus Falls - book, published in Santa Barbara, CA

  

Artwork Published:

Beyond Fibers: The Advanced Science and Technology in the Fiber World - contributed artwork for science exhibition catalogue, published by the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation, Tokyo, Japan

Critical Multicultural Conversations - created cover artwork for book on multiculturalism, published by Hampton Press, Cresskill, NJ

Fotoseptiembre -  contributed photography for catalogue of various photography exhibitions, published by Centro de la Imagen, Mexico City, Mexico

Graffiti World: Street Art From Five Continents, contributed photography for art book of various graffiti and street artists, published by Abrams Books, New York, NY

The Hidden Infinities - created graphic novel of stories and art, published by chamanvision, Los Angeles, CA

Interstellar Transmissions - created art book of digital artwork, published by chamanvision, Los Angeles, CA

Medicom Toy Manual Volume 2 - Be@rbrick toy in catalogue, published by Medicom Toy Corporation/Hobby Japan, Tokyo, Japan

The Multiple Entrance - created book of stories and art, published by chamanvision, Los Angeles, CA

Reproduce and Revolt - contributed artwork for book on social/political graphics, published by Soft Skull Press, New York, NY

Tokyo Graphic Passport - artwork with Hideki Nakajima in catalogue to exhibition at the Centre Pompidou in Paris and 3331 Arts Chiyoda in Tokyo, published by D.D. Wave Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan

Tokyo Visualist - artwork with Hideki Nakajima in book, published by D.D. Wave Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan

TYPO-GRAPHICS - artwork in book on works by Hideki Nakajima, published by Seibundo Shinkosha, Tokyo, Japan

Typography 30 - award for best poster with Hideki Nakajima, artwork with Hideki Nakajima in book published by Collins Design, New York, NY

Ubiquitous Assessment - created cover artwork for book on education, published by Peter Lang Publishing, New York, NY

Yo! What Happened to Peace? - contributed artwork to book on pro-peace/anti-war posters, published by John Carr, Rome, Italy

Press:

Art In America - October 2004, pages 58 - 61

ArtCrimes - 2002 and 2003

BET News - September 18, 2006

Beyond Victoriana - December 6, 2011

Bounce - June 2004, page 108

CBS News - September 1, 2008

Disquiet - March 16, 2011

GOOD Magazine - February 18, 2011

Guerilla One - 2000 and 2002

The Japan Times - June 15, 2005

KCET Departures website - October 30, 2012

KTLA (CW network station) Prime News at 10pm - October 5, 2006

LACMA Unframed blog - July 2013

La Opinion - July 23, 2005

Los Angeles Times - August 19, 2004

Loud - December 2003, pages 58 - 59

Relax - October 2002, page 45 and September 2005, pages 50 - 53

Pasadena Weekly - September 7, 2006

Shift.jp.org - October 2002

Straight No Chaser - Summer 2004, page 57

Univision Primer Impacto, April 12, 2008

Urban Latino - issue # 44, page 68 and issue # 57, page 61

Warp - July 2004 and October 2006 and December 2007

Wax Poetics Japan - March 2009, pages 14 - 16

XLR8R - September 2003, page 34

Public Art Projects:

Manual Arts High School [murals], Los Angeles, CA

Oakland Museum [temporary mural], Oakland, CA

Dr. George Washington Carver Middle School [murals], Los Angeles, CA

Pasadena Playhouse Plaza [consultant on sculpture text installation], Pasadena, CA

T-Shirt Artwork:

ABAHOUSE/GasAsIf - created T-shirt designs for peace series

Beams T - created T-shirt designs inspired by Alice and John Coltrane

SOPHNET. - created T-shirt designs for Music Is Beautiful series

underground gallery - created T-shirt designs for Optical Fabrics series

Record Label Artwork:

Axis Records - website artwork. artwork for live event projections. record cover artwork for Time Mechanic vinyl record series, Waveform Transmissions album and Emerging Crystal Universe album

Capitol Records - CD and vinyl artwork for Nat King Cole Re:Generations remix album including Nas, The Roots, Amp Fiddler, Natalie Cole, Bebel Gilberto, TV on the Radio and others

Creative Source Records - record cover artwork on all 12” singles in 2001 and 2002

Deep Space Media - record cover artwork on Deep Space NYC Volume 1 CD and all 10” singles

Ignitor Records - record cover artwork on Orlando Voorn Volumes 1, 3 and 5 and Boxing Game 12” singles

Los Hermanos Records - website artwork and record cover artwork on Quetzal and Tres 12” singles

Metroplex Records - record cover artwork on TIMELESS CD and Outer Space 12” single

Motech Records - promotional materials artwork

RAM Records - record cover artwork on Ram Raiders Volumes 1, 2 and 3 triple 12” vinyl collections

TKG Music - record cover artwork on Ascension by Hataken, and Pan Ambient Angeles by various artists

Tunnel 7 Recordings - record cover artwork on The Minority EP 12” EP

Underground Resistance/Galaxy2Galaxy/Timeline - artwork for live event projections

Films:

X102 Rediscovers the Rings of Saturn - created epilogue sequence for X102 film screened at Institute of Contemporary Art in London, England

Where Light Ends - wrote script and created backgrounds for film screened at various live music events by Jeff Mills in Japan

Submerge Live - created artwork for Los Hermanos performance projections and DVD

Toy:

Be@rbrick - created artwork for secret/mystery Be@rbrick in Series 17, created by Medicom Toy Corporation

Concept Art:

Apple [iPod nano launch ad campaign]

Disney [toy/product development for Theme Park Merchandise division]

Nissan/Infiniti [ad campaign for Infiniti M car]

Paramount Pictures [Interstellar feature film and Star Trek feature film]

Warner Bros. [experiential events/artwork for theatrical film releases of Sucker Punch and The Book of Eli]

Education:

1993  BA in Writing/Theatre/Film/Photography, Hampshire College, Amherst, MA

1989  AS in Computer Technology, Don Bosco Technical Institute, Rosemead, CA

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