A trip inside William T. Wiley’s art fort
The new William T. Wiley exhibition is a work of art in itself — an immersive step inside the studio of the late Bay Area artist. The show breaks the fourth wall to present and the sights and sounds of his Wiley’s studio, perhaps his greatest work of art.
The space — at di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art through October 31 — is densely layered with words, images and objects that filtered in and out of his work. Curator Kate Eilertsen, also di Rosa’s executive director, calls Fort Phooey: Wiley in the Studio, “an immersive assemblage.”
“Being in the studio was like entering into a Wiley artwork,” she says. “The effect could be dizzying. Every surface was covered with scrawled wordplay, found objects and other elements of his distinctive visual vocabulary.”
Wiley, who passed away this year at age 83, explored mediums from watercolor to printmaking to giant sculptures. His long career began in 1960 when, as a 23-year-old art student, he exhibited at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
The exhibition will combine more than 50 original works from di Rosa’s collection with archival objects on loan from the artist’s estate.
“Fort Phooey” is taken from a little-known work in the di Rosa collection titled “Fort Phooey Mandala.” Wiley created the mandala as a meditative exercise in his studio, and he also referred to his studio as “Fort Phooey.”
“Wiley’s studio practice—rooted in Zen mysticism and an ethos of open-ended play—was imitated by artists ranging from Bruce Nauman to Deborah Butterfield,” says Eilertsen. “To understand his profound impact, it is necessary to grapple with the legacy of his practice as well as the work itself.”
The exhibition will include such details as Wiley’s final painting he was working on at the time of his death earlier this year; his workbench and sketchbook; the sounds of iconic radio station KPFA which informed the political and environmental emphasis of many of his works; works by artists who influenced Wiley’s work including Wally Hedrick; musical instruments he encouraged visitors to play when they visited; and objects such as chalkboards and dunce caps that often appeared in his two-dimensional and three-dimensional work.
Visitors will be prompted to create their own artworks and add them to a community wall inside the exhibition space.
In addition, di Rosa will host hands-on exhibition-related sessions on September 25 and October 23; “Making Art with Everyone (Haciendo arte con todos)” event details can be found on di Rosa’s website and social media channels.
Di Rosa features multiple galleries, a sculpture park and a 35-acre lake, at 5200 Sonoma Highway, west of Napa. The campus is open to the public Friday to Sunday from 11 am to 4 pm.
At top: Eerie Grotto? Okini, 1982, color block print on rag paper, 20 7/8 x 273/8 inches, Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, Montgomery, Alabama, Association Purchase, 1999.6
