Terrance Graven
Encyclopedia
Terrance Graven is a San Francisco artist whose installations often incorporate sculptural elements, live performances, costumes, sound pieces, and theatrical lighting. He studied at Indiana University
and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from San Francisco State University
(Honors Program/Painting). He has also studied privately at Michael Markowitz Art Studios.
In 1990, he was a principle performer for Harupin-Ha
, the first Bay Area Butoh
troupe, headed by Koichi and Hiroko Tamano. He also has trained with Yumiko Yoshioka, Akira Kasai, Anzu Furukawa, Yuri Nagaoka, and Diego Piñon.
In 1992 he formed COLLAPSINGsilence Performance Troupe
, which was active for thirteen years. The troupe designed and fabricated all costumes, props, puppets, and site-specific installations.
In 2009, he exhibited a solo show at David Cunningham Projects Gallery entitled "TEMPVS". According to writer Traci Vogel of The SF Weekly, "In his performance work, Graven visits territory pioneered by the Viennese Actionists and feminist artists such as Carolee Schneeman, who claimed the body as a canvas. There is a fertile aesthetic intersection with Graven's installations, which hew closely to a Victorian Memento Mori
("remember death") sensibility" Terrance Graven states that before the exhibition, he placed an advertisement requesting memento mori donations. He was invited into strangers’ homes wherein they shared personal stories about their deceased loved ones. Afterwards they gave contributions in the form of cremation ashes and other relics. These were placed at the bottom of a rotating tripod.
He has been a guest lecturer/instructor at UC Berkeley, Stanford University
, Douglas and Sturgess, Jon Sims Center for the Arts, Yugen Theater, and the Harvey Milk Institute.
He has exhibited in the Bay Area including shows at David Cunningham Projects Gallery, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
, De Young Museum, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
, 111 Minna and The Lab.
Indiana University
Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...
and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University is a public university located in San Francisco, California. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers over 100 areas of study from nine academic colleges...
(Honors Program/Painting). He has also studied privately at Michael Markowitz Art Studios.
In 1990, he was a principle performer for Harupin-Ha
Butoh
is the collective name for a diverse range of activities, techniques and motivations for dance, performance, or movement inspired by the movement. It typically involves playful and grotesque imagery, taboo topics, extreme or absurd environments, and is traditionally performed in white body makeup...
, the first Bay Area Butoh
Butoh
is the collective name for a diverse range of activities, techniques and motivations for dance, performance, or movement inspired by the movement. It typically involves playful and grotesque imagery, taboo topics, extreme or absurd environments, and is traditionally performed in white body makeup...
troupe, headed by Koichi and Hiroko Tamano. He also has trained with Yumiko Yoshioka, Akira Kasai, Anzu Furukawa, Yuri Nagaoka, and Diego Piñon.
In 1992 he formed COLLAPSINGsilence Performance Troupe
Butoh
is the collective name for a diverse range of activities, techniques and motivations for dance, performance, or movement inspired by the movement. It typically involves playful and grotesque imagery, taboo topics, extreme or absurd environments, and is traditionally performed in white body makeup...
, which was active for thirteen years. The troupe designed and fabricated all costumes, props, puppets, and site-specific installations.
In 2009, he exhibited a solo show at David Cunningham Projects Gallery entitled "TEMPVS". According to writer Traci Vogel of The SF Weekly, "In his performance work, Graven visits territory pioneered by the Viennese Actionists and feminist artists such as Carolee Schneeman, who claimed the body as a canvas. There is a fertile aesthetic intersection with Graven's installations, which hew closely to a Victorian Memento Mori
Memento mori
Memento mori is a Latin phrase translated as "Remember your mortality", "Remember you must die" or "Remember you will die". It names a genre of artistic work which varies widely, but which all share the same purpose: to remind people of their own mortality...
("remember death") sensibility" Terrance Graven states that before the exhibition, he placed an advertisement requesting memento mori donations. He was invited into strangers’ homes wherein they shared personal stories about their deceased loved ones. Afterwards they gave contributions in the form of cremation ashes and other relics. These were placed at the bottom of a rotating tripod.
He has been a guest lecturer/instructor at UC Berkeley, Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, Douglas and Sturgess, Jon Sims Center for the Arts, Yugen Theater, and the Harvey Milk Institute.
He has exhibited in the Bay Area including shows at David Cunningham Projects Gallery, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is a modern art museum located in San Francisco, California. A nonprofit organization, SFMOMA holds an internationally recognized collection of modern and contemporary art and was the first museum on the West Coast devoted solely to 20th century art...
, De Young Museum, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts is a multi-disiplinary contemporary arts center in San Francisco, California, United States. Located in Yerba Buena Gardens, YBCA features visual art, performance, and film/video that celebrates local, national, and international artists and the Bay Area's diverse...
, 111 Minna and The Lab.