KAOS THEORY: The Afrokosmic Media Arts of Ben Caldwell

Meet Ben Caldwell. The dreamer from the desert who spent his youth gazing at the sky and watching his grandfather project films at a local movie theater. The young artist and soldier in Vietnam that shed his gun for a camera. The student who came of age within the LA Rebellion film movement of the 1960s to 1980s and who envisioned cinema as an instrument that could heal and emancipate. The community-minded filmmaker, educator, and cultural producer who in 1984 opened KAOS Network, the intergenerational media arts hub that has helped steward Leimert Park Village’s traditions of Black artistry, fellowship, and love.

Inspired by the award-winning book, KAOS Theory: The Afrokosmic Ark of Ben Caldwell, this retrospective multimedia exhibition celebrates Caldwell’s archive and the vibrant creative life and communities of KAOS Network. Journey across time, geography, history, and memory with Caldwell’s varied practices of photography, film, video, music, performance, community-based design, and interactive media. Open up your spirit on this fantastic voyage into the lifeworlds of KAOS.

KAOS Theory: The Afrokosmic Media Arts of Ben Caldwell is curated by Jheanelle Brown, independent, curator, writer, and faculty of film/video at California Institute of the Arts, and Robeson Taj Frazier, author, producer, and professor of communication at the University of Southern California. This exhibition is co-presented by the California African American Museum (CAAM) and Art + Practice (A+P) as part of CAAM at A+P, a five-year collaboration.