Marshall Astor

As an artist, I envision and realize installation and sculptural projects with performative, site specific and/or interactive aspects on a regular basis. My work is mainly concerned with the aesthetics and informational phenomena that surrounds both real and pop-cultural apocalyptic or pandemic events, particularly the iconography and/or mythology of those events. I am focused on these events because of their transformative properties, as I am deeply interested in the intimacy of personal transformation and the shared experience of societal transformation.  I have exhibited in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Thailand.

In addition to my work as an artist, I am the Visual Arts Director for the Angels Gate Cultural Center, overseeing all of the Center's visual arts programming and the Studio Artist Program, where 50 professional artists work in below-market-rate studios. At the Center I have re-invigorated the exhibitions program, re-integrating the Center's programs into the larger community of Southern California and making the Center a destination for both serious artists and art viewers.

As a curator, organizer and gallery director, I have over 200 exhibitions under my belt. My primary focus is on generating opportunities for the exhibition, commissioning and creation of new works by emerging artists, particularly in the areas of installation, site-specific and interactive/performative projects. At Angels Gate, I have realized several international projects, bringing artists from Czech Republic, Macedonia and Thailand to work and exhibit at the Center, and the shipping container-based installation festival, FR8.

I have served as a curator and consultant for public art projects in the Harbor Area and as a juror and panelist for many institutions, most recently as a panelist for the California Arts Council's Emerging Artist Fellowship.

In addition to my work at Angels Gate Cultural Center, from 2002 - 2006, I was the owner/director of Walled City a gallery/project space focused on installation art, street art and experimental projects.

My exhibitions, projects and work have been featured, previewed and/or reviewed in the LA Weekly, LA Times, Artweek, Artscene, Fiberarts, Long Beach Press Telegram, Coagula, The District, Random Lengths, The Daily Breeze as well as numerous websites, blogs and smaller publications.