Exhibition - KAOS Theory: The Afrokosmic Media Arts of Ben Caldwell

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.

Born in 1945 in New Mexico, Ben Caldwell is a dreamer from the desert who spent his youth gazing at the sky and watching his grandfather project films at a local movie theater. After being drafted and serving in the Vietnam War, Caldwell shed his gun for a camera and eventually landed in Los Angeles to pursue an MFA in film at UCLA, coming of age within the groundbreaking LA Rebellion film movement of the 1960s to 1980s.

Working closely with other Black filmmakers and educators, Caldwell envisioned cinema as an instrument that could heal and emancipate. In 1984, he opened KAOS Network, the media arts hub that has helped steward Leimert Park Village’s traditions of Black artistry, fellowship, and love for over four decades. Inspired by the award-winning book KAOS Theory: The Afrokosmic Ark of Ben Caldwell, this retrospective multimedia exhibition explores Caldwell’s varied practices of photography, film, video, music, performance, community-based design, and interactive media and celebrates the creative life and communities of KAOS Network.

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.

Exhibition Dates: October 12, 2024 - March 8, 2025