PSA is a series of Public Service Announcement-style videos about the mechanisms of government and civic understanding. In their research-based approach, artist and filmmaker Paul Pescador has conducted a series of recorded interviews and discussions with educators, government representatives, and members of the public to circle around questions about how the public is served by government. Conversations did not focus on a single election cycle or specific ballots. The result is informational and revelatory as Pescador uncovers a range of public knowledge about our government systems.
The short videos are produced in a variety of animation styles and are each less than 10 minutes in length. They represent a collage of dialogue as well as the artist’s own experience moving through the world as a fellow member of the public.
Paul Pescador is a trans-nonbinary artist who works in film, photography, and performance. They graduated with an MFA from University of California, Irvine and a BA from University of Southern California. Select exhibitions and screenings include: Biquini Wax, Mexico City; Deslave, Tijuana; LADRÓNgalería, Mexico City; UV Estudios, Buenos Aires; 5 Car Garage; 18th Street Art Center; Armory Center for the Arts; Coastal/Borders, Getty Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA at Angels Gate Cultural Center; Human Resources; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Main Museum; The Pit; LAND at The Gamble House; Park View; X-tra Online; all within Los Angeles County. Select performances include: Guggenheim Gallery at Chapman University, Orange; LADRÓNgalería, Mexico City; Performa 2015, New York; UC Berkeley: Durham Studio Theater; Los Angeles Contemporary Archives; Machine Projects; PAM, Hammer Museum, with KCHUNG TV, REDCAT; and ForYourArt, all within Los Angeles County. Their first collection of writing, CRUSHES: A NOVELLA, was published by Econo Textual Objects in Spring 2017.