In conjunction with the exhibition Ugo Rondinone: the world just makes me laugh, Lee Plested discusses encounters he has had with Rondinone’s work, as well as a look at how the work is staged in various situations. His presentation continues with a discussion of themes present in the artist’s work based on exhibitions Rondinone has curated, including I John Giorno, currently on view in New York, described as “a landmark city-wide exhibition of the work of pioneering poet, activist, and muse John Giorno, coinciding with the Summer Solstice and the artist’s eightieth birth year.” The presentation will be followed by an open discussion led by BAMPFA Director and Chief Curator Lawrence Rinder.

Lee Plested is director of Griffin Art Projects in North Vancouver, British Columbia, where he recently organized the exhibition Lewis Baltz, Portfolios. Other exhibition projects include Primary Research Lab: Minimalist Labs and Field Research, Western Gallery, Western Washington University, Bellingham;  Through the Looking-glass: A Modern Story, the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, British Columbia; and Material Witness, Mario Garcia Torres and Konrad Wendt, the Morris and Helen Belkin Gallery, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. He has organized solo projects for artists including John Baldessari, Andrew Dadson, Janice Guy, Matthew Higgs, Lee Lozano, Steven Shearer, Francis Stark, B Wurtz and many more. Plested is currently working on an exhibition in collaboration with painter Paul P and Toronto-based curator Rui Mateus Amaral, which will open in September 2017. He has written for Artforum, Canadian Art, and Art21. Plested received an MA in curatorial practice from California College of the Arts, San Francisco.