Rachel Mason is an American filmmaker whose work includes performance art, music, films and multimedia projects.

Early life and education

Mason was born in Los Angeles, California, to Karen and Barry Mason. She has an older brother, Micah, and a younger brother, Josh. Her mother was initially a journalist and her father worked as a special effects engineer in the film industry. When her parents got into financial difficulties in the mid-1970s, they got jobs distributing porn magnate

Larry Flynt Larry Claxton Flynt Jr. (; November 1, 1942 – February 10, 2021) was an American publisher and the president of Larry Flynt Publications (LFP). LFP mainly produces pornographic magazines, such as ''Hustler'', pornographic videos, and three por ...

Hustler Hustler or hustlers may also refer to: Professions * Hustler, an American slang word, e.g., for a: ** Con man, a practitioner of confidence tricks ** Drug dealer, seller of illegal drugs ** Male prostitute ** Pimp ** Business man, more gener ...

magazine as well as gay porn publications. In 1982, Mason's parents took over the gay porn bookshop

Circus of Books Circus of Books, also known as Chi Chi LaRue's Circus, is a bookstore and gay pornography shop in West Hollywood, California. It was established in the 1960s as "Book Circus", and in the past also had branches in the Silver Lake and Sherman Oaks ...

in West Hollywood, without telling their children what they did for a living. They also produced gay porn videos, starring

Jeff Stryker Jeff Stryker (born Charles Casper Peyton, August 21, 1962) is an American porn star who has starred in bisexual, gay, and straight adult films. He lives in California. Early life Jeff Stryker grew up in Springfield, Illinois. His father was a car ...

. Mason attended Wonderland Avenue Elementary, Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies (LACES) and Cleveland High School in Reseda. Mason received a BFA in art from

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

and an MFA from

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

. In New York she worked as an assistant to video and performance artist

Joan Jonas Joan Jonas (born July 13, 1936) is an American visual artist and a pioneer of video and performance art, and one of the most important artists to emerge in the late 1960s and early 1970s. On January 20, 2017, Mason's character FutureClown performed a live streamed lip-synch

Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions Located in Hollywood, Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions (LACE) is a nonprofit exhibition space and archive of the visual arts for the city of Los Angeles, California, United States, currently under the leadership of Sarah Russin. History In t ...

President Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

's inaugural address as he was delivering it on national television. In 2013, FutureClown lip-synched a full 13 hour filibuster speech delivered by Senator Rand Paul. Mason's earliest works included performances and centered around the body and architecture. As an undergraduate, Mason scaled the eight-story (now demolished) UCLA art building dressed as her fictional character, Terrestrial Being. This piece represents one of a series of performances for video focused on this character. Rachel Mason at Park Avenue Armory

Between 2004 and 2010, Mason staged performances where she transformed into political leaders singing selections of works from her two ''Songs of the Ambassadors'' albums. Ranging from Manuel Noriega to Saddam Hussein. For the research into these songs, Mason conducted interviews with

Ramsey Clark William Ramsey Clark (December 18, 1927 – April 9, 2021) was an American lawyer, activist, and federal government official. A progressive, New Frontier liberal, he occupied senior positions in the United States Department of Justice under Presi ...

, former U.S. Attorney General who provided insight into some of the political leaders such as

Fidel Castro Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (; ; 13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban revolutionary and politician who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and president from 1976 to 200 ...

Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein ( ; ar, صدام حسين, Ṣaddām Ḥusayn; 28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003. A leading member of the revolution ...

Manuel Noriega Manuel Antonio Noriega Moreno (; February 11, 1934 – May 29, 2017) was a Panamanian dictator, politician and military officer who was the ''de facto'' List of heads of state of Panama, ruler of Panama from 1983 to 1989. An authoritaria ...

, with whom she struck up a correspondence from his prison cell in Florida. Her performances often included dancers and collaborations with musicians and guest artists. Performances occurred at the

Park Avenue Armory __NOTOC__ The Park Avenue Armory Conservancy, generally known as Park Avenue Armory, is a nonprofit cultural institution within the historic Seventh Regiment Armory building located at 643 Park Avenue on New York City's Upper East Side. The inst ...

(New York), Museum of Contemporary Art in Detroit (

MOCAD The Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD) is a non-collecting contemporary art museum located in Detroit. MOCAD is housed in a building, a converted former auto dealership designed by architect Andrew Zago. The architecture of the building ...

), JMOCA in Los Angeles (Justin Hansch's Museum of Contemporary Art), and

Kunsthalle Zürich The Kunsthalle Zürich is a contemporary art exhibition centre in Zurich, Switzerland. It is located on Limmatstrasse, near the city centre. A number of temporary exhibitions are organized each year. In 2014 Daniel Baumann replaced Beatrix Ruf ...

Sculpture

While a student at Yale University, she created ''Kissing President Bush'' which was featured on the cover of the New York Times Art Section during the Republican National Convention held in New York, in 2004. In this sculptural work, the artist depicts herself kissing

President George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

Between 2006 and 2010, Mason created a collectible set of porcelain figurines of the various political figures involved in conflicts during her lifetime. In each conflict she included herself as an imagined ambassador. In 2014, Mason created an exhibition of

polymer A polymer (; Greek '' poly-'', "many" + ''-mer'', "part") is a substance or material consisting of very large molecules called macromolecules, composed of many repeating subunits. Due to their broad spectrum of properties, both synthetic a ...

clay doll sculptures with mirrored bodies, of female identified artists. The series, ''Starseeds'', was presented first at Envoy Enterprises gallery in New York and then LTD Gallery in Los Angeles.

Musical works

In 2016, Mason released ''Das Ram'', an album of eight synth based pop songs on the Los Angeles label,

Cleopatra Records Cleopatra Records is an American independent record label based in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1992 by Brian Perera. The record label has since grown into a family of labels, including Hypnotic Records, Purple Pyramid Records, Dea ...

. In 2013, the soundtrack to her film ''The Lives of Hamilton Fish'' was released as an album of 21 songs. In 2012, Mason released an album with her band Little Band of Sailors which featured an original album cover made by

John Baldessari John Anthony Baldessari (June 17, 1931 – January 2, 2020) was an American conceptual artist known for his work featuring found photography and appropriated images. He lived and worked in Santa Monica and Venice, California. Initially a painter, ...

, her mentor and teacher. Mason released two albums of songs whose lyrics imagine being inside the minds of various political leaders. These albums, called ''The Ambassadors, Vol. I and Vol. II'' include songs written in collaboration with guest writers, artists and musicians including

Josephine Foster Josephine Foster is an American singer, songwriter, and musician from Colorado. She is known for her anachronistic voice and work that weaves older styles with the modern, escaping simple classification. As a teenager Foster worked as a churc ...

Jennifer Herrema Jennifer James Herrema is an American rock music singer-songwriter, record producer, artist, and model best known for her work as one half of the rock band Royal Trux. Career Herrema formed Royal Trux with her partner Neil Hagerty and lived wi ...

, John Knuth, Julian Hoeber, Emory Holmes III,

Sarah Lehrer-Graiwer Sarah (born Sarai) is a biblical matriarch and prophetess, a major figure in Abrahamic religions. While different Abrahamic faiths portray her differently, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all depict her character similarly, as that of a pio ...

. Mason performed at art institutions, and which entailed costume changes where she morphed into leaders such as

Mobutu Sese Seko Mobutu Sese Seko Kuku Ngbendu Wa Za Banga (; born Joseph-Désiré Mobutu; 14 October 1930 – 7 September 1997) was a Congolese politician and military officer who was the president of Zaire from 1965 to 1997 (known as the Democratic Republic o ...

Deng Xiaoping Deng Xiaoping (22 August 1904 – 19 February 1997) was a Chinese revolutionary leader, military commander and statesman who served as the paramount leader of the People's Republic of China (PRC) from December 1978 to November 1989. After CC ...

, and

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he previously served as th ...

Films

Her debut feature film ''The Lives of Hamilton Fish'' is a musical art film with no dialogue. Mason often performed the entire soundtrack live in front of an audience while touring the film to museums and festivals. The film's story is based on a true coincidence Mason discovered. Two obituaries of two men, both named Hamilton Fish, were printed on the front page of a newspaper from January 16, 1936. Hamilton Fish (aka

Albert Fish Hamilton Howard "Albert" Fish (May 19, 1870 – January 16, 1936) was an American serial killer, Rape, rapist, child molestation, child molester, and cannibalism, cannibal who committed at least three child murders from July 1924 to June 1 ...

) had been a serial killer while

Hamilton Fish II Hamilton Fish II (April 17, 1849 – January 15, 1936) was an American lawyer and politician who served as Speaker of the New York State Assembly and a member of the United States House of Representatives. Early life Fish was born in Albany, Ne ...

had been a statesman. The latter was a descendant of 18th century politician

Alexander Hamilton Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757July 12, 1804) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first United States secretary of the treasury from 1789 to 1795. Born out of wedlock in Charlest ...

, who was killed in a duel by

Aaron Burr Aaron Burr Jr. (February 6, 1756 – September 14, 1836) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the third vice president of the United States from 1801 to 1805. Burr's legacy is defined by his famous personal conflict with Alexand ...

; a large part of the film was shot on location at the

Morris–Jumel Mansion The Morris–Jumel Mansion or Morris House (also known as the Roger and Mary Philipse Morris House, "Mount Morris" and Morris–Jumel Mansion Museum) is an 18th-century Federal style museum home in upper Manhattan, New York City. It was built ...

where Burr once lived. The film also portrays one of the first known psychics, The White Crow, aka

Leonora Piper Leonora Piper (née Leonora Evelina Simonds; 27 June 1857 – 3 June 1950) was a famous American trance medium in the area of Spiritualism. Piper was the subject of intense interest and investigation by American and British psychic research associ ...

. ''The Lives of Hamilton Fish'' premiered at London's

Raindance Film Festival Raindance is an independent film festival and film school that operates in major cities including London, Los Angeles, New York, Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Budapest, Berlin, and Brussels. The festival was established in 1992 by Elliot Grove to ...

in 2015, and Mason performed with the film as a live performance at museums including

LACMA The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is an art museum located on Wilshire Boulevard in the Miracle Mile vicinity of Los Angeles. LACMA is on Museum Row, adjacent to the La Brea Tar Pits (George C. Page Museum). LACMA was founded in 1961, ...

Art in General Art in General was a non-profit contemporary art exhibition space known for its vibrant and ground-breaking projects as a formidable and longstanding New York City alternative space, focused on giving meaningful resources and opportunities to ar ...

Henry Art Gallery The Henry Art Gallery ("The Henry") is a contemporary art museum located on the University of Washington campus in Seattle, Washington. Located on the west edge of the university's campus along 15th Avenue N.E. in the University District, it wa ...

Corcoran Gallery The Corcoran Gallery of Art was an art museum in Washington, D.C., United States, that is now the location of the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design, a part of the George Washington University. Overview The Corcoran School of the Arts & Design ...

Albany Institute of History and Art The Albany Institute of History & Art (AIHA) is a museum in Albany, New York, United States, "dedicated to collecting, preserving, interpreting and promoting interest in the history, art, and culture of Albany and the Upper Hudson Valley region". ...

, The Horse Hospital (London), Pineapple Underground Film Festival (Hong Kong), and Night Gallery (Los Angeles). Mason's 2019 documentary feature film ''

'' was acquired by

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

and executive produced by Ryan Murphy. It is based on the story of the historic gay landmark

, a book and magazine store that her parents ran from 1982 until 2019. The film had its world premiere at the

Tribeca Film Festival The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by TriBeCa Productions, Tribeca Productions. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive progra ...

on April 26, 2019 and was the opening night gala presentation at the 2019

Outfest Outfest is an LGBTQ-oriented nonprofit that produces two film festivals, operates a movie streaming platform, and runs educational services for filmmakers in Los Angeles. Outfest is one of the key partners, alongside the Frameline Film Festival ...

film festival. It was available for streaming on Netflix on April 22, 2020. "Rachel's art is fluid — it's always easing in and out of different forms. She is a songwriter and performer; she's an actress, of a sort, who performs as if channeling the poetic inner souls of controversial leaders like Fidel Castro and Manuel Noriega." -- Claudine Ise

External links

Official website

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mason, Rachel 21st-century American women artists Artists from Los Angeles University of California, Los Angeles alumni American women sculptors American performance artists Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Yale University alumni