H BOX artists

Four new works were commissioned for the

H BOX in 2009, and they will have their world premieres at the OCMA show. The artists are:

Matthew Buckingham

The 46-year-old New York-based artist has had 76 public exhibitions and 16 solo shows over the years. “He makes films that are almost documentary-like,” says Benjamin Weil, artistic director of the H BOX. His new work, “We Knew About the Cave,” focuses on the finding of the Chauvet cave paintings -- mankind’s earliest known drawings that may date back as far as 32,000 years -- in southern France in 1940, but then hidden away and kept secret from the German occupation. Buckingham’s work, using accumulated images and self-made drawings, relates these events in a fashion that reminds Weil of visual detective work.

Cliff Evans

At 32, Evans specializes in taking found elements off the Internet and blending still and moving images and animation. A quick and stunning introduction to his work can be found on YouTube by searching “Mount Weather.” “He creates eerie, mesmerizing collages,” says Weil. Evans’ “Citizen: The Wolf and Nanny” is an animated piece showing how a constant flow of images changes our comprehension of the world.

Kota Ezawa

Based in San Francisco and Berlin, the 39-year-old Ezawa specializes in cel animation and bases his drawn work on famous media moments. A few years ago he produced a noted piece tied to the O.J. Simpson verdict. His 3-D animated work for H BOX is based on the first national broadcast of the Beatles and Rolling Stones on British TV, which he blurs together into a cacophony. Weil notes that “he puts two songs from the concert together, creating a sort of single band, with nine players, in a compelling mix.”

Cao Fei

The 31-year-old native of Guangzhou, China, has been living part of her life as China Tracy, her avatar, on Second Life. Here, she uses Machinima, a gamer technology from the early days of online gaming, to record sessions in virtual life. This new piece focuses on her buying a piece of virtual property in which she creates a drifting, dystopian world that taps into “stark imagery of a futuristic place, that may remind some of the future shown in films like ‘Brazil’ and ‘Blade Runner,’ ” says Weil.