The CSULB Museum and Curatorial Studies graduate program presents Consumed, a group exhibition exploring the past, present, and future implications of mass consumption. By upholding the position that consumerism is one of the major causes of an environmental crisis, the artists' work simultaneously critiques and acknowledges the compulsive, cooperative relationship that exists between consumerism and society today. Artists China Adams, Jedediah Caesar, Gabriel Kuri, Mary Mattingly, and Camilo Ontiveros recontextualize everyday consumer objects into new forms, activating an awareness of humanity's contribution to the growing ecological crises.

In her practice, Mary Mattingly makes visible the figural and literal weight of our consumer objects within an eco-crisis narrative, representing mass-produced goods as sentimental yet oppressive. China Adams' artistic process embodies a commitment to pragmatism and resourcefulness as a means to offset her ongoing personal struggles with consumer culture. Using the detritus that infiltrates her daily life, she creates intricate sculptural works that transcend their materials. Jedediah Caesar reflects on systems of accumulation and dispersal, industry and labor, in an attempt to assert order over the chaos of waste. He creates sculptures of collected refuse embedded in poured resin containers, which are cross-sectioned to expose layers of industrial debris. Addressing cross-border issues between the U.S. and Mexico, Camilo Ontiveros' work revolves around the value of discarded consumer products from the North, pointing to the transformation of value, as objects travel through formal and informal economies around Southern California and across national borders. Gabriel Kuri commissions Mexican weavers to reproduce an image of a shopping receipt as large-scale tapestry, highlighting the monumentality of consumption in its relation to an exploitative economy.