Multimedia artist, installation artist, professor, academic administrator
Tony Labat (born 1951) is a Cuban-born American multimedia artist, installation artist, and professor. He has exhibited internationally, developing a body of work in performance,[1] video,[2] sculpture and installation.[3] Labat's work has dealt with investigations of the body,[4] popular culture,[5] identity,[6] urban relations,[7] politics,[8] and the media.[9]
Early life and education
Labat was born in Havana, Cuba in 1951.[10][11][12] He emigrated from Cuba to Miami, Florida in 1965, when he was fifteen years old.[13][14] He received his BFA degree (1978) and his MFA degree (1980) from the San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI).[15]
Career
Since the early 1980s, Labat has been a participant in the California performance and video scene and has spent most of his career in San Francisco.[16]
On June 4, 1981, Labat boxed sculptor Tom Chapman in a four-round bout at Kezar Pavilion in San Francisco. "They went into the Kezar Pavilion ring to create a 'performative piece' of pugilistic conceptual art," wrote San Francisco Examiner columnist Bill Mandel, "and ended up in a four-round street fight."[17] From video footage of the fight, Labat created a piece titled "Challenge: POV" (1981).[18]
In 2005, Labat had a survey exhibition of his work in conjunction with the publication of "Trust Me" at New Langton Arts.[16] Other exhibitions include:
↑Mandel, Bill (June 5, 1981) "Ring Cycle." San Francisco Examiner. Page 3.
↑"Tony Labat: Left Jab"; Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA); Calendar of Events for September 21, 2005. (Retrieved February 17, 2026.)
