Saturday, January 21, 2012

CHANGES: new site - same habits

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Richard Serra: process


My absent nature for the past year was due to completely loosing full access to a functioning computer. A whole year of slowly loosing the friction you experience while typing on a keyboard. Though, it was nice to pick up a pen more often and become infatuated with the quality of the notebooks I will write in.. No, I never stopped looking at art nor did I stop the critical process which comes naturally when swimming in such waters. However, in the last year, I've grown to fully appreciate Los Angeles architecture and history (with a broader spectrum, instead of becoming trapped in one origin). As, it's easy to forget when you're a native to this city, you forget the escaping adventures of not the tourist, but a beginner in our town. The exploration of many histories, architectures, cultures; all seemingly claiming myths!-- but rather, all read differently, according to it's landscape and well, if you live in Los Angeles, you know the landscape was not made for the tourist, but the beginner who is willing to delve.


NEW OUTLET: lahinge.wordpress.com

ABOUT THE THE CHANGE OF TITLE: Inspired by Richard Serra's "black drawings" series. Specifically, from "L.A Hinge", a work which used to be housed in the first floor of LACMA's BCAM building; tucked in the center of the back gallery. Literally serving as a hinge to both of his architectural/sculptural work ( Band,2006). The change of title comes with my recent inclination to Los Angeles architecture but overall, Los Angeles sprawling history as a calling to the land of many labyrinths.

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Not So Quiet In The Western Front: Art Los Angeles Contemporary 2011

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Fair Grounds


Art fairs are synonymous for they mark any given city’s relationship with a local art community and the international art world market. Los Angeles is fairly new and in the rocky path towards the art fair staple. Lately, the landscape is shifting for better or worse. A city widely known in the art world for the freedom it offers to artists which often turns into a mystical freeway bound metropolis. Surprisingly luring (young) talented artists, but i should not use such a term as "surprisingly" for Los Angeles it's no surprise, as cynical as I may sound... In LA, it seems that the notion of endless sun, the beach, it's palm trees, the dessert, after all it's many landscapes and moods offer such freedoms for those that choose to live here.

As artist Dawn Kasper expressed the initial muses that brought her to our city, during a panel, you got the feeling that Art Los Angeles Contemporary might be the last piece to the puzzle, but as the latter confirmed, it’s merely the beginning.

Thursday’s opening was accompanied by a cacophonous harmony of voices linking all in unison. At first sight I greeted Kathryn Brennan, former Chinatown gallerist who was in town from New York. Pace-fully, I traverse my way through the still rather small in scale labyrinth that is Art Los Angeles Contemporary. The roster of galleries grew, as over 70 galleries were scheduled in the roster, with both returning and new contenders in a rather new art fair scene. I was particularly drawn to Liz Craft at Patrick Painter’s booth, but as soon as movement climbed the hierarchy over visualization, Liz Glynn’s Amphitheater / performance piece rose my enthusiasm.

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Aaron Wrinkle and Dan Graham

As expected, Saturday attracted quite a crowd, but the environment couldn't compare to Thursday night. The highlight of the day, and one I was looking forward to a month prior, involved artists Aaron Wrinkle and Dan Graham in conversation. The impulsive conversation made a memorable one, but specifically Graham’s recollection of artist, girlfriend Lee Lozano. Sharing that Lozano never showed him her work. It was only after her death that he discovered she was a great artist. He went on to acknowledge the problem of women artists and their unrecognized histories as artists. After the talk, my guest and I stuck around, seemingly with a lost look in our eyes. Luckily, we had the chance to ask Aaron Wrinkle of a large Ziploc bag full of metaphorical connectivity in the form of coins, all from the same year -- 1966 as I can recall (?). We also spoke to Graham of New York City, and as quickly as his mind made a connection, he shared a recent conversation he had with friends at The New School. Graham is silently impulsive and that might just be one of the main reasons I have always silently admired his work and persona.

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Human Resources Gallery

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Dan Graham Gallery

Attraction to these events (art fairs) comes from the variety of scheduled panels and not so much the logistics of art being sold... However, visualization can’t be ignored... And some of my local favorite spaces were showcasing their work. Human Resources displayed work of artist Gustavo Herrera along with two mounted televisions on top of each other with projected videos of documented performances at their space in Chinatown, and what seemed like a music video. Newspapers advertising The Collective Show, Chinatown 2011 and another explaining their mission laid in the floor. Dan Graham’s booth was a graceful communion of artists as their booth constantly changed; the adding of a newspaper or the floor plan of Dan Graham gallery, a space which was run by artist Aaron Wrinkle. Night Gallery shared a booth with Eight Veil showcasing the sultry darkness of Paul Heyer's work.

I found Richard Jackson's paintings to be more rich than his sculptural work displayed in David Kordansky's booth, though if compared next to each other, the paintings are deaf and the sculptures well, they're loud.



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Standard Oslo Gallery


I noticed that Standard Oslo displayed the same particular work from last year, but as I remember they were quite popular for their minimalism and repetition. The dry wit of Standard, Oslo Gallery attracted Jeffrey Deitch, a certain piece with and air of American artists Justin Lowe and Jonah Freeman, but I did not catch the artist's name ( a photograph of the work is shown above!.)

Luke Butler’s contemplation of Star Trek characters at Silvermann gallery from San Francisco were one of my favorite works in the fair, with a contemplation that troubled me at either spectacle or dry humor.
At Jancar gallery I was pleasantly surprised to encounter two works of artist Dawn Kasper.

“Everybody knows her as the girl that hurts herself, but she's also a photographer”, Tom Jancar expressed. Touching on Kasper’s history/practice with performance art in Los Angeles.


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Dawn Kasper photographs/documentation at Jancar Gallery


When Sunday rolled around the Californian sun and airport stage worked well, but the scene was rather different. Once again, as mere spectator, one can only look and at a day’s end I gravitated towards John Espinosa at Annie Wharton’s booth. The dark architectural Espinosa was the last glimpse, one that quite nicely connected with the skeletal framework of the fair. As crates moved in to do their jobs, to decentralized the structure of the art fair, a yet unfamiliar air to the landscape of Los Angeles, but one that is slowly becoming more familiar.


John Espinosa
John Espinosa sculpture at Annie Wharton Gallery

Monday, January 31, 2011

A New Endeavour: art a L.A. mode at LAist!




A new endeavor arouse when Happy House founder and overall art supporter, Karyn Kohl brought to my attention the possibility of writing for LAist. The popular Los Angeles blog was looking to further expand their art coverage and so I jumped aboard.

The monster we call time has already eaten up three months since I first started writing a quick column, "The Weekly Art Round Up: Art in LA" for LAist, if you did not already know, please, keep your eyes open for the next one.

I know, my blog has been neglected for quite a while now... with my nose deep in books and knees deep in art, I find myself coming back ...


My pre- Art Los Angeles Contemporary write up followed by a post fair review in the coming days.




see you in ondas!

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Haaaappy X Mas


Martin Kersels at The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, 2010

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Art InThe Post Digial Age: BYOB LA at USC Roski School of Fine Arts

The current shifts of Art History are visible yet untraceable in a sense. Technology's importance in the context of art is not new, but the impact of the inter-web, internet, social network, and every other name communication traveling at the speed of light goes by these days... is one that has been given attention, but it's complex system

Yes, artists use the internet as a medium. Take for instance the fact of artists using Twitter as a medium of ranging a wider audience, but most significantly as a new source open for dialogue.


However, Bring Your Own Beamer promotes artists through beamers (projectors!) for one night only. The on going series has taken place in Portland, New York, Berlin, as well as other locations and going strong.


The work presented in a series as BYOB deserves further discussion, but as stated, the connection of artist--> social media ---> interaction ---> physicality ---> public/spectator realm is hard to trace.

For now, one night shows of random spontaneity and artistic communion sounds about right...


It was hard to try and identify each individual artist, as projections took hostage of The Roski School gallery walls and ceilings. However, I did recognize some works. If you find your work below, please send me a quick email so, I can add your name.


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Fernando Sanchez
Frenando Sanchez

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make faces

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thumb down


move(s)

morrisa maltz

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up^

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Eugene Klotyarenko

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Pascual Sisto (?)

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Pascual Sisto

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theendexit

Monday, November 8, 2010

In The Hall of Pure Intimacy: Charles Long and Justin Beal at Night Gallery

The use of space is an interesting topic in Los Angeles. Many artists hone the city's vast free space with their ability to get lost and go unnoticed. Others question the use of space for better relationships with nature and the environment of a car driven city. I'm most interested in the use of space and these seemingly characters it creates-- galleries in unusual spaces.

I talk about space because I find it fascinating that in Los Angeles certain galleries have found creative use of space, not to mention location. Night gallery is one of those spaces that has found that wave of in depth creativity, by opening a gallery in a Lincoln Heights strip mall. What used to be a party supply store now caters to artists and serves as an art gallery. However, Night Gallery is not the only space to follow these steps but neighboring Workspace Gallery, run by artists Paul Pescador and Daniel Ingroff, was the first to create this use of space in the Lincoln Heights neighborhood.-- (form follows function).

Night Gallery was a name I heard quite often, a visit had long been over due. To spark my curiosity artist Alex Staiger invited me to tag along one Tuesday night. It was a school night, past ten pm, I had homework to be completed, and had to wake up early the next morning, but this was my opportunity, to finally fully embrace Night Gallery.

Literally, in simplest form Night gallery is only open at night, with black colored walls that shake off the florescent lighting coming from a small room in the further back right corner of the space.

On this particular night artists Charles Long and Justin Beal took Night Gallery hostage for the opening of, In The Hall of Pure Intimacy. A crowd swarmed the parking lot, while inside, one was forced to make eye contact with one another in hopes to avoid heads to bump.


Charles Long
Charles Long


Charles Long, a current professor at The University of Riverside and represented by Shoshana Wayne Gallery in Santa Monica displayed the painting above. After moving from New York City, Long was quickly intrigued by the running industrial river we call, the Los Angeles river or the LA River for short. A river that plays a huge roll in our city, from humorous banter in it's usage of location to a landscape far too unfamiliar to those who were not raised in this city. Long's recent works, as already noted, retain inspiration from the Los Angeles River, through the collection of the river's debris-- Later, to be transformed into works.

An uncanny, nostalgic, relationship of the physical and the metaphysical resonates in Long's work. A reality or mirage we can all relate to.


Justin Beal
Justin Beal


Justin Beal's sculpture in the other hand, blows an air of a dark Warhol. We can simplify Beal's work, or rather categorize it within the conceptualist bubble. One with consumerism (?), one that gets old, but retains it's shine. Don't get me wrong!, I'm a fan of Beal's work, as I find the boundaries he pushes rather humorous-- when installed for a public/spectator.


Several individuals are doing an amazing job and I often find those individuals are small galleries. Perhaps it's the hype of the new kid on the block, but I venture that's not the case. Innovative ideas at small scale entities have a stronger backbone of self creativity than those working towards commercialist driven goals. I found that strong backbone at Night Gallery, I've found that in Chinatown and I yet have to explore other corners of Los Angels to better understand the comical ways of a freeway bound city.


That being covered, Tuesday nights are usually for new openings. As I hear, every other day, a crowd may show up and it's a party, or no one will show up, but it's still where you want to be in Los Angeles!.


Night Gallery
Tuesday- Thursday: 10pm - 2am
204 south, Avenue 19
646 717 4925

Mieke Marple and Peter Harkawik at Night Gallery

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Mieke Marple's Musee Los Angeles


This past summer I dragged a friend of mine to Musee Los Angeles. An exhibition inspired by Marcel Duchamp and a pop up gallery organized by Mieke Marple. The show impressed me as well as it's hidden location. I'm the biggest fan of her website(s) that serve as works. Now, I'm curious about her talk at Night Gallery, will the labyrinth of Marple subdue me once again?!

Here is the first part of her talk this Tuesday.

After Marple, Peter Harkawik will screen Harun Farocki's film, Ein Bild.


when: Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Starts at 10pm - 2am


Night Gallery
Tuesday- Thursday: 10pm - 2am
204 south, Avenue 19
646 717 4925