If you are in Culver City make sure to look up on La Cienega (near Washington) to see the billboard of Rebecca Morris’s cats, an addition to her show at LA><ART, Fantastic LA, which consists of abstract paintings named after popular songs. Morris is also currently included in the Whitney Biennial.
Also at LA><Art is Patricia Fernández’s multimedia installation Paseo de los Melancólicos, which explores the history of Spain during the time of the Spanish Civil War.
These shows both close 4/26.
The outside of the gallery has a mural by Fritz Chesnut (seen above in silver) which will be on view until 4/30.
Lew Thomas: Structural (ism) and Photography (images via Cherry and Martin)
In this exhibition of Lew Thomas’s photos, focusing on his work from 1971-1978, the mostly black and white images focus on different ways to use the medium to capture time and structure. Some of the work consists of multiple images of the same object put together to create an overall pattern, while others, like “9 Perspectives” (shown above), are several photos pieced together to form one single image. There are other explorations of photographic representation within the show as well, including “Throwing-Nikomat”(pictured above), and black and white photos of documents. There is a charm and sometimes humor to Thomas’s work that make this not only an interesting exhibition to see, but also a fun one.
For Hannah Whitaker’s first solo exhibition in Los Angeles, Cold Wave, at M+B Gallery, she combines photos of nature scenes, naked bodies and other images with a series of hand cut paper screens that together create abstract geometric forms and patterns. The images remain recognizable but are given added dimension through this process. Other work in the show concentrates more on graphic shapes and less on traditional imagery, but the strongest images are the ones in which something familiar is seen with a different perspective through this unique technique.
Desert Daze Festival- a smaller music festival with camping in the desert near the Salton Sea- lineup includes Liars, The Raveonettes, Blonde Redhead, DIIV and more- http://desertdaze.org/
Orson Welles Touch of Evil at the Million Dollar Theatre with Grand Market staying open late for dinner- http://touchofevil.bpt.me/
At Dorielle Caimi’s first solo show Complex Candy at Gusford Gallery, her colorful oil paintings feature nude women in various (and at times surreal) situations, all exploring issues concerning women today.
From the press release:
Examining the idea of innocence as a virtue lost too soon, Caimi’s nude figures resist vulgarity and sexualization. The bright, vivid colors serve to draw the viewer in closer to the women, whom the artist imbues with psychological complexities. Incorporating a dark sense of humor and a vision of what an authentic self might look like, Caimi lays bare her own personal psyche, creating bold paintings that speak to, and for, a larger generation.
This show closes 4/19.
In this interview with Caimi from Combustus, she goes into more detail about her creations as well as the issues behind them. It’s a really interesting read and also mentions other artists including John Currin, whose painting style immediately came to mind when I saw these works. Her content, however, is delivering a very different message.
Pet Shop Boys- Opportunities (Let’s Make Lots of Money)
The Pet Shop Boys, like a few other acts who were big in the 1980’s (Pixies, The Cult, The Replacements), are playing Coachella this year. This song from was on their debut album Please from 1986. This satirical song was meant to be a commentary on the consumerism of the 80’s but feels just as appropriate today.
