Yassi Mazandi– The Sacred Wheel
Currently at Maloney Fine Art, Yassi Mazandi has created intricate ceramic flower-like sculptures (seen above) as well as a larger impeller made of geo-polymer stone. Also on view are a series of 72 colorful watercolor paintings, (one is pictured above- Albaloo Pollo) all named after foods.
This show closes 2/22/14.
Hassan Hajjaj work from the show- My Rock Stars: Volume 2
Hassan Hajjaj has two great shows (and one piece in a third) currently up in the Los Angeles area.
His show at the Gusford Gallery (pictured above), is filled with brightly colored images surrounded by frames containing Moroccan products.
From their press release:
Through costuming, posturing and mise en scène, Hajjaj blends African, Arabic, European and Western cultural signifiers in a vibrant fusion of contemporary globalized society. The identities of this international collection of musicians, dancers, fashion designers, capoeira masters and restauranteurs have been obscured, and these personal inspirations from Hajjaj’s life have been immortalized as his very own ‘Rock Stars’.
This show closes 2/22/14.
Currently at LACMA is My Rock Stars Experimental, Volume 1, 2012 a video installation composed of nine screens- each with a different musician performing on sets similar to those in the photographs at the Gosford Gallery. As each performer begins their song, the others turn to watch. Located across from the elevators on the fourth floor of the Ahmanson building, it can be a challenge to take it all in.
He also has a piece in the recently opened show Fútbol: The Beautiful Game.
Also check out this interview with Hassan Hajjaj from LACMA’s blog.
Joshu Lucas– Nina with Constants (Image via Hinge Modern)
At Hinge Modern until Feb. 15th, Joshu Lucas combines science with art in his intricate paintings for Sub-Atomic Material Girls.
Liz Larner at Regen Projects
This is the final weekend (closes 2/15) for Liz Larner’s show at Regen Projects.
From the press release:
Regen Projects is pleased to present an exhibition of new sculptures by Los Angeles-based artist Liz Larner.The exhibition brings together her recent navigations of geological poiesis, fissures, folds, curves, and reconfigurations, and includes wall-mounted ceramic slabs, a large stainless steel X sculpture, two paper-based planchette pieces, early photographs, and a new “culture” sculpture. Larner has shown at Regen Projects since 1989, and this presentation marks her seventh solo exhibition at the gallery.
Her earlier photos, taken near the pool at the Tropicana Motel in Los Angeles are located in the side gallery and are particularly worth noting. In one a jar containing guitar strings and water sits near people sunbathing. In another, a flask with a mix of liquors hovers near the pool. It’s an interesting juxtaposition, both the objects in the photos, and this series in comparison to her newer work.
Miwa Matreyek from TED Talks
Miwa Matreyek is performing this piece, Myth and Infrastructure, (shown above) and her most recent- This World Made Itself at the REDCAT theater. An additional show was added for tonight 2/9 at 7pm- the rest are sold out.
Image from Under the Mexican Sky: Gabriel Figueroa- Art and Film
From LACMA:
From the early 1930s through the early 1980s, the Mexican cinematographer Gabriel Figueroa (1907–1997) helped forge an evocative and enduring image of Mexico. Among the most important cinematographers of the so-called Golden Age of Mexican Cinema, Figueroa worked with leading directors from Mexico, the United States and Europe, traversing a wide range of genres while maintaining his distinctive and vivid visual style. In the 1930s, Figueroa was part of a vibrant community of artists in many media, including Diego Rivera, Jose Clemente Orozco, Edward Weston and Manuel Alvarez Bravo, who sought to convey the country’s transformation following the trauma of the Mexican Revolution. Later, he adapted his approach to the very different sensibilities of directors Luis Buñuel and John Huston, among others. Figueroa spoke of creating una imágen mexicana. His films are an essential part of the network of appropriations, exchanges and reinterpretations that formed Mexican visual identity and visual culture in the mid-twentieth century and beyond.
The moment you enter the exhibition, a montage of Gabriel Figueroa’s films plays on one wall to your right and it’s hard not to remain transfixed. As you move throughout the show, the history of his work begins to unfold through film clips, movie posters and stills, and artwork created at the time.
This excellently curated show includes not only large and small screen selections of Figueroa’s films, but also films shot in Mexico by Paul Strand and Sergei Eisenstein, and current artwork that was influenced by him. Of the contemporary art chosen, Rodrigo Garcia’s short film, La 7th Street y Alvarado is especially mesmerizing with its slow motion vision of Hispanic revolutionaries riding horses through present day Los Angeles.
There’s so much to see in this exhibition, yet it never feels overwhelming. That said, make sure to allocate a decent amount of time, especially if you want to see the majority of the film clips. This show closes on Sunday 2/2.
Michael Wolf– Cat
It’s the second and last weekend for the Cat Art Show. All the art is cat related and in a variety of mediums. Over 70 well known artists contributed work, including Shepard Fairey, Tracey Emin, Gary Baseman, FAILE, and Mercedes Helnwein. There is a beautiful piece by Nicholas Bowers, and if you are a Mighty Boosh fan, Noel Fielding also has a painting in the show.
All the artwork is for sale with a portion of the proceeds going to the Stray Cat Alliance of Los Angeles.
Photographs by Andrew Moore (Bano Rojo, 2000 and La Espera, Cayo Granma, Santiago de Cuba, 2012 and Cash Meier Barn, Shadbolt Ranch, Cherry County, Nebraska)
The images from Andrew Moore’s show at Couturier Gallery are both beautiful and sad as they show Cuba as it is now, while at the same time the evidence of what it once was is all around.
The beauty of decay is also evident in some of the images from another of Moore’s subjects, Nebraska. These images are currently on view in New York at Yancey Richardson gallery.
When I saw Vivian Maier’s work at photoLA in 2012, I was surprised to have never heard of her. Amazingly, despite the quality of her work, she was only discovered, posthumously, when a man named John Maloof bought a box of old negatives for $400 dollars at an auction in 2007. Once he began looking through them, he quickly acquired more of her work from the same buyer. Through his research, it was revealed that Maier had worked as a nanny for over 40 years in Chicago and had taken over 100,000 photos.
Merry Karnowsky Gallery is currently showing part of the collection (a little over a hundred images) including some of her self portraits and color work. This show is open until Saturday, 1/25.
There is also a documentary Finding Vivian Maier coming to theaters in March.
Raul De La Torre
Raul De La Torre (close up)
John Randall Nelson
Raúl De La Torre and John Randall Nelson-“Poems & Affirmations”
Currently at Fresh Paint Gallery until 1/18, the works by both of these artists are vibrant and colorful with interesting details.
If you miss this show, Fresh Paint will also be at the LA Art Show, booth 936.