Lari Pittman made this print as part of a portfolio honoring visual and performing artists lost to the AIDS epidemic. Dedicated to pianist and singer Liberace (1919-1987), Pittman referenced the performer’s renowned love for glitz and glamour through what he calls over-decoration. The male profile (perhaps representing a young Liberace), diamonds, sunbursts, and undefined architectural elements in layers of bright, complementary colors celebrate artificiality, or in the artist’s words, “frippery” that defines both Pittman’s practice and Liberace’s public persona.
Art21 also has several videos of Pittman discussing his work worth checking out.
Things to do in Los Angeles this weekend (12/5-12/8/19)-
Thursday
Artist Catherine Opie is giving a walk-through of Lari Pittman’s exhibition at Hammer Museum at 6pm
The Make-Up are playing at Zebulon with Seth Bogart
If you missed Visual AIDS’s screening of STILL BEGINNING for Day With(out) Art you can see it tonight at MOCA Grand Avenue (free)
Director Jazmin Garcia will be speaking at The Broad as part of their series The Logic of Poetry and Dreams (free but reserve ticket)
Lisa Prank is playing at the Bootleg Theater with Rose Melberg, and Worriers
Protomartyr and Show Me The Body are opening for Daughters at the Belasco Theater
Sasha Sloan is playing at the Fonda Theatre with Winnetka Bowling Club
Friday
Constitution Happy Hour returns to Hammer Museum with UC Irvine political science and law professor Rick Hasen discussing the First Amendment and campaign misinformation.
The Theatre at The Ace Hotel with CAP UCLA is screening Dawson City:Frozen Time with a live score composed by Alex Somers and performed by Wild Up. The film tells the story of the discovery of over 500 silent film reels from the 1910s and 20s in Dawson in north western Canada in the 1970s by a construction crew who found it buried in a subarctic swimming pool.
Cocoa Concerts continue at Union Station with latin jazz group Conganas. There will also be a cocoa bar, Santa selfies, a Candy Cane Lane and more (free)
Surfbort are playing at Lodge Room with Dumb Fucks and Nice
Sonny & The Sunsets are playing at The Hi Hat with The Gonks and The Flusters
Saturday
Queen of Jeans are opening for From Indian Lakes at the Moroccan Lounge
Earl Sweatshirt will be at The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA for a conversation on art, music, and life with Cheryl Harris (his mom). (free, 1-3pm)
Artist Frank Ockenfels 3 will be signing his book at Fahey Klein from 2-4pm
Photographer Todd Hido will be signing his book, House Hunting (Remastered) at Arcana Books from 4-6pm
Things to do in Los Angeles this weekend (9/26-9/29/19)-
Thursday
Bombay Bicycle Club are playing at The Mayan with Blaenavon
Ghostly is celebrating its 2oth Anniversary with performances by Gold Panda, Geotic, Mary Lattimore, Shigeto, and DJ SV4 at The Regent Theater
Pop Up Magazine’s “live magazine show” returns to The Theatre at the Ace Hotel, this time with the theme The Escape Issue in collaboration with The California Sunday Magazine. Performers include comedians Jordan Carlos and Chris Duffy, poet Sarah Kay, photographers Lucas Foglia and Lisette Poole, and more
Nightmares on Wax and Luke Vibert are DJ’ing at 1720
Pacer, Simulcast, and Devon Williams are opening for Stolen Jars at The Satellite
Thursday-Saturday
Lambda Lit Fest Los Angeles celebrates LGBTQ writers and includes tons of free programming throughout the city including performances and workshops. A day long celebration on Saturday at Pico Union Project concludes the programming with a presentation by Tegan and Sara from their new memoir, performances by artists including Phranc, Dynasty Handbag and Tommy Pico, and a karaoke party.
Friday
Deadbeat Beat are playing at All Star Lanes with Gum Country, Shells, and Dummy
Van Nuys Arts Festival is taking place at the civic center with live music, interactive art, a 3D maze, and more- all free
Ty Segall & Freedom Band are continuing their residency at Teragram Ballroom– tonight playing his new album FirstTaste and his 2014 album Manipulator. DMBQ are opening.
Blum & Poe are screening the LA premiere of Olompali: A Hippie Odyssey outdoors behind the gallery with a performance by folk band The Storytellers (free but RSVP required)
Deanna and Ed Templeton are signing their books at Arcana Books
Hammer Museum is having a free opening night party for the new Lari Pittman exhibition, which will include live DJs, drinks, and food trucks, as well as late night access to the gallery
The Berries, Justus Proffit, Alms, and Dummy are playing at The Hi Hat
Sunflower Bean, Ella Vos, and Ximena Sarinana are performing free as part of Tastes & Sounds Fall Crawl on South Lake Avenue in Pasadena
Deadbeat Beat are playing a free show in Long Beach at 4th Street Vine
Tegan and Sara are performing and telling stories to celebrate their new memoir at The Orpheum Theatre
Sunday
Artist Lari Pittman will be in conversation with curator Connie Butler at Hammer Museum to discuss his recently opened retrospective
At ICA LA’s free open house, celebrate new exhibitions No Wrong Holes: Thirty Years of Nayland Blake and Sadie Barnette:The New Eagle Creek Saloon and from 2-3pm artist Nayland Blake will be in conversation with curator Jamillah James
Pittman’s From A Late Western Impaerium constructs a loose narrative of nationhood that travels between our present time and the distant past. The compositionally dense works play with the social and current realities of today, with an interest in ornamentation and surface, and draw on the legacy of history as told through the Western canon of painting and the applied arts. Pittman poses the question of what a contemporary “history painting” might be today.
For more information about Lari Pittman, check out this article in Artillery Magazine
The show is up until December 21, 2013.
Today (11/23) at Regen Projects there is also a Raymond Pettibon book signing from 4-6pm.
