The above photos are of Sanford Biggers’ sculpture The Oracle when it was located at Rockefeller Center in NYC in 2021, where it was part of a multimedia installation.
It now resides outside the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles, on the new outdoor sculpture pedestal on Wilshire Boulevard and Glendon Avenue. It will be there until March of 2024.
From the Hammer website about the work-
Anchoring this corner is Oracle (2021), a cast bronze figure weighing 7.64 US tons (15,280 pounds) and standing at 25 feet tall. This monumental commission from Biggers continues his “Chimera” series that hybridizes the canonical figures and gestures of Greco-Roman sculpture with an assortment of iconic African objects from the 14th–20th centuries. Unlike Biggers’s other “Chimera” sculptures that are made in marble, Oracle is cast in bronze. The seated figure in Oracle is a depiction of the statue of Zeus at Olympia, while the head is a composite of several masks and busts from different African cultures, including the Luba Kingdom and the Maasai.
Biggers sculpturally patchworks historical depictions of the body and their subsequent myths, narratives, perceptions, and power. Biggers is intrigued by the recent scholarship about the academic and historical “white-washing” of classical Greco-Roman sculpture simultaneously intersecting with the early twentieth-century “black-washing” of various African sculptural objects. Oracle challenges the associated cultural and aesthetic assumptions about their source material while acknowledging the often dubious origins of the original objects themselves.
Things to do in Los Angeles this weekend (1/30-2/2/20)-
Thursday
Artist Sanford Biggers will be leading a walkthrough of With Pleasure: Pattern and Decoration in American Art 1972–1985 at MOCA Grand Ave
Poet and activist Christoper Soto will be speaking at The Broad as part of their series The Logic of Poetry and Dreams (free but reserve ticket)
Constitution Happy Hour is happening at Hammer Museum with USC Gould School of Law professor Franita Tolson discussing Constitutional rights and voting rights plus cheap drinks
City of the Sun are playing at the Troubadour with Kiltro opening
Martin Rev (of Suicide) is performing at Zebulon with Warm Drag
Nik Freitas is playing at the Bootleg Theater with Dustin Lovelis and Charlie Wadhams to celebrate the release of his new record Cavalo Morto
Friday
Mattiel is playing at the Bootleg Theater with Calvin Love opening
Natural History Museum is hosting Night of Ideas: Being Alive, an evening of discussions, screenings, performances, and more, that is part of a French embassy program taking place around the world (tickets only available at the door)
60s Mexican rock band Los Dug Dugs are playing at Zebulon with Hoover III and Triptides
Director Bong Joon Ho created a black and white version of his film Parasite and it is screening at the Egyptian Theatre
Artist Paul McCarthy will be discussing his work at Hammer Museum with curators Aram Moshayedi and Connie Butler
Hotel Cafe is hosting Blazing Love Australian Bushfire Relief Benefit with performances by Ben Lee, SAYGRACE, Falls, Munroe, Jess Cornelius and more
Jazz is Dead and KCRW are hosting Vibes From The Tribe at Lodge Room with Phil Ranelin and Wendell Harrison performing with The Pan-Afrikan Peoples Arkestra
Tashaki Miyaki are playing at the Bootleg Theater with Johnny Payne and Joel Jerome opening
Weirdo Night takes over Zebulon with Dynasty Handbag, Fatty Cakes and the Puff Pastries, La Pregunta?, Tall Paul and more
All Weekend
Photo L.A. photography fair is happening at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica with three days to check out work from various galleries and organizations as well as talks, a film screening, and more
Things to do in Los Angeles this weekend (10/13-10/16/16)-
Thursday
The Lemon Twigs are having a free in-store performance at Amoeba Hollywood to celebrate the release of their new album Do Hollywood. If you purchase the album you also get a free 7″ both of which they will be signing afterwards.
Author, musician and producer Greg Tate will be discussing visionary black aesthetics and politics in 21st-century America with artist Sanford Biggers at the Hammer Museum
The High Five Art Launch Party is happening at The Autry and includes after-hours access to the museum, rides on the ferris wheel, a free California themed tote and a chance to meet the artists and designers who who participated in the 2016 High Five Art Contest ($5 admission)
TOBACCO is playing with Odonis Odonis at the Echoplex
The Helio Sequence are playing at the Bootleg Theater with Genders
Friday
LACMA is hosting a free screening of By Sidney Lumet, Nancy Buirski’s documentary film about the director, with a discussion with Buirski and guests to follow
Gavlak Gallery is hosting Feminist Friday, a “casual but directed conversation about contemporary issues related to feminism”. It is also a good opportunity to check out Marnie Weber and Betty Tompkins’ coinciding exhibitions.
The Theatre at the Ace Hotel is getting in the Halloween spirit with a screening of Carrie and a prom-themed after party, all proceeds will benefit weSPARK’s cancer support programs.
Allison Crutchfield and The Fizz are playing at the Bootleg Theater with Radiator Hospital and Ovlov
Friday-Sunday
Machine Project is having an underwater art show at the Annenberg Community Beach house. You can check out the work from above the pool but the best viewing will be by reserving a ticket for the times available (free) and getting into the water with goggles.
Saturday
Danny Brown is performing at The Fonda Theatre and a free download of his new album, Atrocity Exhibition, is included with the ticket
RJD2 is playing a $5 show at The Novo with Daddy Kev
Saturday and Sunday
Found LA is offering a series of free tours at religious centers and places of worship in different neighborhoods around the city- you can register for more than one but registration is required.
The Beverly Hills Art Show is a nice way to be outdoors and check out the work of over 240 artists (free)
Sunday
Artist Mickalene Thomas and MOCA Curatorial Assistant Rebecca Matalon will be in conversation regarding Thomas’ current MOCA Grand Ave exhibition- Mickalene Thomas: Do I Look Like a Lady? at 12:30 pm and at 3pm MOCA Senior Curator Bennett Simpson will be speaking with artist R. H. Quaytman about her exhibition- R. H. Quaytman, Morning: Chapter 30. (free with museum admission)
Black Marble are playing the Echoplex’s Part Time Punks night
There are still a few seats left for the Glass Animals show at The Greek Theatre
CicLAvia’s route is the “Heart of LA” this time- closing streets to traffic in Boyle Heights, Chinatown, and DTLA
*A bit further afield*
This weekend (Friday-Sunday) is the Desert Daze festival at The Institute for Mental Physics in Joshua Tree. There are a lot of great bands playing including Deerhunter, Temples, Washed Out, Thee Oh Sees, The Raveonettes, Cherry Glazerr, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Television, La Luz, White Fence and more. You can buy single day passes or stay the weekend and camp.
