Tag Archive "los-angeles"

Catalog Reviews – Alina Szapocznikow, Made in L.A., Now Dig This!

Elena Filipovic, Joanna Mytkowska, et al. Alina Szapocznikow; Sculpture undone (Museum of Modern Art, New York and Mercatorfonds, Brussels: 2011) ISBN 978-0-87070-824-4 This catalog accompanies the first substantial exhibition of the Polish sculptor,  Alina Szapocznikow (1926-1973) to be seen outside Poland, and is a thorough and considered introduction to her work. The exhibition was organized jointly by WEILS Contemporary Art Centre, Brussels, and the Museum of Modern Art, NY (MOMA), where it is currently on view. I saw the exhibition in Los Angeles this winter. It is a stunner, and a reminder that the dominant theme in the history of ... More » »

Suzanne Lacy in Print and in Person; from the Feminist Studio Workshop and the Women’s Building to Otis College of Art and Design

I finished reading the collected writings of Suzanne Lacy  (see below) on the plane to the 100th Annual Meeting of the  College Art Association (CAA) , held from Feb. 22-25 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. I was excited that I would finally see the artist in action.  Lacy is a pioneer of what has come to be known as social practice (sometimes termed participatory art, community art,  situational art or social sculpture), and founded an MFA program under that name at Otis College of Art and Design in 2007. Since the early 1970s she has produced work consisting of socially ... More » »

Los Angeles: A Community of the Living and the Dead.

Los Angeles. You have to wonder when the United States is going to kick its cultural amnesia and get on with some real, workable, world-historical consciousness; when it’ll finally enter History rather than just history. My guess is in a century or two, when we’ve joined the underdogs and the past seems prettier and not so conveniently forgotten. But History is not so much forgotten here as it is repressed and replaced; forced so far down that it pops up with the weirdest, WTF symptomology.

Tim Hawkinson in LA at Blum & Poe

Tim Hawkinson’s signature whimsy is somewhat limited at his work on view at Blum & Poe in Los Angeles (closing today). I’m not saying the show wasn’t interesting or that the work was a bust. I’m just saying, the biggest pieces in the show were a bit ponderous.

Seduction, revulsion in L.A.–Studio visit with Cynthia Minet

The Brewery in Los Angeles used to be a Pabst brewery; now it’s a complex of old brick buildings–22 in all, some dating to 1888–on 23 acres of concrete grittiness, punctuated by a monumental chimney. But behind the brick and concrete walls and expanses of concrete and parking  is a beehive of about 500 artists and art-related businesses. Some of the places are residences as well as studios. And the people there sponser a semi-annual ArtWalk that draws huge crowds–there’s one coming up Oct. 9 & 10. More than 100 artists participated in the last one, in the spring.

The sublime ministry of the Museum of Jurassic Technology

It’s unlikely, if you’ve never been to the Museum of Jurassic Technology in Los Angeles, that I’d be able to adequately catch you up to speed in a single post. Hell, even if you had been there— and felt, like I did, that you’d found your new favorite thing in the universe— it still might get a little confusing.

On the road–Philly artists represent!!!

The “Space” Symposium at the New Museum Friday and Saturday features, among others, Philadelphia’s very own dreamweavers, Kocot and Hatton. They are part of a stellar (get that, space?) group that includes Richard Tuttle and Peter Halley.

Wack! and Zittel on International Women’s Day

Lynda Benglis’ Odalisque (Hey Hey Frankenthaler) is on the floor; her For Carl Andre is the nearly black blob filling a corner in the left rear. Installation view of WACK! Art and the Feminist Revolution at The Geffen Contemporary at MoCA, 2007, photo by Brian Forrest, courtesy The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles It’s International Women’s Day. I know because I’ve been listening to all those songstresses on WXPN, you know, Joan Armatrading, Lorena McKennitt, etc, etc. So it seems like the perfect day to bring you news from WACK! Art and the Feminist Revolution, an exhibit of feminist ... More » »

Applauding the troops

On our way home from LA, while we waited at LAX for our flight, a voice announced the arrival of troops from Iraq. They didn’t look dusty or battle-worn as they came through the terminal, trailing in small bunches. Their uniforms were crisp and clean. Mostly, though, they just looked awfully young and tender, and a little weary. As they walked, schlepping gear and themselves, people moved to the aisle, stood and watched, applauded and dabbed at their eyes. The applause was a wave–no lots of waves. Each bundle of soldiers elicited a new round of applause that followed them ... More » »