For the past three years, the Other Places Art Fair (OPaf) has invited “hard-to-define art spaces” to convene in San Pedro, Los Angeles. Unlike traditional art fairs, OPaf isn’t focused on white-cube galleries, but rather on roving art spaces (hosted in trucks and swimming pools) and groups that host ephemeral events, like live drawing sessions.
While OPaf will be mostly virtual this year, it claims to resist the “online viewing room-focused structure of experiencing art” (which, let’s be real, can be underwhelming). The fair’s founder, Keith Rocka Knittel, explained over email that participants were given complete freedom to use the website as they pleased. MFA students at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), for example, have built a VR gallery, whereas Outback Arthouse is setting up an installation at Elysian Park that will also be viewable online. Other spaces, like Scranch X Descale, are contributing essays to be published on the OPaf website. You’ll be able to enjoy these projects and more from September 19 through October 31.
OPaf is also launching two new projects this year: the Other Places Art Book Fair (OPaBf) and the Other Places Projects Performances and Fun Food Fair (OPPPAFFF). Acronym overload aside, they sound like a lot of fun. The book fair, which is curated by Fulcrum Press, will spotlight small press art publications, including Ice Plant, Deadbeat Club, and Eggy Press, with each having its own “digital table” to showcase work. OPPPAFFF will combine performance and food in workshops where you can learn Hungarian pickling methods and juice coconuts in parks around Los Angeles. More information on event programming will be posted on the OPaf calendar.
When: Saturday, September 19–Saturday, October 31
Where: OPaf.info and socially distanced settings around Los Angeles
More info at OPaf
