ArtRx LA
LOS ANGELES — This week, there's a discussion on LA art in the '90s, an evening of art and performance in Pasadena, a collaborative group show at David Kordansky, and more!
LOS ANGELES — This week, there’s a discussion on LA art in the ’90s, an evening of art and performance in Pasadena, a collaborative group show at David Kordansky, and more!
Project X Forum 1: The First Show, 1992
When: Wednesday, March 11, 7pm
Where: 18th Street Arts Center (1639 18th Street, Santa Monica, California)
Founded by Stephen Berens and Ellen Birrell in the early ’90s, Project X was a multi-faceted artist-run organization that sought to address the lack of critical artistic dialogue in Los Angeles at the time. To this end, they focused on exhibitions, events and publications, including arts quarterly X-TRA which they began publishing in 1997.
As part of their curatorial residency at 18th Street Center for the Arts, they will lead a roundtable discussion on the connection between LA art in the ’90s and today with Kellie Lanham, Shana Lutker, Jan Tumlir, and Anuradha Vikram.
The F Word Vol. II
When: Friday, March 13, 6–9pm
Where: Orange County Museum of Art (850 San Clemente Drive, Newport Beach, California)
The first F Word panel was held at CMJ nearly 25 years ago during the dawn of third wave feminism, the ascendancy of the Riot Grrrl movement, and the fallout from the Clarence Thomas/Anita Hill hearings. Today, the waters are arguably murkier for feminism, as some female celebrities disavow any connection to it, while others perform in front of giant letters celebrating it. In conjunction with the Alien She exhibition at OCMA, writer Evelyn McDonnell will moderate a follow-up discussion — featuring poet and original panelist Tracie Morris and pioneering 70’s punk performer Alice Armendariz (aka Alice Bag) — to consider the Riot Grrrl legacy and how our notions of feminism have developed.
ArtNight Pasadena
When: Friday, March 13, 6–10pm
Where: Various Locations (Pasadena, California)
Pasadena may get overshadowed by the flashier gallery districts of DTLA, Hollywood, or Culver City, but it’s got a lot going for it art-wise, from Art Center to the Armory Center for the Arts to Side Street Projects. This Friday, these venues and fourteen others will be free and open late for ArtNight Pasadena. The event goes beyond art institutions to include music and performance spaces like the Pasadena Conservatory and Lineage Performing Arts Center. Avoid the hassle of driving by taking the metro gold line there and using their free shuttle service.
John Armleder, Stéphane Kropf, John Tremblay, with guests Mai-Thu Perret and Blair Thurman
When: Opens Saturday, March 14, 6–8pm
Where: David Kordansky Gallery (5130 W. Edgewood Place, Mid-Wilshire, Los Angeles)
A “grumpy kale” motif provides the visual and conceptual backdrop for this latest group show at David Kordansky. It will be stenciled on the walls throughout the gallery, emphasizing the playful openness which characterizes the work of the five artists on view. The messy poured paintings of John Armleder anchor the exhibition, which includes other artists who have worked with him: mesmerizing patterned works by Stéphane Kropf, canvases shaped around scrap metal by John Tremblay, and neon pieces by Mai-Thu Perret and Blair Thurman.
Fiona Connor: Community Bulletin Board
When: Closes Saturday, March 14
Where: 1301PE (6150 Wilshire Boulevard, Mid-Wilshire, Los Angeles)
If you consider faithful representation to be the mark of a good artist, then Fiona Connor is killing it. She meticulously recreates mundane objects like tables, lamps, and signs, questioning how their meaning changes when they are placed in a gallery context. For her current show at 1301PE, which closes Saturday, she has replicated bulletin boards found in cafes and other public spaces around LA. Instead of using paper, she fabricates the messages on these analog holdovers in aluminum, providing a contrast with their ephemeral nature.
Michael Fried, Russell Ferguson, and Thomas Demand Talk and Book Signing
When: Sunday, March 15, 4–6pm
Where: Art Catalogues at LACMA (5905 Wilshire Boulevard, Mid-Wilshire, Los Angeles)
Since publishing his 1967 polemical essay on minimalism “Art and Objecthood,” art critic and historian Michael Fried has zig-zagged throughout art history, writing on Courbet, Manet, Thomas Eakins, and contemporary photography, among other topics. Curator Russell Ferguson and photographer Thomas Demand will join Fried at LACMA’s Art Catalogues this Sunday to discuss his latest book, Another Light: Jacques Louis David to Thomas Demand, which covers painting, photography, and film since the 18th century.
