ArtRx LA
LOS ANGELES — This week, the Museum of Contemporary Art screens rare Viennese Actionist films, the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) hosts a performance of an early work from influential choreographer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, Jeremy Everett explores the nature of the ephemeral at Wildi
LOS ANGELES — This week, the Museum of Contemporary Art screens rare Viennese Actionist films, the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) hosts a performance of an early work from influential choreographer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, Jeremy Everett explores the nature of the ephemeral at Wilding Cran, and more.
Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker/Rosas: Fase, Four Movements to the Music of Steve Reich
When: Tuesday, November 10, 8pm
Where: University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Royce Hall (340 Royce Drive, Westwood, Los Angeles)
Steve Reich’s minimal, looping compositions provide the sonic backdrop to Fase, a seminal work of postmodern dance by choreographer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker. First performed in 1982 when De Keersmaeker was still in her early twenties, it features four repetitive scores by Reich from the late 1960s and early ’70s, illustrating the strong connection between music and movement. This is the first in a series of two performances highlighting early works from this icon of contemporary dance.
Home of the Brave
When: Tuesday, November 10, 7:30pm & Wednesday, November 11, 10pm
Where: The Cinefamily (611 North Fairfax Avenue, Fairfax District, Los Angeles)
From her beginnings in sculpture and performance art in the late 1960s, Laurie Anderson has evolved into a multifaceted performer, incorporating music, video, and spoken word into large-scale theatrical works. Her broad artistic practice is on view in her 1986 concert film Home of the Brave, which includes performances in support of her 1984 album Mister Heartbreak. Part music concert, part experimental theater piece, the film features appearances by King Krimson guitarist Adrian Belew, keyboardist Joy Askew, and beat legend William S. Burroughs.
Action Movies: Kurt Kren / VALIE EXPORT
When: Thursday, November 12, 7pm
Where: Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) Grand (250 S. Grand Avenue, Downtown, Los Angeles)
In the 1960s, members of the Viennese Actionist Group staged transgressive, often violent performances that can be seen as precursors to the work of later body-based artists including Chris Burden and Paul McCarthy. The group’s actions would be all but lost were it not for filmmakers like Kurt Kren, who captured the work of Guenter Brus and Otto Muehl. More than simply documenting the group’s work, Kren employed a hyper-rapid editing technique, making his films radical works themselves. Later on that decade, VALIE EXPORT’s performances would add a feminist twist to the male-dominated actionist oeuvre. In conjunction with Los Angeles Film Forum, MOCA will be screening a selection of rarely seen films from these two artists.
A Coupla White Faggots Sitting Around Talking
When: Friday, November 13, 7pm
Where: 356 Mission (356 S. Mission Road, Boyle Heights, Los Angeles)
As part of their current exhibition on the work of prolific writer, artist, and critic Gary Indiana, 356 Mission, in conjunction with Dirty Looks and Semiotext(e), is hosting a screening of A Coupla White Faggots Sitting Around Talking (1980). Shot on video by Michel Auder and with a screenplay by Indiana, the film follows rich, young homosexual Dom, played by Indiana, and his oddball neighbors. It features a who’s who of the late 1970s downtown New York art scene, including actor and writer Taylor Mead, Cookie Mueller as Dominatrix Mavis, and Warhol Superstar Jackie Curtis. The program also includes John Boskovich’s 2001 film North which features Indiana reading from a Céline novel.
Simone Forti: On an Iron Post
When: Opens Saturday, November 14, 6–9pm
Where: The Box (805 Traction Avenue, Downtown, Los Angeles)
Simone Forti has been a dynamic force in modern and contemporary dance for over 50 years. With her upcoming show at the Box, On an Iron Post, the 80-year old artist shows no sign of slowing down. Named after a randomly selected line of poetry by William Carlos Williams, the exhibition features a range of work from videos to sculpture and painting. The show also spans her career, including a newly-fabricated sculpture based on a 1961 sketch, “Touch,” a video made in her 40s with composer Charlemagne Palestine, and a 2014 video “Zuma News.” Forti will also be performing at 8pm on opening night.
Jeremy Everett: Double Pour
When: Opens Saturday, November 14, 6–8pm
Where: Wilding Cran Gallery (939 S Santa Fe Ave, Downtown, Los Angeles)
Through painting, photography, and video, Jeremy Everett captures ephemeral actions, from the monumental to the mundane. With a nod to historic movements such as land art and serial art, Everett’s works are absurd, often humorous, explorations of the nature of impermanence. In his upcoming solo show at Wilding Cran, these include futile attempts to vacuum Death Valley, a cinematic documentation of a flipped milk truck, and a fleeting performance in which Everett poured two pools of water into a generic LA parking lot.
