ArtRx LA
LOS ANGELES — This week, painter Ed Moses celebrates his 90th birthday with a retrospective, an exhibition focused on artist collectives closes, an artist invites you to bring your projector for a one-night show of digital and video art, and more.
LOS ANGELES — This week, painter Ed Moses celebrates his 90th birthday with a retrospective, an exhibition focused on artist collectives closes, an artist invites you to bring your projector for a one-night show of digital and video art, and more.
Neotropicó
When: Opens Tuesday, April 26, 7pm
Where: Laurel Doody (637 S Cloverdale Ave, Unit 7, Mid-Wilshire, Los Angeles)
Puerto Rico is an island hovering between North and South America. Located smack in the middle of the Caribbean, it is still a US territory — one, however, without many of the rights and privileges afforded to the 50 states. Neotropicó, an exhibition at apartment gallery Laurel Doody, brings together three young artists from Puerto Rico: Beatriz Santiago Muñoz, Jorge Gonzalez, and Monica Rodriguez, who create work about the island’s unique history, identity, and landscape.
Exploring the Art Collective
When: Closing Reception, Thursday, April 28, 4–8pm
Where: Fine Arts Gallery, California State University, Los Angeles (CSULA) (5151 State University Drive, Building 9, El Sereno, Los Angeles)
In contrast to the archetype of the solitary, market-friendly art star, Welcome! focuses on artist collectives that are driven by community rather than commerce. The exhibition brings together a diverse selection of these groups, including independent radio station KChung, women’s activist organization Mujeres de Maiz, and restaurant/experimental art space Thank You for Coming, among others.
Rain the Color Blue with a Little Red in it
When: Thursday, April 28, 9pm
Where: Pomona College Museum of Art (330 N. College Avenue, Claremont, CA)
When Prince died last week, we lost one of the most talented, original, inspirational, and funky artists to work in any medium. One example of his wide-ranging appeal and influence is the 2015 film Akounak Tedalat Taha Tazoughai (Rain the Color Blue with a Little Red in it). An homage to Prince’s 1984 rock opera Purple Rain, the movie tells the story of a struggling, but ambitious Tuareg guitarist in Niger (the Tuareg language has no word for purple). Starring real-life musician Mdou Moctar, the film is testament to Prince’s legacy and illustrates its re-interpretation around the world.
Moses @90
When: Opens Saturday, April 30, 6–8pm
Where: William Turner Gallery (2525 Michigan Avenue, E1, Santa Monica, California)
Ed Moses began showing with legendary Ferus Gallery in 1958, while still a UCLA MFA student, alongside Ed Ruscha, Larry Bell, and Ed Kienholz. Unlike those artists, however, Moses eschewed a singular style, embarking instead on a life-long exploration of abstract painting in its many forms. Coinciding with his 90th birthday, Moses @90 is a career-spanning retrospective of this artist who helped put LA on the map as an art center over 50 years ago, and continues to innovate.
Non-Fiction
When: Opens Sunday, May 1, 2–10pm
Where: Underground Museum (3508 West Washington Boulevard, Arlington Heights, Los Angeles)
Before his untimely passing last year, artist and Underground Museum founder Noah Davis left ideas and lists of artists for future exhibitions. Non-Fiction is the second in a series of exhibitions conceived by Davis and is described as “Noah’s love letter to the victims of racial violence and the families that endured,” in an email from the gallery. It features a varied group of artists who have established themselves with their bold, direct, and often unsettling work including Theaster Gates, David Hammons, Kara Walker, and the enigmatic Robert Gober.
BYOB (Bring Your Own Beamer)
When: Sunday, May 1, 8pm—12:30am
Where: 2010 W 62nd St, Chesterfield Square, Los Angeles
The brainchild of artist Rafaël Rozendaal, BYOB (Bring Your Own Beamer) is a worldwide series of one-night exhibitions featuring work by digital and video artists, and by basically anyone whose work can be shown with a projector. This Sunday’s event will feature 8–10 projectors as well as musical performances from J.D. Sosa and HOLD, combining the democratic space of the internet with the physical community of the real world. Audio and visual artists interested in participating should email submissions to byoblosangeles@gmail.com.
