LA Day # 5

Today started with a few visitors to Statler Waldorf, notice the professional signage for the gallery. Friends, Kate and Mark popped in. They're both architects. They walked over.

Next up, a driving tour of LA in order to get to some openings and to the coolest event I've ever experienced. Anything I say about 1 IMAGE, 1 MINUTE won't do the experience justice, but I will say it was incredible! The 1 IMAGE 1 MINUTE was organized by X-TRA, a contemporary art magazine, and is an event based on Micol Hebron’s column in X-TRA, which is a recreation of a project produced by my one of my favorite directors Agnès Varda. Varda invited various people in and outside the art world to respond to photographic images for one minute. She presented the results on French television in 1983. Today's event, featuring Leonard Nimoy, Lucas Reiner, Dawn Kasper, and Bettina Korek blew me away. 1 IMAGE, 1 MINUTE was probably the most transformative art experience I have had in years (period).

I got back in the car and drove clear across this city of angels to Cal State LA to see

I'm Giving You My Dream Guns featuring the fabulous Libby Hartle, Alexi Chisler and Meridith Pingree. Their show was a real gem.

Meridith Pingree

Libby Hartle

Alexi Chisler

In the car again, navigating over freeways, side streets and parking garages, I parked it at the Hammer to attend the opening of Rachel Whiteread's drawings and Robert Fischer's sculptural floor on the wall installation. Both exhibitions were excellent. I particularly loved Rachel Whiteread's postcards and her huge vitrine installation. See below.

Rachel Whiteread

Robert Fischer

Collage, more Aaron and Molly and old friends

Images from Statler Waldorf Gallery opening, tonight, Friday:

Dawn Kasper's nice collage.

Deanna Erdmann's drawings done while riding the bus to work.

Opening shot.

Florian's baby under his piece

opening shot

more Aaron

John and Ingrid.

Art Los Angeles Contemporary

Snapshots from the art fair. I haven't been to an art fair since the first Miami Art Fair in 2002, so I thought that I might get struck by lightning when I walked in, but I paid to park and proceeded to have a look around. This is what I saw; first up was the VIP check where I got a yellow wrist bad and a "fair card," and then I saw the next installment of LAND by Mexico City-based artist Artemio, then up to the third floor for Höhenkoller or High Anxiety, organized by Monique van Genderen. Höhenkoller features pal Aaron Spangler. Aaron is also showing also in the Staler Waldorf show and he seems to be having an LA moment!

Then it was down and around to my favorite LA gallery that is not in a house and that's the venerable Solway Jones where they are exhibiting Sam Gilliam and Hadley Holliday. At 75 years old Sam Gilliam's got it going on!! Finally, another favorite Mindy Shapero showing at The Breeder gallery.

Artemio

Aaron Spangler

Monique van Genderen

Hadley Holliday

Sam Gilliam

Mindy Shapero

Molly Installing

There's still a lot of staging to do here at Statler Waldorf, but it's coming along. Last night we attended an opening for LAND, Los Angeles Nomadic Division, run by Shamim Momin and Christine Y. Kim.

The LAND-commissioned piece we saw last night was by Guadalajara-based artist Gonzalo Lebrija. It was a film piece titled The Distance Between Me and You, depicting the artist fleeing from the camera in one of three California locales: Joshua Tree, Death Valley, and Yosemite. The black and white film was projected via Videotrons, a high-resolutions LED monitor generally used for advertisement, on Sunset Boulevard.

Tonight is the opening of Art Los Angeles Contemporary and there will be more LAND public pieces to view. There's lots of events, the tour of artist-run spaces, includes Statler Waldorf!

Molly's

I am more used to showing artists then being the one shown, so I am feeling my way around a somewhat familiar LA. I've snapped pictures of Molly's house soon to be converted into a show space called Statler Waldorf Gallery, a new, artist-run exhibition space located in a private residence in Echo Park, Los Angeles. (Statler Waldorf is a muppet reference.)

Pocket Utopia pal Libby Hartle also has a show out here. We got to ride the plane together! Libby's show is at Cal State LA and also features New York artist's Alexi Chisler and Meridith Pingree. There are lots of events this weekend, which I'll report on. Stay tuned.

Text “HAITI” to "20222" and $10 will be given to the Clinton Foundation's Haiti Relief Fund, charged to your cell phone bill

Do what you can: Text “HAITI” to "20222" and $10 will be given to the Clinton Foundation's Haiti Relief Fund, charged to your cell phone bill. There are many other text options ("HAITI" to 90999 to donate $10 to American Red Cross relief for the earthquake in Haiti. It will show up on your cell phone bill.)

And then go make art. Today I start editioning or publishing a print with Jane Kent, formiable printmaker and very creative artist. I took this off a bio: "Jane Kent is a well respected artist and printmaker. She is equally known for her collaborations at some of the nations leading fine art presses.)

Jane will be in my curatorial project at Lesley Heller Workspace. Jane modestly prints the outlines of boxes, cubes of different shapes, originally meant for containing everyday objects like lipsticks, butter, and various sauces. She then applies her regulated palette of blues, purples and blacks.

We'll see what transpires over the Gocco today!! Standing beside Jane is her husband David Storey and we're printing with him next!!

Famous Accountants Closing Drippy Party!

Famous Accountants Art Gallery is pleased to announce a Closing Reception for their second show: DRIPPY on Saturday, January 16th 2010 from 6-10pm.

DRIPPY is a collaborative project-type show created by Ben Godward and Famous Accountants (Ellen Letcher and Kevin Regan). It was made on-site, in the Famous Accountants dungeon. Each of the artists played his/her part, like a band. The parts combine to form a whole but also remain distinct. Famous Accountants is pounding out the beat (the blood dripping down the walls) and Ben Godward, like Diamanda Galas, is wailing like a banshee on top of that, spilling his guts all over the floor. Awesome.

Please join us at the closing reception:
Saturday, January 16, 6-10pm.
Refreshments will be served.

1673 Gates Avenue, Bushwick, NY.

DRIPPY’s last day:
Sunday, January 17.
*Be there for an EOD surprise.

Check out James Kalm's visit to Drippy!
Drippy on Trend Hunter.
Facebook Invite.

Hope you can make it on Saturday!