This weekend is dominated by two art fairs, the Santa Monica-bound Art LA 2009 and the Convention Center-bound LA Art Show. Which art swap meet will reign supreme? You be the judge. And there’s a fair number of openings all around town, too.
Thursday, January 22
Supersonic @ LA Art Show. LA’s multi-school MFA smackdown has attached itself to the LA Art Show, taking place all weekend at the Convention Center. Get a peek at the best and the worst of what’s coming out of the minds and hands of the newest crop of “desperate for a novel idea” grad students. Thursday-Saturday, 11-8 & Sunday 11-5.
Friday, January 23
Critiquing the Critic: Is Criticism Still Relevant @ LA Art Show. Peter Frank engages David Salow, Annie Wharton and Scarlet Cheng on the relevance and definition of criticism. 6-7 PM.
Sala Lounge @ Tropico de Nopal. A live prodcast of The Recent Rupture Radio Hour, featuring 78 collector, PPA: Civilization DJ and author of the awesome blog Excavated Shellac, Jon Ward. Other guests include Jose Lopesz-Feliu and Fumi Bankole. Starts at 8 PM sharp.
Saturday, January 24
Meeson Pae Yang @ JK Gallery. Meeson has been one of my co-workers at Angels Gate for a long time, she’s our Education Director. She’s a tremendous sculptress and installation artist, this show features her drawings. Also showing is Jane Catlin. Reception is 6-8 PM.
Kim Abeles: Location Studies, Marie Thiebault: Broken Symmetries & Amy Thornberry: Sheaths, Veils, Sediments @ Torrance Art Museum. A triple hitter, three openings in each of the Museum’s three galleries. All of these are can’t miss, and that’s a detail from Marie Thiebault’s Epoch at top. Reception is 7-10 PM.
Chinatown Art Night. Apparently the Chinatown gallery have gotten together to unify behind a single night. 7-10 PM
Fight Crew vs. Tough Cookies @ The Dollhouse. Roller Derby is on. Go and cheer for Roxy Cotton, S’mackdown and Legacy, they’re all be on the track, bumping elbows and hitting the wood. Doors open at 6, game starts at 8.
Star 80 & Secret Second Feature @ The Silent Movie Theatre. Part of their True Crime series, the Cinefamily presents Bob Fosse’s last film, about the death of Playboy Playmate Dorothy Stratten. Starts at 7:30.
Sunday, January 25
The Art of Two Germanys: Cold War Cultures @ LACMA. I’m cruising the press preview for this show tomorrow, but it looks promising. I’m wondering how the two Germanys are balanced, given the imbalance between their cultures and cultural output. This is the first “not Eli Broad’s blue chip bargain bin” show at the BCAM, so I’m also looking forward to seeing how it’s installed. There is a discussion taking place in the Bing Theater at 1 PM, as well.
Technorati Tags: art, LA art, contemporary art, art la 2009, LA Art Show, Supersonic, Sala Lounge, Tropico de Nopal, JK Gallery, Meeson Pae Yang, Kim Abeles, Marie Thiebault, Amy Thornberry, Torrance Art Museum, LA Derby Dolls, Star 80, Cinefamily, Art of Two Germanys, LACMA