Another Day in L.A. (part three): Culver City Art Walk

Along La Cienega Blvd

We finally reach La Cienega Blvd and head left to an area highly concentrated in galleries. I do not remember everything we saw, it is impossible! But along the way I was really interested by some of the works.

Takashi Murakami: Davy Jones’ Tear, at Blum and Poe

At Blum and Poe I was surprised to see Takashi Murakami’s exhibition: Davy Jones’ Tear, installations of large very large prints. I love his work for its crazy richness, its use of new technologies mixed with the ancient Japanese culture, an amazing talent to juxtapose colors and a very personal sense of the construction of space.

Kim Light/ Light Box presents Sharon Ryan and Yvette Gellis. Ryan's Project Room is a series of delicate and “dense black filigree” on postcards. “These are tourist postcards collected during the artist’s frequent road trips – often to see particular rocks bands perform”. I have to get so close to the work to see it, it is very intimate.

The smallness of Ryan’s works contrasts with the large “loud” new paintings by Yvette Gellis in the adjacent room. Los Angeles cityscapes Los Angeles meeting heavy loads of thick paint: two universes fuse on the canvas. Strange mix, but it works. The colors are fresh, the energy is powerful.

At Walter Maciel we see “Overlook”, an exhibition by Andrea Cohen. Dragon's Joy Garden attracts me. I do not know what I am looking at, I have no reference. I like that. I cannot say: it looks like this or like that because it does not look like anything I know. I cannot name it. It is different. The list of material is as interesting as the piece: styrofoam, wood, branches, foam, plastic string, pipe cleaners, plastic, origami paper, vinyl, popsicle sticks and acrylic.

Michele Lopez "The year we made contact", at LAXART

At LAXART, we see “The year we made contact” by Michele Lopez. I like that title! Same impression as when I saw “Overlook”: what is it, what am I looking at? Is it a feeling of freshness or is it that I am not familiar with that type of work? As the press releases put it: “An interesting amalgam of synthetic processes and organic growth, the works reflect the cross-evolution of natural and fictitious worlds”.

LA Contemporary presents “LA Style II”, a group show with Chase, Defer, Heaven, Joex2, Kofie and Hashim Thomas. Special guest Artists: Bansky and Ron English. A super energetic and colorful display, full of emblematic figures, acid colors, street signs and sprinkled with a good dose of humor. Ron English’s “Camo Tramp Boy” stops me with his shouting colors and the sweet figure of the young boy in full soldier gear composed on a camo background.

I am definitely attracted by art which talks about here and now, which I find connected with the world we live in. I feel connected to those artists because they did not withdraw from the world.

Collin Chillag at Angstrom Gallery

At Angstrom Gallery, “A Graphic Display of Quantitative Information”, a series of large canvases (approximately 100x100”) by Colin Chillag. The artist uses acrylic and graphite. The pieces are extremely detailed, with graphs, portraits, explanations, quotes, much like an old encyplopedia but with a lot of humor.

After that, we walk back to the car to try to arrive on time at Wonderful World Art Gallery. On our way we ask someone to take a picture of us. After a visit to the gallery we have dinner next door at Tender Greens (delicious salads!) on the patio, with one of the newly featured artists of the gallery, Cathy McCavitt, friend of Molly.

We finally head back to San Diego at sunset, I am a little bit dizzy with all the images I saw. Great day!