'Made in L.A. 2016': Hammer Museum biennial proves a thoughtful place to ponder the possibilities
Christopher Knight of the L.A. Times reviews 'Made in L.A. 2016'
According to Christopher Knight, "two themes dominate the show. One is the tension between the virtual world of the Internet...and the actual, physical stuff of art." What is the other? Read on to find out...
"Where is Todd Gray?
The artist is one of 26 included in the latest installment of the Hammer Biennial, “Made in L.A. 2016: a, the, though, only.” The diverse survey of recent art opened last week at the Westwood museum, but Gray’s work is nowhere to be seen.
That absence is by design.
Gray, a well-known commercial photographer in the music industry as well as an artist whose work is included in numerous museum collections, is restaging an extended performance piece suggestively located at today’s perplexing crossroads of art culture and celebrity culture. Its title is 'Ray.'
For a full year following the 2013 death of his friend Ray Manzarek, keyboardist for the classic rock band the Doors, Gray wore only clothing that had belonged to the musician. In the Hammer’s lobby, an unobtrusive wall label says that he is doing it again for the duration of the museum show."— Christopher Knight, June 23, 2016
Read the full article at the L.A. Times website.