You See LA: March 2024

Five things to see and do in L.A., handpicked by Assistant Professor Alex Ungprateeb Flynn

March 1, 2024

The arts are an essential part of UCLA. They inspire dialogue, encourage creativity, and drive real lasting change, across disciplines, borders, and backgrounds. They also create opportunities for increased engagement with our surrounding communities.

Alex Ungprateeb Flynn, assistant professor and vice chair of graduate affairs in the UCLA Department of World Arts and Cultures/Dance, has curated a diverse selection of things to see and do in Los Angeles.

Alex’s research explores the disciplinary terrain between the arts and the social sciences, between cultural theory and artistic practice. Working collaboratively with activists, curators, and artists in Brazil, Alex explores the prefigurative potential of art in community contexts to theorize the production of knowledge, notions of the pluriversal, and social and aesthetic dimensions of form. Framed by an interdisciplinary methodological approach, Alex fundamentally inquires how into human beings express themselves artistically, and in doing so, seek to transform the world.

I’ve been in L.A. for coming up three years. I’ll never get to know the city really, but that’s fine. As an urban space, it has such a unique breadth characterized by points of insane depth. I’m not sure that combination exists elsewhere.

อำไช อาชารเหมือ / Amphai Northern Thai Food Club - 5301 Sunset Blvd.

Honestly, I would probably choose five food places if I could. This is my favorite Thai food in the city. It reminds me of how people in my family cook and the aromas and textures of my mother’s kitchen when she was alive. It’s a simple place to eat that also has a great Thai mini-market on some days in the evenings. L.A. has some of the best Thai food outside of Thailand and what makes this place particularly amazing is the regional specificity, a northern style with a lot of influence from India and Myanmar. I recommend the Gaeng Hung Lay / แกงฮังเล and the jackfruit salad. Their Khao Soi Gai is super accessible.

Mohilef Building - 743 Maple Ave.

Image: Mathew Scott

This is a building of artists’ studios situated on the edge of Skid Row. It used to be a textile factory, and it’s right next to the Fashion district where you can buy super nice materials, high quality and specialized, for a decent price. The area is dense and there’s always something going on: I always lived downtown in big cities so the suburban aspect of L.A. is a challenge for me. The building itself is divided into five floors, and there’s a mix of different practices going on: painting, figurative, sculpture, technology, ecology, etc. It’s an artists’ community, and they often have open studios. When I visit, I feel connected to the circulation and movement that constitutes a city.

Ten Minute Tire Services - 5150 W. Pico Blvd.

Recently I had a flat and someone told me to go to this tire shop on Pico. They were great. Everyone should go here.

AZ-West

Image: Gunindu Abeysekera

Pushing the L.A. radius a little, A-Z West is an artwork located in the California high desert next to Joshua Tree National Park. It was created by Andrew Zittel and is part of her ongoing inquiry into how to live, which connects to a big question I’m interested in, how do we live together? It’s a series of installations, some of which can be lived in, some of which are continuously inhabited, and a workspace with a focus on textiles and ceramics. I taught a graduate class up there in 2023 on research methodologies with Raphaela Melsohn, who was an artist-in-residence. We had a good time in the desert experimenting with movement, clay, plasticity. I mean, it’s kind of fun getting off campus, right?

Brazilian BBQ - 3456 S. Sepulveda Blvd.

Image @bbq.brazilian

Grilled meat is a big deal in Brazil. There are some places you can get it in L.A. Fogo de Chão is one place and it’s obviously alright. But I don’t like reservations, valet parking, etc. So this place serves legitimate grilled meats for a lot less than somewhere fancy. It’s in a car park, maybe like a Rite Aid? And only open on the weekends until 6 p.m. They’ve got farofa, chicken hearts, picanha, all the regular things you expect. It’s pretty tasty. Oh, and they’ve got Guarana, the quintessential Brazilian drink.

Header image: Mohilef Studios is a curated studio project in Downtown Los Angeles focused on providing artists with a community of contemporaries in a spatial sanctuary. (Mohilef Studios)

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