You See LA: Spring 2017
Five things to see and do in and around LA handpicked by Associate Professor Silke Otto-Knapp
UCLA Department of Art Associate Professor of Painting and Drawing Silke Otto-Knapp’s work has been exhibited all over the world including in recent solo exhibitions at Overduin and Kite, Los Angeles; Galerie Buchholz, Berlin; the Berkeley Art Museum/Pacific Film Archive; Greengrassi, London; Sadler’s Wells Theatre, London; Kunstverein Munich, Germany; Gavin Brown’s Enterprise, New York; the Banff Centre, Canada; Modern Art Oxford, UK; and Tate Britain, London. Originally from Germany, Otto-Knapp has also lived and worked in London and Vienna before moving to Los Angeles. She received a Master of Fine Arts from Chelsea College of Art and Design, London, and a degree in Cultural Studies from the University of Hildesheim, Germany. Her upcoming exhibit with fellow Department of Art Professor Lari Pittman: Subject, Predicate, Object will be on view at Regen Projects from April 22–May 27, 2017.
I moved to Los Angeles about three years ago to teach in the Department of Art at UCLA and feel like I am still in the process of discovering the city’s diverse and rich cultural life.
Kerry James Marshall: Mastry
Installation view of Kerry James Marshall: Mastry, March 12–July 3, 2017 at MOCA Grand Avenue, courtesy of The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, photo by Brian Forrest
My first stop is the retrospective of Kerry James Marshall’s paintings at the Museum of Contemporary Art on Grand Street in DTLA. The exhibition brings together a comprehensive selection of Marshall’s paintings from the last 35 years. Born in Birmingham, Alabama, Marshall grew up in South Central Los Angeles before moving to Chicago where he still lives. His masterful paintings address the underrepresentation of African-Americans in his medium’s history. The portraits, landscapes, interiors, and historical events that Marshall paints depict black figures and reflect on evolving ideas and attitudes towards race in the United States. Kerry James Marshall is one of the most important painters working today, and a retrospective in the US was long overdue. It seems particularly important to look at his works in the current political climate.
Through Jul. 3
Kerry James Marshall: Mastry
MOCA Grand Avenue
250 South Grand Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Members: Free; General Admission (valid all day at both DTLA locations): $15; Students with I.D.: $8; Seniors (65+): $10; Children under 12: Free; Jurors with I.D.: Free
Reconstitution
Detail of Maryam Taghavi, Preamble to the U.S. Constitution, 2017, Poster
My next choice takes us up to LAXART on Santa Monica Blvd in West Hollywood, a not-for-profit space that recently appointed Hamza Walker as its new director. Walker’s next exhibition, Reconstitution, also responds to the current political discussion about how the ideals of the US constitution—such as liberty, equality, and justice—are being met in today’s social and political reality. Taking its cues from a 1987 exhibition organized by the art collective Group Material, the text of the constitution will be painted onto the gallery’s walls, both inside and outside, with art works displayed on top. The new staging of the exhibition at LAXART renders the words of the constitution in Farsi instead of English, speaking directly to ongoing debates about immigration and foreign policy.
Apr. 23–May 27
Reconstitution
LAXART
7000 Santa Monica Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA 90038
Free
It is obvious from the map
Djordje Balmazovic (Škart collective) in collaboration with asylum seekers in Banja Koviljača camp in Serbia, NN, Damascus, Syria (2015). Courtesy of the artist and Grupa 484.
Another exhibition, It is obvious from the map, at REDCAT in DTLA focuses on the movement of large groups of people from the conflict zones of the Middle East and Africa towards Europe by examining maps. Through a hidden archive of maps made by people on the move, the exhibition shows us the often-harsh reality of what it means to cross over borders from one country to another. These maps bear witness to the many setbacks and dangerous situations migrants experience—whether on foot, bus, or train, illegally or not, and often with the help of traffickers. Other maps produced by regional and state agencies to control and assist migration, indicate the way border areas between countries are affected by the movement of so many people. The exhibition presents the work of anthropologists, geographers, and academics documenting and analyzing an ongoing political and humanitarian crisis and ultimately asks us to reflect on the ways in which human rights are the foundation of the modern nation states to which migrants seek refuge and are frequently denied access.
Through Jun. 4
It is obvious from the map
REDCAT
631 West 2nd Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Free
PJ Harvey
Photo: Maria Mochnacz
Before moving to Los Angeles I lived in London for 20 years, and sometimes I miss the urban energy of the city, so I am looking forward to an upcoming concert by PJ Harvey at the Greek Theatre in Hollywood. Each time PJ Harvey produces a new album she appears with a different visual identity to match the sound and ideas. This s her look, the videos produced, the band she works with, and the tour. Her latest album, The Hope Six Demolition Project, draws from her recent journeys to Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Washington D.C. Harvey is an amazing live performer who uses sets and costumes to communicate with her audience. I am sure the Greek Theatre will be a great backdrop for her show.
May 12
PJ Harvey
Greek Theatre
Griffith Park, 2700 N Vermont Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90027
$49–$79
Hammer Projects: Judith Hopf
Judith Hopf, Brick–Foot, Bricks, cement. 12 1/4 x 30 11/16 x 13 in. (31 x 78 x 33 cm). Courtesy of the artist and kaufmann repetto, Milan and New York.
My final choice is an exhibition by German artist Judith Hopf at the Hammer Museum. She works with sculpture, drawing, video, and performance to create installations that are often very funny and absurd: oversized hands and feet made out of carved bricks, ceramic vases with human faces, anthropomorphized laptops. Quotidian objects made out of everyday materials seem to come alive, not only commenting on our experience of the world but becoming an active part of it.
May 20–Aug. 13
Hammer Projects: Judith Hopf
Hammer Museum
10899 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90024
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This story is part of the Spring 2017 newsletter. Subscribe to our mailing list to receive this quarterly newsletter directly to your inbox!