Articles
How Disrupted Can an Art Fair Actually Get?
Days before the opening of the 61st International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale began, there were news reports of protests and disruption due to the Biennale’s inclusion of pavilions from Russia and Israel, two countries that are each involved in highly unpopular wars.
Best and Worst of the Biennale The Best Exhibition and the Best and Worst Country Pavilions Ranked at the 61st Venice Biennale
Turns out that there is bad art everywhere in the world, even at the Biennale. There was some good, some bad, some boring, and much of it was expected (cue lots of video art and fabric hanging from the ceiling). Here are our top picks of the best (and worst) of the (Venice) Biennale.
ARTIST TAKEOVER: PATRICK MARTINEZ
Signs of Life in the Ruins of Movieland On the Values and Architecture of Hollywood
Today, Hollywood is like a ghost ship, an empty dream factory with abandoned equipment. Unmoored and directionless, Los Angeles shivers in the void of the fantasy it can’t forget.
GARY BASEMAN at Johnie's Coffee Shop Restaurant
Gary Baseman hosted a pop-up show in the long-shuttered Johnie’s Coffeeshop, kitty-corner from the Wilshire/Fairfax stop. Which is fun, because Baseman is big into kitty cats. “Off the Menu” shows a collection of drawings Baseman has done on menus of restaurants across Los Angeles.
EREWHON AT LACMA
Every year for decades, legions of tourists have flocked to the same SoCal landmarks: Hollywood Boulevard, the Griffith Observatory, Disneyland (or Universal, if you swing that way). For a certain subcategory of traveler straddling the line between hippie and yuppie, however, another attraction has recently been added to the mix: none other than grocery paradise Erewhon.
JORDAN WOLFSON for Prada Spring / Summer 2026
I have always felt uncomfortable around birds. I often trace my repulsion to a family viewing of Hitchcock’s The Birds during my tender years, when anything could feel like a personal reference. In that sense, I may be biased—but when a PR pitched me a preview of Prada’s new Spring/Summer 2026 campaign, I knew immediately I didn’t like it.
JOHN GIORNO at Marciano Art Foundation
John Giorno seems like a fun guy to have been around. Lively, ready for hijinks. I mean, anyone who’d turn his slumbering nakedness over to Andy Warhol’s camera for six hours must be pretty game.
NANCY HOLT at MAK Center
Who could ask for anything more exquisite and tasteful than Nancy Holt’s rhythmic and spare documentary artworks, installed in R.M. Schindler’s Kings Road house, a place that LA loves to love so much? The land art goddess fits right in among its sun-dappled redwood joists and tilt-up concrete walls.
KELLY AKASHI & PHIL PETERS for Los Angeles Nomadic Division
Over Memorial Day weekend, I trekked up to Altadena to visit “Field Set,” a two-day exhibition of works by sculptor Kelly Akashi and sound artist Phil Peters. I was hesitant about visiting Altadena. The sheer emptiness of the area is oppressive and as a longtime fan, but never a resident of Altadena, I was worried my presence was more interloper than exhibition visitor. The exhibition was located on the remains of Akashi’s home.
AN ARTIST ANSWERS QUESTIONS Lita Albuquerque
What is the most beautiful thing in the world?
Consciousness awakening to itself through nature. Standing in the desert at dawn, looking into the night sky, feeling suddenly connected to something infinite — that, to me, is beauty.
STAYING SANE(ish) WITH DR. TRAINWRECK Advice
Question: Dear Dr Trainwreck, I'm a straight man. When I ask my female friends about problems with women (if I can make it so clear that a partner is doing something wrong that they don't immediately take the woman's side) they all just go "Well why would you be...
ART DAMAGED The Higher the Art, The Closer to GOD
GALLERY DOGS (Print only) July/August 2026
Only available in print.
ART DAMAGED The Higher the Art, The Closer to GOD
ARTIST TAKEOVER: KYRA COLE
AN ARTIST ANSWERS QUESTIONS Julia Haft-Candell
About me: I primarily work in ceramics and bronze, using these materials to rupture perceived binaries, create community, and envision a symbolic utopia. My recent sculptures pay tribute to things we typically overlook or deem nuisances, such as costume jewelry,...
GALLERY DOGS May/June 2026
STAYING SANE(ish) WITH DR. TRAINWRECK Advice
Question: My friend diagnoses everyone she dates as a narcissist as soon as the relationship ends. She never seems to understand that some men just want different things than she does or they just aren't into her. Is there a way to explain the difference between a...
The Julia Stoschek Foundation Asks: What if a lot of videos were in one place and it was spooky? "What a Wonderful World" at the Variety Arts Theater
The Renaissance Revival-style Variety Arts Theater normally sits dormant at the chaotic corner of Figueroa and Olympic. However, for six weeks, from February 6th to March 20th, the theater hosted “What A Wonderful World: An Audiovisual Poem,” a presentation from the...