Julia Weist’s “Private Eye” is like a neo-noir where the investigator investigates themselves and invites us along. The work traffics in suburban paranoia: messages on vanity plates and yard signs asking us to believe. Today, the taboo of surveillance has faded, and while we are used to being watched, we aren’t used to learning what’s seen. The show shatters our comfort as we’re presented with candid photos of a sunburnt Weist, aerial shots of unnamed neighborhoods, bureaucratic paperwork, and deflated lawn ornaments. In the end, Weist’s work convinces us of a world where nothing is solved and everything disappears.

Julia Weist: Private Eye
Moskowitz Bayse
743 N. La Brea Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90038
On view through October 19, 2024