A wide range of passion-filled projects added excitement to the art scene this past weekend, ranging from a stellar three-artist exhibition at Castelli to the 2019 COLA event at Barnsdall Art Park’s Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery.

On Saturday night, the moving, poignant, and beautiful images of “Inherited Memories: a three-women art exhibition”, drew a full house at Castelli Art Space in mid-city.

As guests sipped sparkling water and wine, they took in the personal, diverse work of artists Shula Singer Arbel, Dwora Fried, and Malka Nedivi as curated by Peter Frank. Nevidi’s large scale sculptural work dazzled, as did Fried’s mix of large scale mixed-media sculpture and smaller, boxed images, and Arbel’s vibrant paintings. All three had mothers who were Holocaust survivors, and with this immersive show, the artists showed viewers the power of their and their mothers’ traumatic memories. That said, the show was not dark but triumphant, a manifestation of courage and strength that verged on joy. That joy seemed to buzz through the attentive crowd, asking the artists about the materials they worked with, and the significance of objects within the pieces. “I thought it would be sad, but instead, it’s beautiful,” I overheard. New gallerist Dale Youngman roamed through the exhibition, greeting art scene attendees.

Left to right Attendee Diane Holland, exhibiting artist Malka Nedivi, curator Peter Frank, exhibiting artist Dwora Fried; attendee Bibi Davidson, exhibiting artist Shula Singer Arbel

Dwora Fried’s installation.

Malka Nedivi with her work.

Earlier in the day, a quick stop at Jeffrey Sklan’s Art in the Arthouse installation at the Glendale outpost of Laemmle Theaters gave viewers a look at his current series of botanical images in “ELEGY.” The somber but lustrous floral photographs serve as tributes to those who’ve passed away due to acts of violence. Sklan treated visitors to popcorn and sodas and led a spirited walk-through, noting when and for whom each piece was created. “A larger selection of the work will be shown at Kopeikin Gallery June 22nd,” Sklan explained, noting the exhibition will also travel, “So even more people can view it, and be inspired to remedy the wrongs they perceive in the communities they live… we are each capable of affecting change.”

Jeffrey Sklan photograph.

On Sunday, the 2019 City of Los Angeles (COLA) Individual Artist Fellowships exhibition was packed with viewers enjoying an astonishing musical performance by musicians Kozue Matsumoto and Eugene Moon, creating a haunting melody from a wooden sculptural instrument by artist Katie Grinnan. 5 Seconds of Dreaming was adapted from EEG diagrams recording the artist’s brain activity during sleep. Peter Wu’s Or, The Creatures of Prometheus II used HD video projection and sound as well as wood and translucent fabric to create an immersive installation in the darkened backroom. Admittance was relegated to 20 at a time; visitors waited for what was initially an unknown and found themselves in a 6-minute installation. “Mind blowing,” one visitor exclaimed. Artist Aleida Rodríguez’ delicately rendered maps and paintings were another highlight. Curator Ciara Moloney circulated, introducing sparkling water-sipping guests to artists including Rodriguez.

Curator Ciara Moloney and Artist Aleida Rodríguez.

Kozue Matsumoto and Eugene Moon performance in Katie Grinnan’s sculpture.

Peter Wu, “Or, The Creatures of Prometheus II”