Photo LA & LA Art Show

Our eyeballs may fall out, there’s so very much to see with this cornucopia of art fairs in SoCal this winter. It started with Photo LA (Jan. 31–Feb. 3) returning after a year-hiatus and leaving the cramped Reef/LA Mart downtown for the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica. The crowds were pouring down the aisles on Saturday when Yours Truly made it over. Some 65 galleries participated, and one of my favorites, the Monroe Gallery from Sante Fe, NM, had a prime spot in the front corner with already quite a few sales. Co-owner Sidney Monroe was glowing. “We’re really happy to be back on this side of town,” he said. “We’ve always done better on the West Side, even when we were at the Santa Monica Civic Center.” They specialize in black-and-white photography of the journalistic variety, and many visitors were especially interested in their prints of Civil Rights era protests and events.

The LA Art Show (Feb. 5–9) came next out of the gate, with a shoulder-to-shoulder crowd on opening night, and a total attendance of 70,000 by the end of its run. They boasted an eyeball-spinning 120 galleries from 18 countries, plus a couple dozen special installations, all packed into the Convention Center’s West Hall. They offered a wide span of modern master works at such galleries as M. S. Rau (Monet, Seurat) from New Orleans and Jane Kahan (Fernand Leger) from New York, to contemporary work at Melissa Morgan from Palm Desert and Timothy Yarger from Beverly Hills, to “lowbrow” work in the ever popular Littletopia section, anchored by galleries such as Red Truck, Copro, Keane Eyes and John Natsoulas. This year Littletopia had a visually arresting black-and-white entry archway, thanks to the marvelous Dosshaus, the duo of Zoey Taylor and David Connelly. They create work from paint and cut cardboard, like drawings coming to life. This time they made a theatrical proscenium, with a large puppeteer’s hand hovering over on the right, while a harlequin with a feathered hat dangled off the left column. Around the corner, there was a “bathroom” and a “desktop” by the duo—replete with cardboard commode, sink and push-button phone and radio.

Another highlight of this year’s show were ink paintings from China, Japan and South Korea at several galleries. LA-based Baik Art presented epic landscape paintings by Korean artist Chuni Park, who had been inspired by a recent road trip through the monumental landscapes of the American West.

Note from editor: Stay tuned for Scarlet Cheng’s report on the other art fairs in our May/April issue, as they occurred after press deadline.

 

 

DESERT X PICKS

Yours Truly made her way out to the desert for the opening of Desert X 2019 (through April 12), and while I have not seen everything, I’m happy to report that there’s already a higher percentage of hits to misses, much higher than the first iteration in 2017. For details on what, where, and when—and sometimes you really need to use those GPS coordinates—pick up a guidebook at the Ace Hotel or download the Desert X app. Forget the Jenny Holzer which was cancelled (as of this writing) because it was supposed to take place in an area where the desert bighorn sheep have gotten pneumonia.

Here are my prelim recommends:
In Desert Hot Springs don’t miss Katie Ryan’s Ghost Tree—a kind of Futurist palm tree made up of transparent plastic “fronds” that shimmer in the sun and twist and flap in the wind on windy days—and we’re getting some of them in this unusually cold winter. It’s down a dirt road, which you can drive part of the way, then walk through low bush, and well worth it.
At the Salton Sea, by the North Shore Yacht Club, check out Nancy Baker Cahill’s Margin of Error which is an augmented reality piece requiring your smartphone—download the app 4th Wall before you go, it is a BIG file. When it works properly, you will see an awesome cloud of shiny, sparkly shards floating over the lake. (Her second AR work is Revolutions on North Indian Canyon Drive outside of Palm Springs.)

In downtown Palm Springs, Mary Kelly has redone three bus stops in bright yellow for “Peace is the Only Shelter.” Through maps and text, it brings our attention to California’s military bases and nuclear testing sites, and just how close we are to midnight on the Doomsday Clock:Two minutes, as of this writing. I’ll be expounding more about this very timely piece in an forthcoming online article, www.artillerymag.com

 

 

SAN FRANCISCO FOG ART FAIR

FOG Art + Design fair may be a fundraiser for SFMOMA’s Architecture + Design department, but it has also become a place for San Francisco to declare itself a relevant stage for contemporary art on an international scale. With the fair now in its sixth year, the event has become an axis for art parties, events and gallery openings throughout the city.

While art and design seem inextricably linked, the 2019 FOG fair, hosted in Fort Mason’s Festival Pavilion, seems to highlight some of the best of both with curated booths from 45 New York, California and international galleries.

Los Angeles gallery Blum & Poe made an impression with Sam Durant’s unavoidable white, electric sign with black, vinyl text that scrawls the poignant question, “This is Freedom?”, striking an ironic tone or perhaps a consumer critique in the midst of the market feeding frenzy that is the “art fair.” Altman Siegel also stood out with one of the few solo shows presenting a series of striking digital chromogenic prints from Richard Mosse.

Some highlights of the design-focused booths were R & Company who showcased a living room that seemed to travel through time with a bulbous, curvaceous bone-toned coffee table and matching chandelier sculpted from terrazo by artist Rogan Gregory; an exhibit from local San Francisco gallery Almond & Co. highlighting the design work of 14 “influential women designers of the 20th Century,” displaying mastery in texture and craftsmanship in contemporary design; and the curation from LA’s Edward Cella Art + Architecture that focused on architecture-inspired sketches, paintings and original floor plans to coincide with contributors to the concurrent exhibition at SFMOMA: “The Sea Ranch: Architecture, Environment, and Idealism.”

A couple show-stoppers that seemed destined for selfie-dom sparked the interest of fair attendees young and old, including the delicate hand-blown glass work of Frida Fjellman whose fantastical chandelier display hung with brass chains from the booth of New York gallery Hostler Burrows.

Perhaps most striking was the towering stainless steel structure constructed from golden bicycles—Ai Weiwei’s all-encompassing sculpture, Forever, which was presented by Haines Gallery.
Talks hosted by the fair heard from leaders in San Francisco curation in conversation with bay-area artists on the intersections of art, race and activism. Whether a fundraiser, society calling card to the SF social elite, premium selfie destination or intellectual playground for those interested in painting, sculpture or design—SF’s 6th annual FOG Art + Design Fair had a little something for everyone.  —Kelly Rappleye

 

 

IN REMEBRANCE
Lyn Kienholz (1930–2019)
Life Lessons from a Fine-Art Firebrand

The headline of the Los Angeles Times obituary reads, Lyn Kienholz, a “Tireless Advocate for Los Angeles Artists, Dies at 88.” It is a reminder of a time in the not so distant past, when the cultural establishment had no interest in the western wastelands of Hollywood. Cheerleader Kienholz helped to turn the klieg lights on to the innovative Southern California fine-art community and the subsequent reflection was dazzling.

Hoping to act and produce film, young Marilyn Shearer fell into a day job at the Ferus Gallery in the early ’60s, where she fell in love and married bad-boy artist Edward Kienholz. Over their seven-year marriage, she managed his affairs, promoted his efforts and worked to establish his career. “Lyn Kienholz was one of the savviest people that I ever knew,” said chef Tara Thomas, “Auntie Lyn kept her last name. She understood the art world cache.”

Lessons can be learned from a life well lived. “My mother (art advisor Tamara Thomas) and Lyn were besties, beginning in the Ferus days,” said Thomas, “I learned much from Lyn Kienholz.”
Follow Your Heart and Live Your Passion may sound trite; every truism does. “Lyn was very private. She hated to drive, loved to cook and hated to leave her beloved home,” said Thomas. “After her divorce, when she needed to make money, she ran a secret restaurant from her home. She was passionate and that made her resourceful.”
Suggest, Never Insist. “Lyn was a hustler in the very best way. She introduced people and then stepped aside,” said Thomas. Later in life, Kienholz was famous for her Long Table Dinners to bring people together. “Most of her emails began, “I ache for you to meet…’”

Get the Job Done by Any Means Necessary Yet Never Compromise Your Ethics. “Lyn was highly ethical and honest in her dealings,” says Thomas, “I think she realized a clean, clear conscience made life easier and happier in the long run.”

Artists First. Take Care of the Artists. Corporations, bad gallerists and greedy collectors all agree: Artists are very easy to screw over. “Lyn always said, ‘You fight for the artists. She was not a fan of the gallerist, but she appreciated their role. If it weren’t for the artist, they wouldn’t have product to sell. The artist comes from the level of integrity.”  —Gordy Grundy