LOS ANGELES: A FAIR DESTINATION

This winter The Other Art Fair (March 15–18) tested its feet in LA waters—launched by Saatchi Art, the online art gallery, the fair is billed as “An Art Fair for a New Generation of Art Buyers.” On the weekend the crowds came in droves to an old bank building on Spring Street, seeing some 100 artists and their works on the main and mezzanine levels. The artists were from all over the U.S., as well as Europe—yes, a number were from California, but not as many as you might expect. All were willing and eager to talk about their work, which made for an engaging atmosphere. Olan Quattro from Washington, D.C., showed her enchanting fairy-tale collages and told me about the vetting process—pictures of work had to be submitted before inclusion. Other notable work was presented by Melissa Herrington and David Dunleavy both based in LA, Mike Biskup from Port Townsend, WA, and Alexander Korzer-Robinson from Bristol, England.

View of atmosphere at The Other Art Fair Los Angeles, photo by Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images.

Kudos on the selection of artists and on how well things were organized! Visitors were handed a directory and map upon entry. There were a couple of bars and a snack bar, with a streamlined checkout system: artists filled out a slip which was taken to the cashier, after payment buyers returned to the booth for pickup, then took the art to the wrapping area. Presto, art ready for carrying out! Much of the work was quite good and affordable—smaller items were $100 and up, and that included painting, collage and photography. On Sunday when Yours Truly attended, sales were brisk. This year The Other Art Fair also drops in on New York (May 3–6) and Chicago (Sept. 27–30).
Meanwhile, Frieze fair has announced its dates for LA—60 international galleries at Paramount Studios in February 2019. Weren’t they moving in a few years ago, then pulled out? “This time it’s really happening,” says former Hammer Museum curator Ali Subotnick who will be helping them with programming and special projects. Bettina Korek of For Your Art has been appointed the fair’s executive director, and she’ll be working with Victoria Siddall, director of Frieze Fairs, to launch the inaugural edition. Everyone keeps saying art fairs don’t work in Los Angeles (Paris Photo, which also took place at Paramount, bit the dust after two editions). I feel more optimistic after seeing The Other Art Fair flourish here—it’s really a matter of finding the right material and pricing level for the right audience.

 

COMINGS AND GOINGS

More musical chairs at MOCA LA—will it ever end? In March, chief curator Helen Molesworth was booted out by museum director Philippe Vergne due to “creative differences”—a fancy way of saying they didn’t see eye-to-eye. When artist and board member Catherine Opie called up Vergne to ask about this bombshell announcement, he apparently told her, according to a report in the LA Times, that he thought Molesworth was “undermining the museum.”

Helen Molesworth

So many articles have come out since then about how the art world is shocked—simply shocked by the news. To me MoCA has been remarkably lethargic since the Vergne regime took over, and it’s hard to know whether Vergne or Molesworth were at fault, or was it the result of a mismatched combo. The Carl Andre show which Vergne curated was politically questionable, the Doug Aitken show was underwhelming. There have been two remarkable shows: of American painter Kerry James Marshall and Brazilian sculptor Anna Maria Maiolino, both which Molesworth curated. But where are the showcases for LA artists the museum so regularly presented in the past? And I don’t think anyone who knows the number of heads rolling after Moleworth’s arrival will be shocked. To me, it was shocking that they let Alma Ruiz, one of their most senior and gifted curators, go. Although the official line was that Ruiz “retired,” Ruiz once told me she was basically fired.

Facade of 356 Mission gallery and bookstore.

Farewell to 356 Mission, closing in May after five controversial years. The controversy was setting up in Boyle Heights where a group of residents vehemently protested the gentrification signified by the bookstore/gallery, with protests in person and online. The rambling space was run by artist Laura Owens and bookseller Wendy Yao. “It had sort of run its course,” Yao said in an LA Times interview. “Doing the space was always a labor of love and was always really hard on both of us. And the protests added to this weight.”
As the real estate agents are always telling us—location, location, location!

 

WHAT ARTISTS CAN DO ABOUT HOMELESSNESS

Mayor Eric Garcetti

On March 11, shortly before the Molesworth ouster, MOCA Grand was the setting for a day-long event, “Homelessness, Creativity and Empowerment.” It included two panel discussions, the prototype of a housing module for those of limited income, and the unveiling of a new book, Give Me Shelter, featuring a number of other potential housing modules. The book and the event were sponsored by MADWORKSHOP, founded by architect David Martin and his wife Mary. One panelist was Shepard Fairey, who believes that artists have a responsibility to their community. “I use my art to shed light on issues,” he said, “and helping to raise money for certain charities.” One thing we could all do, he suggested, is to donate clothing to shelters.

 

KUDOS

This year the J. Paul Getty Trust presents its annual J. Paul Getty Medal to Thelma Golden, director and chief curator of the Studio Museum in Harlem; Agnes Gund, president emerita of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA); and sculptor Richard Serra at a special dinner on September 24, 2018.

Garcetti and Hawthorne

Mayor Eric Garcetti has appointed Christopher Hawthorne LA’s first “chief design officer”—Hawthorne was the architectural critic for the LA Times for 14 years. In some ways, he said in an interview with commonedge.org, “it will be an experiment, something that we create from scratch. In practical terms my job comes through the planning department but is located in the mayor’s office.” Sounds like Hawthorne’s new gig is still being defined, but he’ll help oversee efforts to improve our fair city’s civic architecture and urban design. Let’s wish him good luck, as this city explodes with breathless tearing-down and building-up, from DTLA to the Pacific Ocean.