Felix Fair Report

In some ways the fairs and openings that packed the last week in July were a turning point for Los Angeles. It was the first such convergence since February 2020, with the pandemic shutdown following quickly in March. Would people actually show up for live events at galleries and art spaces, hotel and convention center, with the gloomy news of the new and very contagious COVID Delta variant? The good news is that they did, and in some numbers.

The preview of the Felix Art Fair (July 29–Aug 1) at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel was jammed from the start, then became a comfortable crowd by afternoon. It was well attended throughout, with brisk sales afoot.Then the LA Art Show (also July 29–Aug 1) returned to its usual hefty space at the LA Convention Center, and while attendance was down by half it boasted “double the sales,” according to the post-fair press release.The opening of Compound, a new art/cultural space in Long Beach, was also crowded throughout a full day’s worth of programming for an official celebration Saturday, July 31.

Felix was the only focused contemporary fair making a live appearance. Frieze LA returned as an online viewing room, after pulling out of their July slot in April citing “continuing uncertainty.” They had been planning to hold the fair at different locations throughout the city—really NOT a good idea as our traffic returns to its clogged normal. Art LA Contemporary was nowhere to be seen, despite its promising relocation to the Hollywood Athletic Club last year. (The L A Art Show includes jewelry and traditional and modern work, as well as contemporary.) Something new was Gallery Weekend Los Angeles (July 28–Aug 1), modeled after gallery weekends in London and Berlin, with galleries having late hours and holding special events.

This year Felix focused on LA-based galleries, 29 of the heavy-hitters and the hip. Participation in Felix is invitation-only, with about a third of the galleries new to the fair, including such big players as Blum & Poe, Gagosian and David Kordansky. In its first two editions, Felix occupied several floors of the vintage hotel, but this year it stayed on one level, the “cabanas” around the popular swimming pool and bar where critic Jerry Saltz was seen at a table piled with half-eaten food—not to say it was his, of course. (I’d love to know how much Felix paid to fly this New York critic out, to add a sheen to our dull lives.) On the net, you can watch his recorded walkthrough of the fair, trying to “read” the art for us and failing to recognize LA art-world VIPs such as Gagosian LA Director Deborah McLeod—even after she introduced herself, he basically ignored her. And they were in Gagosian’s digs! [Put a laughing-with-tears emoji here.]

“People really are coming in from out of town,” says Sarah Gavlak of her own gallery, “and we’ve met new people.” First-day sales from their offering of three young artists—Alex Anderson, April Bey and Kim Dacres—were very good, she said. Kurt Mueller of David Kordansky told me their one-man show of Calvin Marcus was sold out—four paintings, six “nose” pots. The paintings are detailed blowups of begonias in all their glory, and the pots are garden pots decorated on the sides with noses that run if overwatered.

I’m happy to report Felix took health precautions seriously. That meant limiting capacity and requiring visitors to show proof of COVID vaccinations or a negative test. Inside, masks were mandatory.

LA Art Show Floor 2020 FLOOR

LA Art Show

Meanwhile, Gallery Association Los Angeles launched Gallery Weekend, with some 70 of its members and other art spaces sponsoring longer hours, talks and special presentations. Galleries such as L.A. Louver and Château Shatto mirrored their
in-gallery offerings with what was posted on the Frieze Viewing Room.

I didn’t have a chance to visit the LA Art Show until the last day—and attendance was quite robust for the 70 some galleries with booths. Everyone was masked, though it was hard to social distance in some booths filled with visitors. As usual, it’s an eclectic fair—from fine jewelry to classical art, from contemporary to kitsch. There were many photo ops—people loved the large sculpture near the entrance showing a giant American flag going through a meat grinder—and becoming a pile of gold coins!

There was also remarkable art. I was particularly struck by Julio Vaquero paintings at Pigment Gallery from Barcelona, one of the few international galleries that made it this year. “Sala de objetos des hechos” shows a room with antique furnishings that seem to be in the process of dissolving into ether. As always, Arcadia Contemporary showed excellent realist painters, and the Verne Collection some exquisite prints, many from Japanese origins.

Special programming was in the back. Carmen Argote’s wrenching video, Last Light—of a year gone wrong—was especially impactful—with a large projection in a darkened room. It’s one of the best pieces of art to come out of this difficult time, and well deserves a larger audience.

V.C.R performing @Compound, photo by Scarlet Cheng.

Compound Rapture

Now down to Long Beach. Compound is an unusual hybrid of art/culture/wellness—15,000 square feet of renovated space with an ample courtyard. It’s the vision of one woman, Megan Tagliaferri, who says in an online intro, “Art and wellness both have the ability to strengthen our connections and understanding of ourselves, our communities, and the world around us.” Thank you, Megan!

Right now there’s an art show in their gallery, “Radical Empathy,” curated by Artistic Director Lauri Firstenberg, with works by EJ Hill, Mildred Howard and others. In the adjoining building there’s a commissioned work by Glenn Kaino—Tidepools, several immersive installations in darkened rooms you are guided through (they do take small groups). I love the last room where you’re given a wish token and get to drop it into an aquarium full of bioluminescent creatures—they get excited and light up! Compound also offers regular yoga and meditation classes—these are free, you just need to sign up.

The celebration’s evening performances focused on Afrofuturism, and they were electrifying. Among the highlights were a set by V.C.R, a singer/electric violinist,and a screening of the film short BLACK.ECO by choreographer/director Shauna Davis. I’m definitely planning to head back. Check out future programs at https://www.compoundlb.com/