Must See Art

Rodney McMillian and Rirkrit Tiravanija

A A A Comments (0) By Amra Brooks Wednesday, Oct 4 2006

Pieces of the sky: Rodney McMillian sells his work by the foot at Susanne Vielmetter.(Photo by Gene Ogami)Rodney McMillian “Odes” at Susanne Vielmetter Los Angeles Projects

Though the fantastic endurance-based performance by McMillian himself, in which he delivered Lyndon B. Johnson’s “Greater Society” speech, already happened, his large-scale sky painting is still something to ponder. At 94 inches by 202 inches, it takes up an entire wall in the gallery. To get close to the poured latex painting, you have to jump over McMillian’s coffinlike cardboard-and-duct-tape sculptures. What makes this work especially great is that it is available for purchase by the square foot on a sliding-scale basis and is broken down into prices based on your income. I’m not sure what’s more exciting, the concept itself or the fact that I can actually afford something. Following the show, he’ll cut it up and distribute the goods.

5795 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City | (323) 933-2117 | www.vielmetter.com | Through October 14

Rirkrit Tiravanija “Demonstration Drawings” at 1301PETiravanija commissioned artists, many of whom were former students, in Thailand to draft photo-realistic pencil illustrations based on pictures of political demonstrations in the Herald Tribune. This is the first time the work has been shown complete. Comprising more than 100 drawings, framed and arranged in clusters on the wall, the individual works act together to create a view of the present political climate that is a lot more personal than that found on the front page. The simplicity of the technical sketching is empowered, encouraging a meditative viewing.

6150 Wilshire Blvd., L.A.| (323) 938-5822 | www.1301PE.com | Through November 11