Must See Art

Guy de Cointet at Overduin and Kite

The work of Guy de Cointet, who lived in Los Angeles from 1968 until his death in 1983, has rarely been seen in this city since the 1980s. His performance pieces in particular have influenced artists such as Allen Ruppersberg and Paul McCarthy. This show features drawings and paintings from 1971 to 1983 and includes paintings seen in the performance The Paintings of Sophie Rummel, which starred the Andy Warhol superstar Viva. The particular performance in which these paintings were originally seen had Viva translating the letters and numbers on the canvases, which had been taken from phone numbers and license plates. Cointet’s work focuses on language, text and creating codes and ciphers in the form of books, paintings and drawings; the performances themselves served to clarify his texts. Recently there has more interest in his work: The Tate Modern presented his 1979 play Tell Me earlier this year, and his work was on the cover of the summer issue of Artforum.

6693 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood | (323) 464-3600 | www.overduinandkite.com | Through January 26

Amy Sarkisian’s “So Is Your Face” at Sister Gallery

Local artist Amy Sarkisian’s new paintings are psychedelic black-and-white faces on stark white canvases. Their cartoonish nature is somewhat reminiscent of a sinister Peter Max or Heinz Edelmann. These creatures look like studies taken from the pages of a sketchbook, and in that way have more in common with ink drawings than they do with paintings. The faces are grotesque and frightening, as well as hilarious and playful. They create a gallery of characters with very different expressions, sometimes staring at you (which induces anxiety) and sometimes at each other.

437 Gin Ling Way, Chinatown | (213) 628-7000 | www.sisterla.com | Through February 2