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Venice Beach Biennial Preview: 'Art World' Artists Meet Boardwalk Vendors

Comments (0) By Catherine Wagley Thursday, Jul 12 2012
...continued from page 1

When the Tieger Foundation, which grants curators funds for dream projects, invited her to submit a proposal, she proposed the biennial.

Subotnick submitted her proposal in 2010, before an amendment to L.A. Municipal Code 42.15 struck down the lottery system that previously governed the "free-speech zone" vending spaces on the western side of the boardwalk and replaced it with a first-come, first-serve policy. The ACLU had challenged the lottery in federal court as a First Amendment violation, and a judge issued an injunction against it.

One of Art Moore's Funky Pussy paintings
©2012 ARTHURE "ART" MOORE
One of Art Moore's Funky Pussy paintings
Art Moore himself
PHOTO BY JANUARY PARKOS ARNALL
Art Moore himself

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With no lottery, the boardwalk descended into chaos. Vendors would camp out overnight to vie for spots, sometimes violently. For a while, the Venice Beach Biennial, or VBB, seemed impossible, unless it consisted only of performances and a few booths set up in nearby park spaces.

Then, in January 2012, a new amendment to the code limited the definition of "creative expression" — pamphlets and buttons were allowed, as were paintings, sculptures "or any other item that is inherently communicative." Items like boxes, jewelry and clothing, more utilitarian than expressive, can't be sold in the free-speech zone, and it's up to the police to pick out the violators (the judgment that jewelry and boxes aren't "expressive" is currently being challenged in court).

Vendors still have to arrive early, but the amendment has cut down on their number, and chaos has lessened over the past few months.

The question was no longer whether the VBB would be feasible but how to enlist the right artists so that the VBB would underscore rather than invade the boardwalk's singular culture.

Few of the art-world artists who will be participating in the VBB frequented the boardwalk before Subotnick invited them to propose projects for the biennial. "I used to find it overwhelming," says Lisa Anne Auerbach, who has spent enough time on the boardwalk lately that she now nods hello to some of its regulars. Auerbach made a zine with artists Robby Herbst and Kimberly Varella, which will be available at an information booth and at Small World Bookshop.

"The idea of living free is dicey but fascinating to us," Auerbach says. "There's a lot of vulgarity, so much hyper-aggressive art on the boardwalk." She, Herbst and Varella wanted to capture that "crazy energy of humanity" but didn't want to come off as voyeurs. The zine has a raw, handcrafted feeling and functions like a collage of images, verbiage and personalities you might encounter at Venice Beach. But there are no stereotypical photos of napping bums or street performers with an arm around a tourist.

On its cover, it has "Free Speech Is Not a Lottery Prize," "Hashbomb Yourself Stupid" and other phrases lifted from signs and art around the boardwalk.

Artist Matt Merkel Hess, who shows at ACME Gallery, will arrive at 5 a.m. to claim a spot and hawk his specially made ceramic items, like his ceramic sunglasses and the incense holders he's still trying to get right. He also has made postcards and paintings of towels that say Venice Beach on them. He'll be standing there each day, behind his wares, trying to sell to passersby — not something he's done before.

Artist Claude Stracensky-Collins first wanted to create a rainbow by sending a mist of water from a fire hydrant over Market Street. Then he proposed hanging hammocks made by the company Trip to the Moon on the big steel Mark di Suvero sculpture between the boardwalk and the beach — so he could offer naps, or "trips to the moon," to visitors. Logistics and nervous city officials blocked both those plans, so he began searching for the dancing man, an older man with a hint of a belly and no inhibitions, who often appears dancing on the boardwalk in just running shorts and shoes.

As soon as Stracensky-Collins started looking, the dancing man seemed to disappear. He's making posters like those in the skate movie Search for Animal Chin, which show the dancing man and say, "Have you seen him?" The posters will hang up and down the boardwalk for the VBB. That way, if the dancing man appears, people will already be looking for him. "I'm setting up the potential of the situation," Stracensky-Collins says. "It could come to fruition or not."

Moore knows things won't all go according to plan when the VBB opens this weekend. He says he read on the Hammer website that the VBB would take the art-world "artists out of their comfort zone." That may be an understatement. "These artists, they're pretty much weak," he says, "and I don't mean their art." They haven't spent enough time in the trenches. "There's going to be some friction. Some vendors will say [to the outside artists], you're new, you're hot off the presses, you can't be here."

But Moore is mostly optimistic. "Venice is all about art, free speech," he says. "This gives some legitimacy to what we do."

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Loretta Ayeroff
Loretta Ayeroff

VBB artist Loretta Ayeroff checking in.....Having just vended my b+w photographs of the Venice Boardwalk, 1973, in spaces 131, 144 and 141, I must offer the outpouring of nostalgia people shared about earlier, quiet times. Older and newer members of the Venice community told stories of days spent on the beach with Janis Joplin and Jim Morrison; what the boardwalk felt like without vendors and only a handful of performers; grandparents, like mine, who took "summer rooms" in the small beachfront hotels; and positively identifying the building in my photographs as Westminster Ave. at the Boardwalk, albeit with the parking lot filled in. Overall, the crowds expressed a longing to return the boardwalk to those calmer, more peaceful times. I myself watched a metamorphosis, including my own, from Friday's opening nervousness ("Will the Boardwalk Artists tolerate us?") to achieving mutual respect, congeniality and in some cases - friendship, by Sunday. After all, most of us, working by hand, share the same dreams and goals of art production and expression, we can't fault each other by our circumstances. Hammer Curator, Ali Subotnick, must have slept well last night (didn't we all?) having brought to fruition her gigantic dream of the Venice Beach Biennial - I call her "Tenacious A" having watched as she put out "This is MY space" fires at 7:30 AM while delivering, via bicycle, delicious and appreciated baked goods, to her Hammer artists. We were covered with tents, clothed in VBB T-shirts, and discounted for boardwalk food by our pink wristbands. THAT alone took a lot of effort! Claire de Dobay Rifelj, the amazing VBB Coordinator, and her team of dedicated Volunteers fulfilled all of our requests with smiles and efficiency! And, the sales rush on Sunday, lined our pockets, as well. What not to like, beyond the '60s vortex we were sucked into? Congratulations Hammer people, and to liaison Arthure Moore, for successfully producing this grand experiment - the question of "can we all just get along" has been, in part, answered. It's a hard life when you choose to set-up on the Venice Boardwalk. Three days of getting up before dawn, staking out your small space and setting up your artwork products within strict guidelines and rules, dealing with keeping yourself fed and hydrated (whatever your beverage of choice is) is all I could handle. There could be no fourth day for me. Originally I thought the Boardwalk Artists would learn from us, the "Hammer Artists" about archival presentation (ha!) wall labels (ha!) artist's statements and gallery books with reviews in them (ha!) all of which graced my overly precious space on Friday. But on Saturday morning, I joined the boardwalk style, slashed my prices, changed my signage, opened my print boxes for hands-on searching, put away my guest-list page, made everything clearer and easier for the art-hungry public. Actually, I felt a few VBB artists also transformed their spaces to conform with boardwalk merchandising! So, from my POV, on many levels, it was I, who learned from Them, not the other way around. It would be interesting to get the Boardwalk Artist's opinions on our efforts…after awhile, some type of follow-up interaction. Now, to recuperate, and get back to "normal" life, whatever that was before VBB…

Feminismisfun
Feminismisfun

I wish Catherine Wagley would cover art shows in the Bay Area.

LAart Guy
LAart Guy

What fun! I went and had a great time! Subotnic is brilliant! Some of the artists looked rather uncomfortable, dealing with the Venice Beach Boardwalk crowd, but not Alexis Smith. I bought a $30 signed/numbered work from her, that Margo Leavin would've charge me a grand for. Her and her husband, Scott Grieger are successful LA artists, that live in Venice; she looked, and acted very comfortable at her table (even distributing her friends gay and lesbian stickers). I loved Eve Fowler's poster's, which were held down from the wind, with these great, machine nut shaped weights, which she got from her neighbor artist, Matthias Merkel Hess. I couldn't pass up on a ceramic sculpture of a large nut (as in bolt and nut) for only $5. I may have to return to get one of his "case study house" ceramic incense holder, or one of his sunglasses. Next to Matthias was Mark X Farina, with a great, and witty selection of original word art works on paper. The sculptures of Jihad terrorists, at the kiosk staffed by Chelsea Beck, Kurt Mueller, with Jose Claustro were well executed, and very amusing and engaging, attracting a pretty good crowd. I cant wait to go back tomorrow to see Jedidiah Caesar, the Liz Craft, Weed Couch, I cant believe I missed Kruger, Meadows, and Grotjahn. There's also a search for chromed objects, like sage, Hackie sack, t-shirt, orange, potato spiral, and a bird made by Ry Rocklen, who has distributed these items among other vendors. How lucky to be able to see Larry Bell's studio, in the former Ardvark's clothing store, next to the old LA Louvre building, on Market St.. This is such a great event, by bringing the artwork, normally shrouded in the silent halls of museums, to the boisterous, sunny beach; it's like bringing wild zoo animals, to the museum! Thank you Ali Subotnik, and the Hammer for this great experience.

Michael Angelo Philms
Michael Angelo Philms

With the help of cinematographer Niles Harrison, I put this little film together to help both Arthure Moore and the Hammer promote the Venice Beach Biennial, Art lives in the alley behind my house. Sadly Art got mugged on Thursday, he's pretty messed up but still trudging through with a smile (now crooked). https://vimeo.com/45513209 He's an amazing cat (pun intended), hope he get's a lot of love and support this weekend. Great article, thank you! Michael Angelo

fishouttawater
fishouttawater

This is a great idea. Art with an attitude. Perhaps some of the upper crust of LA's art scene could learn a little something from these cutting-edge artists who defy conformity. Isn't that what art proposes to be?

 

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