LA WeeklyFrom the seventh annual Latin Food Fest to an art swap to an LGBTQ- and leather-friendly street fair, here are the 14 best things to do in Los Angeles this week!
fri 3/29
FOOD & DRINK
Buen Provecho!
It's that time of year again — and yet this year's seventh annual Latin Food Fest is anything but predictable as you experience some of the best Hispanic cuisine in all of Los Angeles. Among the many personalities scheduled to participate are the Food Network's Too Hot Tamales host Susan Feniger, Border Grill co-founder Mary Sue Milliken, and chefs Ramiro Arvizu and Jaime Martin Del Campo of Baldwin Hills' Mexicano. Also on tap: the Chefs Night Out and Gran Tasting Los Angeles events, cooking and drinking demonstrations, and four hours of jams curated by La Junta Sound System. Los Angeles State Historic Park, 1245 N. Spring St., Chinatown; Fri., March 29, 5:30-9:30 p.m.; Sat., March 30, 12-4 p.m.; $25-$149. (323) 441-8819, latinfoodfest.com. —David Cotner
Fashions by Sara Chau at Nude Art L.A.; Credit: Courtesy of the artist
ART
Skin in the Art Game
Consider the human form. Perhaps the single most ubiquitous source of imagery in art history, across thousands of years of painting, sculpture and later photography, our bodies are the subject of endless fascination and inspiration. At the Nude Art L.A. exhibition project, they know all about this appeal. This year the blockbuster pop-up expands to two days of refined and risque group exhibitions, live performance art, body painting and, new for 2019, a fashion show with custom barely-there couture, ironically happening on the 11th floor of a historical garment industry Fashion District building. Opening night's preview comes with a mystery swag bag, which probably isn't clothes. Cooper Design Space, 860 S. Los Angeles St., downtown; Fri., March 29, 8-11 p.m.; Sat., March 30, 7:30-11 p.m.; $25-$50. nudeartla.com. —Shana Nys Dambrot
Wrestling team Warbeast (“The Samoan Werewolf” Jacob Fatu, left, and The Almighty Josef); Credit: Courtesy PCW ULTRA
WRESTLING
Hard-Hitting Brawls
A nondescript ILWU union hall in Wilmington has become an unlikely independent wrestling mecca thanks to the strength of monthly shows presented by PCW ULTRA. Tonight's event, Wrestle Summit, features another strong selection of high-flying acrobats, hard-hitting power wrestlers and bloody brawlers. PCW ULTRA's homegrown roster of wrestlers will do battle with talent representing other regional independent leagues, such as Seattle's DEFY Wrestling and Australia's Melbourne City Wrestling. The eight-match card includes a PCW ULTRA championship defense by aerial specialist Shane Strickland against fellow Lucha Underground alumnus Mil Muertes and an attempt by brawling PCW ULTRA tag-team champions Warbeast (The Almighty Josef and Jacob Fatu) to add the DEFY tag-team championship to their collection of gold. ILWU Memorial Hall, 231 W. C St., Wilmington; Fri., March 29, 8:30 p.m.; $15-$100. pcwultra.com. —Jason Roche
Ron Rez Lewis at Joy Fanatic Open Art Exchange; Credit: Courtesy of the artist
sat 3/30
ART
Sparking Joy
Officially since 2016, but honestly for years before that, the Joy Fanatic Foundation charity has existed to promote involvement in culture, art, music, creative business and any other kind of bliss the arts can bring into the lives of individuals and communities. This weekend, to honor its home base in Inglewood and the South Bay, JFF throws its Spring Art Exchange. Come with your prints, small sculptures, photographs, paintings and books; meet some neighbors, trade your works, replenish all that empty spring-cleaning space and, most important, discover something new. There's music, vendor shopping and other surprises, so plan to stay a while. 3425 Manchester Ave., Inglewood; Sat., March 30, 3-9 p.m.; free. (310) 846-7629; facebook.com/events/362264497958510/. —Shana Nys Dambrot
OPERA
Visit the Underworld
In Greek and Roman mythology, the story of Aeneas — a Trojan war hero who goes on to set up his own nation in Rome — has been told many times, from Virgil's Aeneid and Homer's The Iliad to such operatic variations as Henry Purcell's Dido and Aeneas and Hector Berlioz's Les Troyens. Now composer Christopher Adler takes a plunge into one of Aeneas' most hellish adventures with the chamber oratorio Aeneas in the Underworld. In this version, a solo vocalist-guitarist portrays Aeneas with backing from another guitarist and a chamber quartet with electronics. Art Share L.A., 801 E. Fourth Place, downtown L.A.; Sat., March 30, 8 p.m.; $25. (213) 687-4278, artsharela.org. —Falling James
Lisa Teasley, “Paintrospective” at Marie Baldwin Gallery; Credit: Courtesy of the artist
ART
Pictures and 1,000 Words
Perhaps best known as an author, editor, and literary ambassador to the world of television, Lisa Teasley's novels, such as Heat Signature and Dive, and her work as L.A. Review of Books senior fiction editor exist at an intersection of classic literary genres and contemporary social idioms of gender, race and justice. But Teasley is also a talented visual artist, the maker of striking paintings, especially portraits, which in their visual poetics express and address many of the same issues as her award-winning prose. The exhibition “Paintrospective” looks at years of her studio works, from early to recent, and in their bold lines and hot palette traces the evolution of her vision on canvas. An artist talk, literary readings and other exhibition activations will occur throughout the show. Marie Baldwin Gallery, 814 S. Spring St., Ste. 2, downtown; opening reception Sat., March 30, 5-8 p.m.; thru April 27, Tue.-Sat., 1-5 p.m.; free. (310) 600-4566, mariebaldwingallery.com/copy-of-upcoming-exhibitions. —Shana Nys Dambrot
John Lofton of the L.A. Phil; Credit: Mathew Imaging
sun 3/31
MUSIC
Springtime in Watts
Several times a year, L.A. Philharmonic performs free neighborhood concerts around town for those who either can't afford or can't get to Disney Hall. The early-evening Springtime in Watts concert is held at Macedonia Baptist Church of L.A., with string and horn musicians from the orchestra joined by the church choir Voices of Macedonia. L.A. Phil trombonists David Rejano Cantero, James Miller and Paul Radke and bass trombonist John Lofton are featured on Beethoven's Drei Equale; the program also includes William Grant Still's Lyric Quartette alongside traditional spiritual songs. Macedonia Baptist Church of L.A., 1755 E. 114th St., Watts; Sun., March 31, 6 p.m.; free. (323) 566-2959, laphil.com. —Falling James
David Bradley, To Sleep, Perchance to Dream (2005), acrylic on canvas, 60 x 76 in. Gift of Richard E. Nelson, Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian; Credit: Courtesy Autry Museum
ART
Indigenous Pop
David Bradley (b. 1954, Minnesota Chippewa) has, over the course of a four-decade painting career, continued to expand the definition of art from “Indian Country” and what is expected of its aesthetic and meaning, within the problematic context of American visual culture. In the process he also redefined what pop art itself can achieve. His innovative style blends traditions from indigenous art with art-historical tropes of European and U.S. art as well as cues from the languages of commerce and tourism. From Warhol to O'Keefe, van Gogh to the Lone Ranger, his colorful, witty tableaux present with the vibrating energy of pop but reveal deeper, more complex investigations of identity, politics, social justice and cultural appropriation. The latter, as Bradley reveals with gusto, can cut both ways. The Autry Museum, 4700 Western Heritage Way, Griffith Park; thru Jan. 5, Tue.-Fri., 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Sat.-Sun., 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; $14. (323) 667-2000, theautry.org/exhibitions/indian-country-art-david-bradley. —Shana Nys Dambrot
Off Sunset Festival; Credit: Dusti Cunningham
FESTIVALS/LGBTQ
Off Sunset Festival
Silver Lake used to be a diverse neighborhood that welcomed Central American immigrants, gays, low-income seniors and struggling musicians and artists. Now the pricy enclave is a more homogenous playground for not-so-struggling musicians and other young folks with money. But the Off Sunset Festival is a vibrant reminder of what Silver Lake used to be, as the LGBT-friendly street fair includes live music, food trucks, crafts and furniture vendors, and “lots of leather gear” (there will even be a place to check your clothes “so you can wear your gear”). The outdoor gathering is an echo of past neighborhood get-togethers, such as the Sunset Junction festival, where the diverse parts of the community mixed together freely on the streets. 4219 Santa Monica Blvd., Silver Lake; Sun., March 31, noon-7 p.m.; $15. bit.ly/OffSunset2019Tix. —Falling James
mon 4/1
ART/ACTIVISM
Brave New Coastal Cities
Sea levels are getting set to rise, and this is going to be a problem for everyone — but especially for those of us living in coastal cities such as Fort Lauderdale and Venice Beach. That's why the progressive, Los Angeles–based architecture firm Brooks + Scarpa chose those two cities as the case studies for their insightful, research-based reimagining of a particularly wet, and salty, urban future. Architects might not be able to solve the impending ecological pressures but they are particularly well-equipped to help locales cope while we figure out global solutions. “Salty Urbanism,” an exhibition of the project's findings, renderings and warnings, is on view at USC, where Lawrence Scarpa is on faculty, and will feature a lecture by Scarpa and his partner at the firm, Angela Brooks. Verle Annis Gallery, USC, 850 W. 37th St., University Park; talk and reception: Wed., April 10, 6 p.m.; thru April 19, Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; free. (213) 740-2311, arch.usc.edu/events/salty-urbanism-brooks-scarpa. —Shana Nys Dambrot
Angela Davis in The Black Power Mixtape; Credit: Courtesy Story AB
tue 4/2
FILM
The Struggle Is Real
The Skirball screens 2011 documentary The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975, a collage of archival footage originally shot by Swedish journalists and filmmakers for Swedish television. Pieced together by Swedish director Goran Olsson and co-produced by Danny Glover, the movie features interviews with and speeches by Malcolm X, Stokely Carmichael, Angela Davis, Huey P. Newton, Bobby Seale, Eldridge Cleaver and other Black Power leaders — filmed in Brooklyn, Oakland, Harlem and Europe— as they discuss the struggles of African-Americans in the late '60s and early '70s, from Martin Luther King Jr.'s nonviolent movement and the Black Panther Party to Vietnam and the proliferation of heroin in urban neighborhoods. (Carmichael and Davis in particular are powerful, especially Carmichael, who after asked by a French journalist if he's afraid of going to jail, answers: “I was born in jail.”) The film also includes recent commentary by Davis, Harry Belafonte, Erykah Badu, Talib Kweli, Questlove and Melvin Van Peebles. The screening is presented in conjunction with the museum's upcoming exhibit, “Black Is Beautiful: The Photography of Kwame Brathwaite,” a collection of 40 photographs of “black women and men with natural hair and clothes that reclaimed their African roots.” Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Brentwood; Tue., April 2, 1:30 p.m.; free. (310) 440-4500, skirball.org. —Siran Babayan
Pulso by Tania Candiani, in LACE's “Unravelling Collective Forms”; Credit: Yvonne Venegas
wed 4/3
ART
Tying the Knots
The puns are manifold at LACE's new group show, “Unraveling Collective Forms.” Curated by Daniela Lieja Quintanar and featuring the work of some 20 artists, the show's concept and motif reference the quipu — a coded, ostensibly commercial language “written” in knotted rope, which once helped indigenous populations in the Peruvian regions resist the pernicious control of colonial incursions. In the curation there are many allegories of knots, ties, strings, community, commonality, craft and myriad threads both narrative and material. Many but not all of the artists directly use thread or fabric in their materials; all look to the ways in which collectivity functions in society and art. Throughout the exhibition, watch for performative and interactive events such as readings, storytelling, discussions and actual basket-weaving. LACE (Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions), 6522 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood; opening reception Wed., April 3, 7-10 p.m.; thru May 25, Wed.-Sun, noon-6 p.m.; free. (323) 957-1777, welcometolace.org/event/unravelling-collective-forms. —Shana Nys Dambrot
Credit: ©The Library Music Film
thu 4/4
FILM/MUSIC
Not a Quiet Library
Created as a music resource for use in various types of media such as film, television or advertising, library music is more of an industry product than a consumer one. Like everything related to music, however, it has become a collector's item. Produced by respected multi-instrumentalist Shawn Lee, The Library Music Film is a characterful documentary that follows him exploring the globe for library music while interviewing collectors and composers. Originally released in October 2018, The Library Music Film tonight receives its L.A. premiere, with Lee speaking at the post-screening Q&A alongside director Paul Elliott. Also on hand will be talent from the film, including some big names we can't reveal, but they're DJs so they know the topic well. Rendezvous DJs at the afterparty. Downtown Independent, 251 Main St., downtown; Thu., April 4, 7-11 p.m.; $15. downtownindependent.com/screening/the-library-music-film-premiere-04-04. —Lily Moayeri
THEATER/ART
Stronger Together
The Los Angeles Poverty Department (aka “the other LAPD”) is a theater collective that not only takes on issues of politics and social justice in Skid Row but whose members, in the powerful tradition of the Theater of the Oppressed movement, are themselves drawn from the population of the neighborhood. The world knows about the neglect and human suffering on Skid Row, and is learning more about the policy failures that allows the situation to fester, including mass incarceration and lack of mental health care. But Skid Row also is a place of sober recovery, political activism, community problem-solving and creative outlets. LAPD's new show, I fly! Or, How to Keep the Devil Down in the Hole, takes a specific look at the dynamics and definitions of public safety in a community under pressure, and the role of art in the process of healing. REDCAT, 631 W. Second St., downtown; Thu.-Sat., April 4-6, 8:30 p.m.; $18-$20. (213) 237-2800, redcat.org/event/lapd-i-fly-or-how-keep-devil-down-hole. —Shana Nys Dambrot
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