As gallery spaces began reopening to visitors, both Blum & Poe’s Los Angeles and Tokyo spaces opened their doors (by appointment only of course). To mark this hopeful yet unfamiliar milestone, the gallery launched a pair of tandem exhibitions, focusing on the work of artists working mostly in each city. It is 5,471 miles from L.A. to Tokyo. In essence a really strong summer group show, there is an undercurrent of melancholy and mystery that pervades the selections.

blum poe Darren Bader CS15 2020 Greg Lake’s treadmill Phyllis Diller’s sheet music Elizabeth Taylor’s hand towel Bob Keeshan’s trench coat Eartha Kitt’s coin purse Raymond Burr’s stamp album

Darren Bader, CS15, 2020. Greg Lake’s treadmill; Phyllis Diller’s sheet music; Elizabeth Taylor’s hand towel; Bob Keeshan’s trench coat; Eartha Kitt’s coin purse; Raymond Burr’s stamp album (Courtesy of Blum & Poe)

“The curatorial theme is a paradox,” states the gallery materials, “in that it is both an internationally minded twin-city exhibition but is also inherently restricted [because] of the pandemic. The exhibition in each city is defined equally by the works that are there as by those that are not there.” Blum & Poe, 2727 S. La Cienega Blvd., Culver City; by appointment, Tuesday-Saturday, 10am-6pm;  through August 15; blumandpoe.com.

blum poe Dave Muller Try Meditation 2020 Acrylic and sign enamel on plywood panel Two parts 58 12 diameter x 1 14 inches

Dave Muller, Try Meditation, 2020. Acrylic and sign enamel on plywood panel Two parts; 58 1:2 (diameter) x 1 1:4 inches (Courtesy of Blum & Poe)

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