Shana Nys Dambrot
Fans of movement arts on stage and in film will have their dance cards full this week, with the return of the Dance Camera West Film Festival, tech-soul interfaces at Highways, anti-ageism performance at LACMA, and Matthew Bourne’s Romeo & Juliet at the Music Center. Plus wilderness paintings at a new gallery in town, Japanese design, international poetry, contemporary Sikh art, new Iranian art, socially-conscious public sculpture, a legend of global photojournalism, avant-garde short films, the history of subversive music and spoken word culture, art and design against injustice, problem-solving stand-up, empowering nude painting classes, soulful meditations on the pandemic, and an overdue gallery and museum survey for a beloved painter.
Martyrdom of a Prodigal Child, dir. Isaiah Kim (Dance Camera West)
Thursday, January 25
Dance Camera West at Barnsdall Art Park. The renowned festival of dance cinema presents its 22nd edition, a curated selection of 40 films from 20 countries making their World, U.S., or Los Angeles premiere. In addition to screenings, DCW includes workshops, artist talks, and receptions. Highlights include an opening night micro-festival of works by DCW’s 2024 Guests of Honor, world renowned choreographer Javier De Frutos; the documentary Fenomenal!, Rompeforma 1989-1996, which chronicles the legendary performance festival of Latino artists, with its directors Merián Soto and Viveca Vázquez in attendance; and a closing night Screening of the boundary-bashing Talking Heads concert film, Stop Making Sense. 4800 Hollywood Blvd, Los Feliz; Thursday-Sunday, January 25-28; $15-$150;. dancecamerawest.org.
Nicole Wittenberg: Midsummer Morning 3, 2023. Oil on canvas, 72 x 84 in (Courtesy of Fernberger Gallery)
Friday, January 26
Nicole Wittenberg: Jumpin’ at the Woodside at Fernberger Gallery. The newest gallery in the Melrose Hill district, Emma Fernberger inaugurates their new permanent home in Los Angeles with visions of the natural world. Wittenberg’s paintings reveal vivid skies and twilight seascapes, vistas made searingly bright with hot-toned underpainting. The landscapes convey a jolt of sensation that carries the experience of being there—bursts of orange and yellow reflecting off swaying trees, tall grasses, bending flowers, and rolling tides. Titled after Count Basie’s 1938 classic swing song, Wittenberg’s canvases capture the jazz melody’s verve from the forest’s edge. 747 N. Western Ave., Melrose Hill; Opening reception: Friday, January 26, 6-8pm; Artist talk, Saturday, January 27, 3pm; On view through March 16; free; fernbergergallery.com.
N.O.T.E. Humanity at Highways
N.O.T.E. Humanity: HUMÅN + EXïSTANT at Highways. A transformative realm of creative technology in a two-day showcase of unique cause-and-effect art. On Friday, experience HUMÅN by Stèphen Banks—an introspective journey confronting the human fears that come with an artificial intelligence revolution. On Saturday, Friidom Dunn’s Exïstant offers a movement installation fusing technological concepts, Epiic movement, and philosophy that asks, How do we shift in existence and create effectively within the rising tide of consistent change? 1651 18th St., Santa Monica; Friday-Saturday, January 26-27, 8:30pm; $30-$40/night; highwaysperformance.org.
Design Museum Japan: Bridging Design and Life at Japan House Los Angeles. Japan’s unique lifestyle and culture have evolved over ten thousand years. Highlighting this evolution, the exhibition showcases six of Japan’s top creators selected to research uniquely Japanese “design treasures,” which exemplify the design culture of a specific area of Japan. The exhibition presents these designs, often a result of community-based design, their background stories and their connection to the region, along with perspectives from the creators who compiled the research. Ovation Hollywood, 6801 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood; On view January 26 – April 14; free; japanhousela.com.
Celebrating 25 Years of Poetry International at Beyond Baroque. The anniversary issue features a rich array of new work including by Kevin Prufer, newly translated work by Elena Salamanca, Louis-Philippe Dalembert, Mariano Zaro and poets of the Armenian diaspora; essays by Chana Bloch, Khaled Mattawa, Sarah Maclay, and Cynthia Hogue; poems by Kaveh Akbar, Ellen Bass, Eavan Boland, Jericho Brown, Kwame Dawes, Carolyn Forché, Seamus Heaney, Jane Hirshfield, Fady Joudah, Li Young Lee, Philip Levine, James Longenbach, Dunya Mikhail, Valzhyna Mort, Warsan Shire, Charles Simic, Ruth Stone, Anna Swir, Tomas Tranströmer, Jean Valentine, Derek Walcott, Adam Zagajewski, Felicia Zamora, and more. Editor-In-Chief Sandra Alcosser will host the evening and read alongside contributors to the new issue, Mariano Zaro and Sarah Maclay. 681 Venice Blvd., Venice; Friday, January 26, 8pm; free; beyondbaroque.org.
Fowler Museum: Saira Wasim (b. 1975, Lahore, Pakistan), On Road to Gurudwara Kartarpur Sahib, 2023; gouache and gold on wasli paper; Courtesy of the artist and the Khanuja Collection
Saturday, January 27
I Will Meet You Yet Again: Contemporary Sikh Art at the Fowler Museum. A fresh look at the history and vitality of the Sikh culture through paintings, posters, tapestries, and multimedia installations. A hybrid array of material approaches reflect personal and gendered perspectives on the history of the community and its visual expressions. The works on view inform a Sikh understanding of “home,” as told through the eyes of Sikh and non-Sikh artists. Their narratives find inspiration in holy scriptures, legacies of persecution and protest, and the entwined forces of home and longing at play throughout the Sikh community’s struggle for existence. 308 Charles E. Young Dr., Westwood; Opening celebration Saturday, January 27, 6-9pm; On view through May 26; free; fowler.ucla.edu.
Rodrigo Valenzuela: The Underpinning at LA State Historic Park (Photo: Osceola Refetoff)
Clockshop presents Rodrigo Valenzuela: the underpinning at LA State Historic Park. How does our public infrastructure, like parks and housing, invite or exclude some members of our city in their planning and use? Theresa Hyuna Hwang (moderator), Molly Rysman, and Sissy Trinh contend with these questions in their respective positions as architect and facilitator, government worker, and organizer to center residents in addressing equitable development. Responding to Clockshop’s commissioned project by artist Rodrigo Valenzuela, this cohort will examine how we can better imagine public housing and green, public spaces through collective consciousness and action. 1245 N. Spring St., Chinatown; Saturday, January 27, 1:30-3:30pm; free; on view through March 24; free; clockshop.org.
Joan Brown: Year of the Tiger, 1983, Oil and enamel on canvas 72 × 119 3/4 in (Courtesy of Matthew Marks Gallery)
Joan Brown at Matthew Marks Gallery. Brown (1938–1990) is known for her large-scale, boldly-colored figurative paintings whose subject matter comes from her personal experiences. Family, friends, and pets appear frequently in her work, alongside scenes from real and imaginary travels. Brown explored the essential yet bewildering aspects of life. “I paint the human condition,” she said, “things we all experience, or think about, or dream about, or hope for.” Brown’s affinity for working at a larger-than-life-size scale furthered this goal: “I paint the size I do because I feel like a participant, like I can step into the pictures.” This presentation coincides with OCMA’s landmark Joan Brown survey, also opening this weekend. 1062 N. Orange Grove / 7818 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood; On view January 27 – April 6; free; matthewmarks.com.
Steve McCurry: Flower Vendor at Dal Lake, 1999, printed later (Courtesy of the artist and Peter Fetterman Gallery)
Steve McCurry: The Endless Traveler at Peter Fetterman Gallery. McCurry is universally recognized as one of today’s finest image-makers and has won many of photography’s top awards. Best known for his evocative color photography, McCurry captures the essence of human struggle and joy. As a member of Magnum Photos since 1986, he has sought and found the unforgettable; many of his images have become modern icons. Steve McCurry has covered many areas of international and civil conflict; he focuses on the human consequences of war, not only showing what war impresses on the landscape, but rather, on the human face. Bergamot Station, 2525 Michigan Ave., Santa Monica; Opening reception: Saturday, January 27, 5-7pm; On view through April 27; free; peterfetterman.com.
A Million Years, 2018, Dir. Danech San (LA Film Forum)
L.A. Film Forum presents Unsettling Landscape: Experimental Films by Southeast Asian Women Filmmakers. Short films and videos that critically engage with questions of land, landscape and the myriad forms of mediation that have been used to capture their image. Like painting and the diorama, the camera has been a tool of colonial authority, historical narrative, and scientific knowledge production, laying the groundwork for unfettered development projects and extractive capitalism. Reflexively engaging with such practices of mediation, these works suggest that the moving image also allows space for refusal. Billy Wilder Theater at the Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Blvd., Westwood; Saturday, January 27, 7:30pm; free; cinema.ucla.edu.
Lobotomy-The Brainless Magazine, founded in Hollywood in 1978 by Pleasant Gehman
L.A. Intersections at The Broad Museum. Celebrating organic music and spoken word scenes that have emerged in Los Angeles including punk, jazz, rap, noise, and the culturally infused experimentation led by a new generation of Filipinx artists, this series gathers performers who shaped Los Angeles culture through The Desolation Center, The World Stage, The Good Life Cafe, and punk clubs Cathay De Grande and Raji’s. Added to this eclectic mix are Filipinx artists whose contributions to the performance landscape look at spectacle and experimentation through an indigenous lens. Further treats include readings by Keith Morris and Mike Watts, a slideshow of Pleasant Gehman’s club flyers and pages from her Lobotomy Fanzine, and a vocal performance by Micaela Tobin AKA White Boy Scream in the galleries. 221 S. Grand Ave., downtown (Metro stop Grand Av Arts); Saturday, January 27, 8pm; $30; thebroad.org.
Paint Your Noodz
Paint Your Noodz at Melrose Drawing Club. An empowering art experience that leaves guests with a renewed sense of freedom around their bodies and artistic expression, Paint Your Noodz partners with Back Bone Society for an afternoon of creativity and fashion. Creator and lead artist Samantha Zaruba does all of the drawing ahead of time and leads guests through bringing their curves to life with acrylic paint step by step. The event will feature a pop up of female-founded brand Back Bone Society’s, an all-inclusive brand launched by Emma Hubregsen, that works with multiple female-focused charities to spread their message of empowerment and support their communities; 20% of proceeds from the event will benefit domestic violence support organization Los Angeles House of Ruth. 5239 Melrose Ave., Hollywood; Saturday, January 27, 2-5:30pm; $125 includes all materials; $125; samanthazaruba.com.
Pardis Parker
Town Hall Comedy with Pardis Parker. A stand-up comedy show hosted by Comedy Central’s Pardis Parker, where comedians tell jokes and solve problems. Parker is the creator and star of Comedy Central’s Mideast Minute, with projects in the works at Amazon Prime with Plan B Entertainment, NBC with Universal Television and Hazy Mills Productions. Tonight’s gathering is at a shoes-off location, so the cast request that you wear your favorite crazy socks, thank you. Center for Yoga L.A., 230 ½ N. Larchmont Blvd., Larchmont; Saturday, January 27, 8pm; $25; momence.com.
Terry Chatkupt: Untitled (sometimes-48), 2022, archival pigment print (Courtesy of the artist and Armory Center for the Arts)
Sunday, January 28
Terry Chatkupt: A Year at Armory Center for the Arts. Chatkupt uses the vast, wild terrain of the San Gabriel Mountains as a backdrop and inspiration. Referring to the year under lockdown, A Year investigates the complex relationships between natural and built environments, outdoors and indoors, and the emotional effects of navigating between these dualities from the point of view of Chatkupt and his young children. The exhibition’s video, photography, atmospheric music, and installation works extend this investigation to the complicated, caring, and often magical relationships between parent and child, focusing on the complexities of life during and after the pandemic. 145 N. Raymond Ave., Pasadena; Opening reception: Sunday, January 28, 1-3pm; On view through March 31; free; armoryarts.org.
Matthew Bourne’s Romeo and Juliet (Rehearsal Images, Three Mills, London, 2023, Curve Theatre, UK, Photo: Johan Persson)
Matthew Bourne’s Romeo & Juliet at the Ahmanson Theatre. The legendary choreographer gives Shakespeare’s timeless story of forbidden love a scintillating injection of raw passion and youthful vitality. Confined against their will by a society that seeks to divide, our two young lovers must follow their hearts as they risk everything to be together. A masterful re-telling of an ageless tale of teenage discovery and the madness of first love, Romeo and Juliet garnered universal critical acclaim when it premiered in 2019, and now returns to the New Adventures repertoire alongside the very best of Bourne’s world renowned dance theater productions. 135 N. Grand Ave., downtown; Performances January 28 – February 25; $35-$229; centertheatregroup.org.
Parastou Forouhar: Written Room (Courtesy of the artist and Craft Contemporary)
New Exhibitions at Craft Contemporary. The museum’s winter exhibitions’ opening celebration is on Saturday, January 27, featuring the curated winners of the landmark global call in ART IRAN: Falling into Language, and fantastical three-dimensional textiles by Maria A. Guzmán Capron and Minga Opazo in Power in Every Thread. The exhibitions’ programs begin Sunday, with a gallery conversation among crucial voices in the making of ART IRAN: Falling into Language. Learn from the artists, curators, and writers about poignant themes, topics, and works in this groundbreaking exhibition and its accompanying publication. 5814 Wilshire Blvd., Miracle Mile; Sunday, January 28, 12pm; free; craftcontemporary.org.
Carolina Caycedo: Power to Nurture, 2023, Clark Art Institute, Williamstown (Photo: Tucker Bair)
Tuesday, January 30
UCLA Design & Media Arts Lecture: Carolina Caycedo. Caycedo’s immense geographic photographs, lively artist’s books, hanging sculptures, performances, films, and installations are not merely art objects but gateways into larger discussions about how we treat each other and the world around us. Through her studio practice and fieldwork with communities impacted by large-scale infrastructure and other extraction projects, she invites viewers to consider the unsustainable pace of growth under capitalism and how we might embrace resistance and solidarity. 240 Charles E. Young Dr., Westwood; Tuesday, January 30, 5:30pm; free; dma.ucla.edu.
Yoshie Sakai at LACMA
Wednesday, January 31
Acting Against Ageism: Performances and Films at LACMA. Learn about performances and films by artists Suzanne Lacy and Yoshie Sakai that spark dialogue around the social implications of aging and how their past and present works explore intersectional themes. This event will be followed by a conversation with the artists on how they use various approaches to engage audiences and media in compelling ways. Co-presented with the Vincent Price Art Museum and Manchester Art Gallery. 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Miracle Mile; Wednesday, January 31, 7pm; free w/ rsvp; lacma.org.
Reconstruction, dir. Pia Andell (Dance Camera West)
You Are Enough, dir Lisa Magnan (Dance Camera West)
Elnaz Javani: My Effigies, 2020. White muslin fabric, hand sewn with black thread covered the external layer with stories in Persian and Azari calligraphy (Courtesy of the artist and Craft Contemporary)
Rodrigo Valenzuela: The Underpinning at LA State Historic Park (Photo: Osceola Refetoff)
Rodrigo Valenzuela: The Underpinning at LA State Historic Park (Photo: Osceola Refetoff)
N.O.T.E. Humanity at Highways
Bryony Pennington and New Adventures dancers in Matthew Bourne’s Romeo and Juliet (Photo: Johan Persson)
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