Shana Nys Dambrot
A grab and go affordable art show, an homage to skate culture in photos, international literary performance art, gallery-sponsored ASMR, a festival of regional poetry, art in an abandoned Vegas Greyhound station, dance-based advocacy for foster kids, the season’s best ballroom struts, walking camera meditations on who owns the land, Romeo & Juliet Pat Benatar style, stirring vocal masterworks, objects of narrative design, and a mixed media painting juggernaut of existential searching.
Turning Tricks at Carpenters Workshop Gallery
Thursday, November 17
Turning Tricks at Carpenters Workshop Gallery. Michele Lamy and Danny Minnick reimagine some of Southern California’s most iconic skate locations — from the subcultural streets to the Olympic Games. Skateboarding is more than an activity done with the body, but a community of outcasts and underdogs, from which legendary icons of cool arise. The exhibition also underscores the importance of basic street objects and recognizes them as instrumental to the development of innumerable tricks in the skateboarding lexicon. 7070 Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood; Opening reception: Thursday, November 17, 6-9pm; On view through January 14; free; carpentersworkshopgallery.com.
Houseboy at REDCAT
William Kentridge: Houseboy at REDCAT. Artist William Kentridge’s durational performance, based on the 1956 novel by Cameroonian diplomat Ferdinand Oyono, explores themes of historical participation, archival memory, and post-colonial identity. South African performers are featured and a large charcoal drawing by Kentridge serves as the theatrical backdrop for live music and percussion, as Kentridge’s staged interpretation of Oyono’s novel creates an immersive multimedia experience that muses on agency and trauma and directly folds into the artist’s multidisciplinary practice — currently on view across the street at The Broad. 631 W. 2nd St.; downtown; Thursday-Saturday, November 17-19, 8:30pm; Sunday, November 20, 3pm; Streams live on Saturday, November 19; Post-performance talks on Thursday, November 17 and Sunday, November 20; $45 (includes same-day access to The Broad exhibition); redcat.org.
Auntie Sewing Squad at Oxy Arts
GYOPO presents: Which Side Are You On: Ryan Lee Wong, Christopher Soto, and Jai Lee Wong in conversation at Oxy Arts. An intergenerational dialogue between author Ryan Lee Wong (Which Side Are You On); Jai Lee Wong, Ryan’s mother, community organizer, and activist; and poet Christopher Soto (Diaries of a Terrorist). The conversation takes place in the context of the gallery’s current exhibition, Voice A Wild Dream: Moments in Asian American Art and Activism, 1968–2022, which highlights collectives of Asian American artists and activists and their work toward social change over the past six decades. 4757 York Blvd., Eagle Rock; Thursday, November 17, 6-8pm; free; gyopo.us.
Mrs. Jug at Hunter Shaw Fine Art
Friday, November 18
Mrs. Jug: Hatchling at Hunter Shaw Fine Art. A live ASMR theater experience activating a system of custom-fabricated objects and furniture, Hatchling intertwines the sonic, visual and tactile into a synaesthetic gestalt of alien stimulus. With minimalist choreography, Mrs. Jug will lead the audience through a sense-melting sequence of elemental rites, helping the hatchling from its egg. Devotional but not religious, Hatchling is an onomatopoeia: each event is a direct source of meaning, engaging a language not of symbolism but of sensation. 5513 Pico Blvd., West LA; Friday – Saturday, November 18-19, 2pm, 6pm, 10pm; free; huntershawfineart.com.
Southern California Poetry Festival at Beyond Baroque. In partnership with the Poetry Foundation, this free three-day festival includes a tribute to iconic L.A. poet Sesshu Foster; dozens of live readings; Los Angeles and San Francisco Poets Laureate Lynne Thompson and Tongo Eisen-Martin; Indigenous poets including Tommy Pico and Kinsale Drake; a discussion of the poetics of the borderlands moderated by Vanessa Angélica Villareal; literary showcases by Southern California presses and organizations; workshops by Brendan Constantine, Douglas Manual, and Sarah Maclay; and a zine making workshop. 681 N. Venice Blvd., Venice, Friday – Sunday, November 18 – 20; free; beyondbaroque.org.
Koichi Sato (Courtesy of Bortolami Gallery)
Bortolami Gallery presents Artist / City at the old Vegas Greyhound Station. The latest iteration of the gallery’s ongoing Artist / City initiative features new works from New York–based Japanese painters Koichi Sato and Susumu Kamijo, and Los Angeles–based artist Jonas Wood, held in a vacant Greyhound station in downtown Vegas. The initiative pairs artists with an unconventional space in an American city, in hopes of granting artists the freedom to push the boundaries of their creative practices. Considering Las Vegas as a distinctly American cityscape, the three artists have created new works based on their individual experiences of Americana. 1 N. Main St., Las Vegas; November 18 – February 26; free; bortolamigallery.com/artistcity.
Ini Archibong: Stargazer (Friedman Benda)
Ini Archibong: Narthex at Friedman Benda. Through Narthex, which is defined as the enclosed entrance typical of a church or basilica, artist and designer Ini Archibong references the origins of the “porch,” as an architectural feature reappropriated from Africa by the West. “In contemporary society, the idea of being on the porch denotes existing in a space of contemplation in between the safety of the home you know and taking the risk of deciding to ‘jump off the porch’ to enter into the world and make your mark,” says Archibong. “Narthex represents the threshold between the known and the unknown.” 8260 Marmont Ln., West Hollywood; On view November 18 – December 16; free; friedmanbenda.com.
Anselm Kiefer: Thou didst blow with thy wind, the sea covered them- they sank as lead, 2020. Emulsion, oil, acrylic, shellac, gold leaf, metal, and straw on canvas 330 11/16 x 374 in. (Courtesy of the artist, Gagosian Gallery; Photo by Georges Poncet)
Saturday, November 19
Anselm Kiefer: Exodus at Gagosian/Marciano Art Foundation. Large-scale new paintings employ a wide range of materials including paint, terra-cotta, fabric, rope, wire, found objects, sediment of electrolysis, copper, and gold leaf. Mixing the abject and the exalted, these works are imbued with gesture, a sense of metamorphosis, and alchemical symbolism. The new work features inscriptions in Hebrew from the book of Exodus, rendering the work as metaphysical allegories that meditate on loss and deliverance, dispossession and homecoming. 4357 Wilshire Blvd., Koreatown; Opening reception: Saturday, November 19, 6-8pm; On view through March 25; free; gagosian.com.
homeLA: The We in Me: House of RESILIENCE at The Box. House of RESILIENCE is a creative platform by MoFundamentals, showcasing perspectives on houselessness and resilience through art from foster youth through dance, films, music, and dialogue from and by current and former foster youth artists and advocates. The festival-style event will include: a panel, dance and spoken word performance, short film screenings, and a rap performance along-side booths by food and coffee vendors, entrepreneurs, support organizations, plus free sportswear giveaways for attending foster youth. 822 E. 3rd St., downtown; Saturday, November 19, 2:30-7pm; free; homela.org.
Richard Dupont: Device Head, 2022 (Courtesy of Lowell Ryan Projects)
Richard Dupont: Self-Medication at Lowell Ryan Projects. In the early 2000s Dupont participated in a study where his body was digitally scanned at a military base. He has utilized that information as the foundation for his practice in the years since, producing sculpture, drawing, digital animation, painting, printmaking, and photography. While inescapably self-portraits, Dupont’s practice transcends a personal narrative into an exploration of the social implications of 21st Century digital technologies and their physiological and psychological effects. 4619 W. Washington Blvd., West Adams; Opening reception: Saturday, November 19, 5-8pm; On view through December 31; free; lowellryanprojects.com.
Nicole Bruckman: Lady of the Twigs (Gabba Gallery)
Wishlist 10 at Gabba Gallery. The gallery’s beloved annual affordable art show and unofficial early Christmas party returns. Wishlist 10 features more than 40 artists from across the globe presenting accessibly priced ($50-$1000) original artworks, in a “grab & go” format allowing buyers to take their art home right away. As the curators hang new art, the show keeps evolving throughout the night — along with the music and good cheer. 3126 Beverly Blvd., East Hollywood; Opening: Saturday, November 19, 6-10pm; Online sales open November 22; On view through December 17; free; gabbagallery.com.
Banjee Ball at NeueHouse
Nine Lives: Banjee Ball’s 9th Anniversary at NeueHouse Hollywood. A celebration of LGBTQ+ talent, presented with NH’s Caring Futures initiative, the Banjee Ball welcomes L.A. club veterans Purple Crush, music directors of HBO Max’s Emmy award winning show, Legendary, along with legendary commentator and recording artist Kevin JZ Prodigy, and revolutionary drag queen and club musician Kevin Aviance, both of whom appear on Beyonce’s Renaissance. This is a rare opportunity for outside spectators to witness the ferocity and intense artistry that Ballroom competitors bring to the runway in hopes of winning a trophy or cash prize. 6121 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood; Saturday, November 19, 8pm-late; free w/ rsvp; rsvp.neuehouse.com/ninelivesbanjeeball.
Sam Contis: Overpass
Sunday, November 20
Sam Contis: Overpass at Artbook at Hauser & Wirth. Bay Area photographer Sam Contis’ latest monograph, Overpass (Aperture) is a timely reflection on borders, public space, and the natural environment. Overpass is about what it means to move through the landscape. Walking along a vast network of centuries-old footpaths through the English countryside, Contis focuses on stiles, the simple structures that offer a means of passage over walls and fences and allow public access through privately owned land.
Sam Contis: Overpass
Overpass invites us to reflect on how we cross boundaries, who owns space, and the ways we have shaped the natural environment. The release of the monograph coincides with an exhibition of this work opening this weekend at Kristina Kite Gallery in West Adams. Contis will also be in conversation with Geoff Dyer at Artbook at Hauser & Wirth on November 20. Artbook, 917 E. 3rd St., downtown; Sunday, November 20, 2pm; free; artbook.com; Kristina Kite Gallery, 3400 W. Washington Blvd., West Adams; On view: November 19 – January 21; kristinakitegallery.la/index; free.
Los Angeles Master Chorale: Music to Accompany a Departure
Los Angeles Master Chorale: Music to Accompany a Departure at Disney Hall. Following their widely acclaimed collaboration on Lagrime di San Pietro, Peter Sellars, Grant Gershon and singers of the Los Angeles Master Chorale reunite with a deeply personal meditation on what it means to say goodbye in times of struggle. The luminous music of the Baroque composer Heinrich Schütz’s serves as the inspiration for this ceremony of remembrance and devotion. This is a vocal work of soaring purity, with solo voices interacting with a constantly shifting combination of choral forces to create an intimate ceremony of connection across time and space. 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown; Sunday, November 20, 7pm; Pre-concert talk at 6pm; $45-$153; lamasterchorale.org.
Kibwe Tavares
Monday, November 21
Kibwe Tavares at USC School of Architecture. Tavares combines his training as an architect with his love of storytelling and animation to create futuristic 3D-animated and live-action films with social and political depth, inventing detailed, vivid, and kinetic visual environments. His first short, Robots of Brixton, was awarded the Sundance Film Festival Special Jury Award and the 2011 Royal Institute of British Architects Presidents Medal. Tavares is a founding member of Factory Fifteen, a design-led creative studio that uses animation, visual effects, and emerging technologies to understand and explain the built environment in work that spans narrative film, advertising, and architectural projects. Wong Conference Center, 825 Bloom Walk, USC Campus, downtown; Monday, November 21, 6pm; free; arch.usc.edu.
Neil Giraldo and Pat Benatar
Tuesday, November 22
Invincible: The Musical at the Wallis. Featuring the music of Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo, this production reimagines the timeless story of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet for the 21st century through an intricate weaving of the Grammy-winning 2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees’ legendary catalog and inspired new songs. This wildly inventive new musical explores how love and equality battle for survival in times of great transformation. Join the star-crossed lovers in the modern, war-torn metropolis of Verona as the newly elected Chancellor Paris vows to destroy the progressive resistance and return the city to its traditional roots, imagining peace in a divided world. 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills; Performances November 22 – December 18; $39-$99; thewallis.org.
Judy Ostro: Wish Upon a Rainbow (Gabba Gallery)
Jules Muck: Earache (Gabba Gallery)
Gadget: The Nuggler Returns (Gabba Gallery)
Christina Ramos: Defiance (Gabba Gallery)
Bruce Horan: Confluence (Gabba Gallery)
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