Shana Nys Dambrot
Art about hybrid lifeforms in web3, theater about aliens helping us leave Earth, artists make feature films, artists make experimental music, actors make questionable choices; paintings celebrate SoCal color, drawings celebrate L.A. noir; comedy gets shady, tap dance gets loud, college students takeover the museum, artists open their studios to the public.
Lauren Lee McCarthy: still from Good Morning (2023–Ongoing) at Vellum LA
Thursday, March 16
LIFELIKE at Vellum LA. A new group exhibition in collaboration with EPOCH, curated by Katie Peyton Hofstadter, explores the work of ten artists logging biological, genetic, and behavioral information on a digital ledger, invoking a conversation about body sovereignty in Web3. These artists are interested in what it will mean, and how it will feel, to have a body in a future where wetware (living tissue) serves as a foundation for technology, where medical implants monitor our hearts and minds, and where decisions are made by programs none of us fully understand. 7673 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood; Opening reception: Thursday, March 16, 7-9pm; On view through April 2; free; vellumla.com.
Martine Syms, still from The African Desperate, 2022 (Courtesy of Dominica Inc.)
Artist Film Series: Martine Syms at MOCA. A screening of The African Desperate followed by a conversation with artist Martine Syms and writer/curator Essence Harden. The electrifying feature debut from the renowned artist brings her razor-sharp satire and vivid aesthetic invention to a riotous coming-of-age comedy. The film tracks one very long day for Palace Bryant (an expertly deadpan Diamond Stingily), a newly minted MFA grad whose final 24 hours in art school become a real trip when she bails on the graduation party and hits the road in a madcap all-night journey home to Chicago. 250 S. Grand Ave., downtown; Thursday, March 16, 6pm; free/ rsvp; moca.org.
The Groundlings
Cooking with Gas 30th Anniversary Shows at Groundlings Theater. For over 30 years The Groundlings Main Company, Alumni and Sunday Company have played together every Thursday night in the all-improv explosion that has become almost as much of an institution as the Groundlings Theatre itself! Based entirely on audience suggestions, the comic daredevils invent custom-made satire and song. Each week features new special guests and hometown heroes—Jim Rash, Lisa Kudrow, Cheri Oteri, Julia Sweeney, Minnie Driver, and more. 7307 Melrose, West Hollywood; Thursdays, March 16-30; $22; groundlings.com.
Rogue Machine Theatre
Friday, March 17
Come Get Maggie at Rogue Machine Theatre. Maggie, a brilliant young woman stuck in 1950’s suburbia, is out of sync with her times. She wonders if her real home might be somewhere else. When an alien answers her call to the stars for help, she begins an intergalactic romance that will change her, the world she lives in, and the whole universe. Obviously, this is a musical. 7657 Melrose Ave., West hollywood; Performances through March 26; $60; roguemachinetheatre.org.
Woody Schticks in Steady Bad Luckers at Zephyr Theatre
Steady Bad Luckers at Zephyr Theatre. Join Alex Steed and Woody Shticks for a funny evening of stories about lovable (and sometimes not-so-lovable) losers. Alex is a writer, producer and podcast host (You Are Good). Woody is a comic, a stripper, and a queer porn archivist and historian. In a world full of redemption arcs and revised narratives, they remain heartened by all of the resonant losers and bad-luckers that history has forgotten. With some slides and a lot of good humor, Alex and Woody are eager to share some of their favorites. There will be plenty of slides and a whole lot of jokes. 7456 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood; Friday-Saturday, March 17-18, 7pm; $15 suggested donation; zephyrtheatre.com.
Tap Fest 2023 at Colburn School
Saturday, March 18
Tap Fest: A Soulful Sound at Colburn School (Live & Virtual). An evening of tap dance highlighting a curated cohort of world-renowned Los Angeles-based tap artists, who will be accompanied by an eclectic catalog of infectiously joyful rhythmic soul and funk music. Zipper Hall, 200 S. Grand Ave., downtown; Saturday, March 18, 7pm; $25; colburnschool.edu.
Hilary Pecis: Lily’s Backyard, 2023, acrylic on linen, 74 x 64 in (Courtesy of David Kordansky Gallery)
Hilary Pecis: Paths Crossed at David Kordansky Gallery. Pecis creates drawings and paintings inspired by the interior, exterior, and inter-spaces that surround her daily life. For her first exhibition with David Kordansky Gallery, the artist presents a selection of lush, saturated landscapes reflecting the mountainous, desert, and urban landscapes commonly associated with Southern California. 5130 W. Edgewood Pl., Mid-City; Opening reception: Saturday, March 18, 6-8pm; On view through April 2; free; davidkordanskygallery.com.
Nir Hod: 100 Years Is Not Enough, 2022-23, Oil paint and patina under chromed canvas, 82 x 110 in (Courtesy of Kohn Gallery)
Nir Hod: 100 Years Is Not Enough at Kohn Gallery. Hod’s artistic practice draws upon personal memory and traumatic historical events to elicit subtle tensions between the viewer’s expectations and the material reality of the painted surface. These new works present a masterful play between the profoundly illusionistic depth of the chromed, mirror-like surface that reflects the viewer and their surroundings, and the physical substance of the painting evidenced by the oil painted brushstrokes surrounding the chrome—competing, yet completely compatible, shifts in perspective. 1227 N. Highland Ave., Hollywood; Opening reception: Saturday, March 18, 6-8pm; On view through April 29; free; kohngallery.com.
Patrisse Cullors and Speaking in Gabrielino at The Broad
Patrisse Cullors and Speaking in Gabrielino at The Broad. In conjunction with the special exhibition, William Kentridge: In Praise of Shadows, on view through April 9, The Broad presents an evening of programming centered on the effects of colonialism on Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) literature, language, and music. The evening features some of the last remaining Gabrielino language speaking Tongva people, as well as a specially commissioned performance by artist, organizer, and freedom fighter Patrisse Cullors. 221 S. Grand Ave., downtown; Saturday, March 18, 7:30pm, $20; thebroad.org.
Eric Nash: Night Drawings at KP Projects
Eric Nash: Night Drawings at KP Projects. “Endless red tail lights snaking along the freeway. Signs glowing in the night sky. Street lights stretching to the horizon. Lonely and romantic. So much of what I knew and felt about L.A. came from movies and in particular noir films,” writes the artist. “Los Angeles…is a city of extremes and contrasts. A place much loved and loathed, both good and bad. The ancient nature of charcoal with its deep velvety texture is a perfect way to capture noir. These are my night drawings.” 633 N. La Brea, Hollywood; Opening reception: Saturday, March 18, 6-9pm; On view through April 15; free; kpprojectsgallery.net.
Barbara T. Smith & Friends: Treasures (The Box LA)
Barbara T. Smith & Friends: Treasures at The Box. An artist’s life in storage; an artist’s practice of holding or discarding works of their own and others, teaches us about who they are as artists and what and who they value as influences. In the case of Barbara T. Smith, one sees both her support of friends whose works she admired and appreciated, and the dedication to safeguarding her own works, as a means to tell their story and create her legacy. This exhibition, Treasures, will be a presentation of the work of Barbara T. Smith and over twenty other artists whose work she has in her personal collection—in some cases for over 50 years. 805 Traction Ave., downtown; Opening reception: Saturday, March 18, 4-7pm; On view through May13; free; theboxla.com.
Lola del Fresno: The Innocents (Santa Monica Airport Studios)
Sunday, March 19
Open Artist Studios at Santa Monica Airport. Art at the Airport’s regular open-studio days feature professional artists working in the historic atelier complex, opening their studio doors and offering a rare glimpse into their practices. Visit over 20 working artists in an historic airplane hangar, as they open our doors for a peek into our studios and the opportunity to purchase works directly from the artists. Refreshments, Music, Free parking. 3026 Airport Ave., Santa Monica; Sunday, March 19, 11am-3pm; free; artattheairport.org.
Cecilia Alemani and Darren Walker in conversation at Stanford Arts
Monday, March 20
Cecilia Alemani and Darren Walker in conversation at Stanford Arts (Virtual). Alemani is an Italian curator based in New York. Since 2011, she has been the Donald R. Mullen, Jr Director & Chief Curator of High Line Art, the public art program presented by the High Line in New York. In 2022, she curated The Milk of Dreams, the acclaimed 59th International Art Exhibition at La Biennale di Venezia. Walker is president of the Ford Foundation, a $16 billion international social justice philanthropy. Under his leadership, the Ford Foundation became the first non-profit in US history to issue a $1 billion designated social bond to stabilize non-profit organizations in the wake of COVID-19. Monday, March 20, 5pm; free; arts.stanford.edu.
Annika Rose at NeueHouse Bradbury
Tuesday, March 21
Annika Rose at NeueHouse Bradbury. Annika Rose is an LA-based singer-songwriter and an early adopter of web3, utilizing blockchain technology as a tool to create greater extensions of her art and develop deeper connections with her fans. Since venturing into the web3 space, she has built an engaged following through a unique POAP campaign, sold out music and video NFT collections, and is now set to launch a first-of-its-kind music video game crafted in Unreal Engine 5 and inspired by the lyrics of Bruises. Presented in collaboration with Nvak Collective. 304 S. Broadway, downtown; Tuesday, March 21, 7pm; free w/ rsvp; rsvp.neuehouse.com/worldwideweb3annikarosebruises.
Installation view, Jacqueline Kiyomi Gork, ICA LA, (Photo: Jeff McLane/ICA LA)
Wednesday, March 22
Seeing Sound: Hamza Walker and Micah Silver in conversation at the ICA LA. On the occasion of the exhibition Jacqueline Kiyomi Gork, curator Caroline Ellen Liou will moderate a discussion with Hamza Walker, Director of LAXART, and Micah Silver, artist, curator, and founder of Black Hole, to hear their experiences and ideas around the presentation of audio, sound, and music in the art space. The conversation will be followed by a walkthrough of the exhibition. 1717 E. 7th St., downtown; Wednesday, March 22, 7pm; free w/rsvp; theicala.org.
Getty Villa
College Night at the Getty Villa. A night of free art, music, food, and fun, exclusively for college students. Browse the galleries and discover some of the many guardians depicted in ancient art who protect people from harm and obstruct evil: helpful deities, hybrid beings, insects, reptiles, and disembodied eyes. Explore our exhibition of stunning Nubian jewelry and protective ornaments made over 2,000 years ago in ancient Sudan, and drop in to jewelry-making workshops, plus DJ sets, digital sketch artists, pop-up performances, raffle prizes, scavenger hunts, photo booths, and other surprises. 17985 PCH, Pacific Palisades; Wednesday, March 22, 5:30-9pm; free; getty.edu.
Eric Nash: Night Drawings at KP Projects
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