“Western Edition” by Tony Feher at ACME

Tony Feher manages to make the ordinary extraordinary by transforming garbage into a thing of beauty. I don’t mean this in a cheesy floating-plastic-bag American Beauty kind of way, but in the sense that what we often overlook becomes an aesthetically appealing sculpture. This idea of subverting material with a negative connotation — garbage — and creating works of art has a lot in common with fellow artist B. Wurtz, who had a show at Telles Fine Art earlier this year. While both are eco-friendly, Feher seems to be interested in minimalist forms. In one piece, bows from unwrapped gifts are placed on top of a Styrofoam rectangle, which sits on top of a black plastic to-go container. A few works feature clear plastic bottles and glass jars, some hanging from strings like large mobiles. One of my favorite pieces is made up of blue masking tape placed in a meditative circular swirl on the wall. Oh, and the pile of black shredded paper on the floor.

6150 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. | www.acmelosangeles.com | (323) 857-5942 | Through May 19

Harry Dodge and Stanya Kahn, Can't Swallow It, Can't Spit It Out (2006)“Eden’s Edge: Fifteen L.A. Artists” at the Hammer Museum

The first big show organized by newly appointed chief curator Gary Garrels features work all made within the last decade by 15 local artists, some young and others more established. Much has been happening in Los Angeles over the last decade as we have developed and proved to be a nucleus of creativity, strong and diverse. Much of this work was made here, yet a lot of it hasn’t been shown in the artists’ hometown. More than 100 pieces are in the show, ranging from ceramics to painting to video, and they mark an important time in art history. The artists are Mark Bradford, Ginny Bishton, Liz Craft, Sharon Ellis, Matt Greene, Elliott Hundley, Anna Sew Hoy, Harry Dodge and Stanya Kahn, Monica Majoli, Matthew Monahan, Rebecca Morales, Lari Pittman, Ken Price, and the late Jason Rhoades. Don’t miss the talk with curator Garrels, Pittman, Bradford and Hoy at 4 p.m. on May 13.

10899 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. |www.hammer.ucla.edu | (310) 443-7000 | Opening May 13

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