Anticipated exhibitions in sculpture, drawing, painting, and photography looking at feminism, art history, glamour and nature; an IRL art fair; a talk on making artists books; sound art in the park; a fundraiser for fire-devastated local artists; more than one 80s flashback; and an arts-inspired pop-up in historic architecture.
Thursday, June 24
Nancy Rubins: Fluid Space at Gagosian. An exhibition of recent sculptures and drawings by Nancy Rubins.Since the late 1970s, Rubins has transformed industrial and found objects—everything from television sets and airplane parts to canoes and carousel animals—into engineered abstractions following rhizomatic patterns. Gagosian Beverly Hills, June 24 – August 6; gagosian.com.
Now Be Here and X Artists’ Books present: Assembling/Reassembling (Virtual). This discussion will tackle the history and current state of independent press and self-publishing by women artists making books as an artform. Featuring Tia Blassingame, Artist, Professor and Press Director, Scripps College; Johanna Drucker, Artist, Breslauer Professor Information Studies, UCLA; Alexandra Grant, Artist, Publisher X Artists’ Books; Marcia Reed, Chief Curator, Getty Research Institute; Susan Sironi, Artist. Thursday, June 24, 1pm; free; eventbrite.com.
The Other Art Fair at ROW DTLA. Presented by Saatchi Art, The Other Art Fair Los Angeles happens June 24 – 27, showcasing 75 independent and emerging artists, curated by a committee of art world experts, in an anticipated return to IRL gatherings. Opening night: Thursday, June 24, 5-10pm, day and early evening hours through Sunday; Downtown; timed tickets $15-50; theotherartfair.com.
Clockshop presents Listening by Moonrise at L.A. State Historic Park. The fourth installment of a new quarterly event features performances and immersive sound experiences with leading multi-disciplinary sound artists. Listening By Moonrise activates experiences at the park that provide moments of reflection, connection, and joy within the context of a community centered green space. Chinatown, Thursday, June 24, 6-7:30pm; free; clockshop.org.
Harmony Holiday: God’s Suicide at the Hammer (Virtual). Made in L.A. artist Harmony Holiday’s one-man play is adapted from an essay by the artist and constructed around the rarely acknowledged five suicide attempts of writer and public intellectual James Baldwin. June 24, 7pm; online; free; hammer.ucla.edu.
Friday, June 25
Beyond the Looking Glass at UTA Artist Space. Zuzanna Ciolek has curated a shockingly feminine, absurdist tour through the minds of the world’s most interesting woman artists working today, including Kim Dacres, Genevieve Gaignard, Sanam Khatibi, Jesse Mockrin, Kiki Smith and Jessica Stoller. Beverly Hills, June 25 – July 31; Opening Reception: Friday June 25, 5-8pm; Artist Talk: Saturday, June 26, noon; utaartistspace.com.
I Like L.A. and L.A. Likes Me: Joseph Beuys at 100 at Track 16. May 12, fans around the world celebrated what would have been artist Joseph Beuys’s 100th birthday, paying homage to his notion that art’s greatest purpose is to function as a vehicle for political engagement and social healing. Curated by Andrea Gyorody, featuring Joseph Beuys, Beatriz Cortez, veronique d’entremont, rafa esparza, Candice Lin and Kandis Williams. Bendix Building, Downtown; June 25 – Sept 12; Opening reception: Friday, June 25th 5-9pm; free; track16.com.
Kenny Scharf: When Worlds Collide (VOD). A new documentary featuring interviews and rare archival footage shows Scharf’s NYC arrival in the early 1980’s where, amongst the fervent creative bustle of a depressed downtown scene, he and his besties Basquiat and Haring would soon take the art world by storm. Opens on demand June 25; kennyscharfmovie.com.
Saturday, June 26
Susan Silton: We, Lia Halloran: The Sun Burns My Eyes Like Moons, and Carlson Hatton: Take a moment to think of a relaxing location or situation, this could be a memory or something made up, at Luis De Jesus. Comprising large-scale cyanotypes and their painted negatives, Halloran’s work is an homage to the sun. Silton questions the nature of reality in a set of photo-etchings depicting landscapes of the Armstrong Redwoods National Forest. Hatton explores the psychological and physical terrain of the post-pandemic world. Downtown, June 26 – August 14; opening reception: Saturday, June 26, 3-6pm; luisdejesus.com.
Nick Taggart: L.A. Stories: Paintings and Drawings from 1980 at ODD ARK L.A. A selection of never-before-exhibited works offering a glimpse into L.A.’s social landscape and the artist’s own circle of friends, which included musicians, photographers, fashion designers, and music fans — at a particularly dynamic time when L.A. was defining itself as a cosmopolitan metropolis. Highland Park, June 26 – August 1; Opening reception: Saturday, June 26th, 4-7pm; oddarkla.com.
Robert Lazzarini: Rated R For Violence at Lowell Ryan Projects. Lazzarini’s paintings are based upon the ubiquitous red title cards seen prior to movie previews. Indicating “appropriate for mature audiences only,” Lazzarini’s paintings emphasize violence as entertainment and the descriptive language as a reflection back upon the viewer. West Adams, June 26 – August 14; Opening Reception: Saturday, June 26, 5-8pm; lowellryanprojects.com.
Rosy Keyser: ARP 273 at Parrasch Heijnen. In Keyser’s most recent body of work, the interaction of disparate parts colliding, generates deliberate beauty and symbiotic flow. Relationships between the artist’s surfaces are that of both friction and integration. Keyser’s emerging constructions come from using her anatomy as a multitool for physical change. She paints, bends, casts, and conducts all in an effort to describe aspects of nature. Boyle Heights, June 26 – August 7; Opening reception: Saturday June 26, 6-8pm; parraschheijnen.com.
Sunday, June 27
Matthew Rolston: Art People: The Pageant Portraits at Laguna Art Museum. Artist, photographer, and video director Matthew Rolston is acclaimed as an heir to the tradition of Hollywood glamour photography. This exhibition presents Rolston’s larger-than-life, strangely haunting photographs of participants in Laguna Beach’s Pageant of the Masters art history-centric tableaux vivants festival. June 27 – September 19; $7; lagunaartmuseum.org.
Little Tokyo Art Complex Fundraiser at Durden & Ray. During the early morning hours on Tuesday, June 8, the first floor of the building housing the Little Tokyo Art Complex on E. 3rd St. caught fire. The 100-year old building was a historic structure as well as offering storage for over 20 artists. This massive tragedy has destroyed years of artwork, stock and supplies alongside their creative storage spaces. Today’s event is to raise funds to support this group of artists to replace their supplies, ease some financial stress and provide a little bit of hope and relief during an insurmountably tragic and traumatic experience. Bendix Building, Downtown, Sunday, June 27, 1-6pm; durdenandray.com.
The Street & The Shop at NeueHouse Bradbury. The Street & The Shop is a hybrid exhibition, pop-up, artist-run-market, and happening founded by L.A.-based writer and curator Michael Slenske that adapts to the varied environments in which it is staged. While paying homage to the art historical shop-based interventions of Claes Oldenburg, Tracey Emin and Sarah Lucas, and others, The Street & The Shop is a venue for artists to experiment with materials, scale and commerciality while offering members of the local community direct access to the artists and their work. Bradbury Building, Downtown; Sunday, June 27, 11am-5pm; neuehouse.com.