Shana Nys Dambrot
Artists engage with the nature of reality, the balance of theory and history, and how to infuse tradition with new life; the bookstore lets you sleep over, a photographer goes chasing waterfalls, literary soul mates communicate across time; the state poet laureate, a guided walk along a particularly interesting stretch of the river, a campy film classic gets a new live reading.
Enrique Agudo at Vellum LA
Thursday, April 6
Enrique Agudo: Ipseity at Vellum LA. An installation of eight digital paintings by new media artist Enrique Agudo, presenting visualizations of contemporary notions of identity through the depiction of new deities and their environments, in allegorical scenes about the human self and our relationship to technology. Inspired by the Pre-Raphaelites, these works take on our digital realities in the form of traditional painting, but making use of the most cutting edge technology—integrated generative animations connected to real-time data in which the digital and the physical are connected. 7673 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood; Opening reception: Thursday, April 6, 7-9pm; On view through May 14; free; vellumla.com.
Lisa Alvarado: Vibratory Cartography: Nepantla, 2021. Acrylic, ink, gouache, canvas, burlap, fringe, polyester, wood, 69 × 81 in. (Courtesy artist and Bridget Donahue, NYC. Photo by Tom Va)
Lisa Alvarado: Pulse Meridian Foliation at REDCAT. Alvarado takes inspiration from social histories such as the textile traditions and public muralism in the Americas, her family’s experience as Mexican Americans in the border region, the Chicano Movement, and her musical performances with the band Natural Information Society (NIS), where she plays the harmonium. Pulse Meridian Foliation is composed of a new immersive mural, a collection of double-sided paintings, a series of photos, and a sound installation, engaging with the concept of Nepantla (in-between) as theorized by Chicana feminist Gloria Anzaldúa. 631 W. 2nd St., downtown; Opening reception and performance: Thursday, April 6, 7pm; free; On view through August 20; free; redcat.org.
Ashwini Ramaswamy’s Let the Crows Come at the Broad Stage (Photo by Jake Armour)
Friday, April 7
Ashwini Ramaswamy: Let the Crows Come at the Broad Stage. This work for three dancers with live music explores how memory and homeland channel guidance and dislocation. The original, live score features South Indian instruments, electroacoustic cello, and sound sampling/turntables. Evoking mythography and ancestry, Let the Crows Come uses the metaphor of crows as messengers for the living and guides for the departed. The Indian dance form Bharatanatyam is deconstructed and recontextualized with collaborators Alanna Morris and Berit Ahlgren, who infuse the work with their own traditions of Modern and African Diasporic dance and the Gaga movement from Israel. 1310 11th St., Santa Monica; Friday-Saturday, April 7-8, 7:30pm; $40; broadstage.org.
The Last Bookstore, DTLA
Spring Break Sleepovers at the Last Bookstore. Limited to only 14 spots for 14 nights, DTLA’s favorite temple of books hosts its first-ever Spring Break Sleepover—a unique opportunity for the dedicated bibliophile. Sleep in our antique bank vault, underneath the famous tunnel lights, or in the haunted Horror Vault, if you dare. This 21-and-over sleepover starts with a light reception and some chill music but then you’re on your own. Lights out at midnight, but whether you sleep or not? That’s up to you. This event is BYOE, or bring your own everything — sleeping bag, air mattress, tent, etc. 453 S. Spring St., downtown; Now through Friday, April 14; $175; instagram.com/lastbookstorela.
Jay Mark Johnson: Faxi 3 (Courtesy of William Turner Gallery)
Saturday, April 8
Jay Mark Johnson: Íslenskir Fossar at William Turner Gallery. Ten spectacular large format images of waterfalls and geysers produced in Iceland in October 2021. Traversing the stark volcanic landscape, Johnson focused on the atmospheric turbulence of rushing waters and freezing air emanating from the region’s waterfalls and geysers, capturing the dramatic interplay of the geological events within the seasonal low-raking light. In his exploration of the possibilities for timeline photography, Johnson has repeatedly turned his attentions to marveling at the forces of nature, specifically the reciprocal physical interactions of light, water and atmosphere. Bergamot Station, 2525 Michigan Ave., Santa Monica; Opening reception: Saturday, April 8, 5-8; On view through May 27; free; williamturnergallery.com.
Amanda Maciel Antunes at the Philosophical Research Society
Amanda Maciel Antunes: Second Birth at Philosophical Research Society. Second Birth is a split diary, a journey through time, and a series of correspondences between the lives of Anaïs Nin (1903-77) and Amanda Maciel Antunes (b.1987). These two immigrant artists share a deep faith in the potency of the creative process and the collective unconscious. At 21, Antunes learned English from a worn copy of Nin’s Diary IV. By fate, she now finds herself living in the Sierra Madre home where Nin lived and worked for nearly 10 years in the 1950s. The resulting, ongoing and evolving practice surrounding this kismet now takes the form of a book (2023, Hexentexte), gallery exhibition, performance event, and more. 3910 Los Feliz Blvd., Los Feliz; Opening reception, book-signing & performance: Saturday, April 8, 6:30pm; On view through April 15; donation suggested; prs.org.
Coady Brown at Shulamit Nazarian
Coady Brown: Rabid Heart at Shulamit Nazarian. Brown’s paintings thoughtfully orchestrate psychologically charged environments that pulse with a sense of cinematic mystery and wonder. The figures that inhabit this world are rendered with a careful awareness of the politics inherent in depicting feminine and androgynous figures. Brown’s practice examines how groups, couples, and solitary figures navigate self-presentation in private and public life. Located across domestic interiors, nightclubs, and transitory public settings, figures are compressed into tightly framed, intimate spaces that expose the subtle complexities of interpersonal connections and relationships. 616 N. La Brea, Hollywood; Opening reception: Saturday, April 8, 6-8pm; On view through May 13; free; shulamitnazarian.com.
LA River Public Art Project’s River Sessions #4: Mile 40-38, Studio City
LA River Public Art Project’s River Sessions: #4 Mile 40-38, Studio City. Explore art, culture, and place along the LA River in a monthly series of guided walks. A portion of this stretch of the River has been transformed with native trees and plants into something verdant and inspiring. The River Walk through Studio City connects three historical sites that are each in the midst of major transformation—Radford Studios (formerly the CBS studio lot), Weddington Golf Course, and Sportsman’s Lodge. Talks by Tina Orduno Calderon, TreePeople, Melanie Winter of Studio City-based, The River Project, Elaine Rene-Weissman, architect and co-founder of LA River Public Art Project. Saturday, April 8, 10am-2:30pm; $29-$35; lariverpublicartproject.org.
California Poet Laureate Lee Herrick
My California: A Reading with the California Poet Laureate, Lee Herrick at Beyond Baroque. Last year Herrick was appointed California Poet Laureate by Governor Gavin Newsom. He is the author of poetry books Scar and Flower, Gardening Secrets of the Dead, and This Many Miles from Desire. As Poet Laureate he plans to improve access to poetry and the arts in communities where people might not have ready access to them. Herrick will be joined by renowned poets F. Douglas Brown, Amy Uyematsu, and Michelle Brittan Rosado. Enjoy a reception before and after the performances with refreshments. The authors will be signing books. 681 Venice Blvd., Venice; Saturday, April 8, 7pm; free; beyondbaroque.org.
Jonah Mixon-Webster at Oxy Arts (Photo by Marsha E. Eagle)
Monday, April 10
Jonah Mixon-Webster at Oxy Arts. Webster is a poet, educator, scholar, and art activist from Flint, MI. He is the founder of the Flint-based non-profit Center for Imaginative Freedoms and Economic Relief (C.I.F.E.R.) and serves as chapter leader of PEN America-Detroit. Award-winning poet and sound artist, Jonah Mixon-Webster, will give a reading of his work, as part of Occidental College’s Visiting Writers Series. The reading will be followed by an interview and Q&A session with Occidental’s Writer-in-Residence, Chekwube Danladi. 4757 York Blvd., Eagle Rock; Monday, April 10, 7:15pm; free; oxyarts.oxy.edu.
Fox Atomic
Tuesday, April 11
Film Independent presents a live read of Jennifer’s Body at the Wallis. Film Independent & The Wallis invite you to a live read of the cult classic, Jennifer’s Body, directed by the film’s original auteur, Karyn Kusama. Since its release in 2009, Jennifer’s Body has become canon in the film traditions of teen horror comedy and feminist satire. This reading will feature a reinterpretation of the bloody, teenage romp and its high school hormones with performances by iconic Hollywood actors. Join them for a night of demonic delights and sour candy camp. 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills; Tuesday, April 11, 7:30pm; $35; thewallis.org.
Jay Mark Johnson: Geyser 1 (Courtesy of William Turner Gallery)
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