LA Art Fair Sparkles and Shines

Posted on by Diversions LA

As always, the LA Art Show served up a tasty treat of art in a wide variety of mediums. There were informative talks, passionate performance, themes of climate change, a heady dose of trippy AI, splashes of neon, cool cats, and a charitable beneficiary, this year the American Heart Association, especially appropriate given the event’s opening night was on Valentine’s Day.

More than 120 galleries offered commercial art, fine art, experimental art, and some dashes of comic relief; opening night attendees glittered and lined up for Pink’s Hot Dogs, creme brulee, and champagne,  Robert Vargas live painted his “World House” on a massive, mural-sized canvas;  and street art vibes, laser cut metal work, and a manga-decorated portable tea house were all present and art-accounted-for.

DIVERSEartLA, comprising the 7 non-commercial art institutions exhibiting, offered the most excitement with a focus on cilmate change, immigration, faux mythologies, and the use of a drawing machine. AI was all around, lush and evocative and fascinating, but also, ultimately, still bringing up that giant question mark as to its impact. We have come to accept the horrors and complexities and hopes entwined in the confrontation of climate change, but have we yet to acclimate to another vast sea change in our lifetime, brought by artificial intelligence?

Let’s take a look at some of what we saw.

 

 

Andy Moses shimmered with motion at Melissa Morgan Palm art, far, left, while pink neon vibrated color, and a truly terrific, sculptural cat and dog duo pranced.

 

From golden hills to a dimensional portico leading to the sea to the pink morning water glow on resting surfers painted by Gay Summer Rick, landscapes were hardly stereotypical. Adjoining Rick’s work at bG Gallery are Linda Smith’s whimsical ceramic cats; below, bG dominated on the sweet non-edible Valentine’s treat art – far right, from Tom Pergola.

 

Emily Madigan’s magical jeweled beasts were at StartUp Curatorial; J.T. Burke also dazzled,  with his jeweled succulent image, right.

Copo Gallery fascinated with images from the apocalyptic to the whimsical.

The cool of metal abstracts meets the vibrant pop of floral color…

Kim Bareu is all bright whimsey at Gallery X2; but some neon cannabis noodles could be whimsical, too; ditto the work of Mr. Brainwash.

Quintessentially LA – the Pink Panther, the freeway dream of Dalila Vonden Stemmen at MRG Fine Art; a surreal and somehow super LA landscape and home.

Multiples…

 

 

 

 

The magic of MOAH performance artists Kaye Freeman and Amy Kaps, aka Hibiscus TV artists. More from Guillermo Bert; the immersive sculptural and film AI of “Be Water” from Chilean DIVERSEartLA exhibitor AAL Museum’s artist, Antuan.

From Antuan’s changing AI landscape, to AI assisted tapestery and sculptures far right, and below left two images, ”

 

The machines made me do it…

Above left, “Fake Memories of a True Past” curated by Moises Schiaffino; middle “Bridging Emotional and Digital Landscapes” allows viewers to interact with AI through a type-in word conversion, creating images above. My word was “child,” creation rendered in far left corner.  Image far right: sculptural indications of climate change and flooding from Osceola Refetoff and MOAH, more images from his photographic and film series below.

Above, also Refetoff,  infrared photography at Melissa Morgan Gallery.

Entirely new profiles, in paint and in sculpture.

Quintessential American seascape, left; gorgeous blooms from Paris in the middle; a performance artist becomes the subject of an artist’s detailed sketch.

 

The fabulous oil image of a house afire matches well with political-context neon, and Guillermo Bert’s laser cut sculptures of immigrant workers.

A cosmic eye, very large Zen heads, and a brilliantly vibrant urban scene converge.

Gumby says hi, a classic nymph does a pop-up.

J & J Art presents a buccolic and beautiful chicken romance while Jacobo Eid’s fascinating small plastic figures dance at a Madrid gallery booth.

Thick paint is always a draw – abstract, flower petals, and the classic richness of a wooly lamb.

Dimensional illusions delight – far right, the paper “stained glass” of Lorraine Bubar.

Feiran Wang’s Mutated Chicken brought big smiles; as did stooping inside the portable tea house of Tokyo’s Manga Art Heritage collaborators (far right, and below left).

To the right – Building Bridges Art Exchange in Santa Monica more or less encapsulated 2024 – aren’t we all the dog in the yellow booties, sticking our heads through a hole in the wall, despite meeting the resistance of our plastic safety cones? (Worn for our own good, of course.)

Glass art sparkled.

The natural world becomes slightly surreal…

Naim June Paik at Scott & Jae, a lustrous garden; mysteriously glowing abstracts.

A fresh take on naive art style and collage, left; live drumming draws a crowd, right.

Fabrik Projects Gallery’s The Soul of the City included a wide range of photographic talent, including a terrific piece from Maureen Haldeman, below.

That’s LA, for you. And that’s the LA Art Show 2024 edition. The city’s oldest art fair and still my homegrown favorite. AI’ght?

  • Genie Davis; photos by Genie Davis

Classic Stone and Bronze Sculptures Provide Compelling Motion from Doug Thielscher

Posted on by Diversions LA

Doug Thielscher’s stone and bronze sculptures are created using a traditional stone carving technique that the artist learned in Pietrasanta, Italy. His classical forms are just as beautiful and powerful as they were centuries ago during the Italian Renaissance, but presented with a fresh, modern twist.  His graceful work will be exhibited through Project Zola at the upcoming 29th iteration of the LA Art Show.

Thielscher’s mastery of stone carving spanned two decades, time spent in part working with the artisans/artigiani in Italy in the coastal Tuscany region known for both its marble quarries and bronze foundries. Both marble and bronze are the materials that the artist prefers to work in despite the difficulties inherent in manipulation of these mediums.

It is his ability to capture delicate detail in such resistant materials that is perhaps most striking;  his works vibrate with passion and desire, struggle, pain, and triumph.  Thielscher’s thematic purpose reveals intense and eternal human feelings and actions. The subjects he creates – hands, feet, faces, horses – all honor the historic art of figurative carving while creating potent images that very much reflect the ethos of today.

The artist explains that he wants his work to truly capture a viewer, compelling moments of reflection. He says that he wants to reveal “the moment of greatest tension” in each visual story. With this in mind, his work is designed to illuminate “the most expressive gestures of a scene…[and] highlight the intensity at that climactic point.”

Much of Thielscher’s work focuses on fragmentary parts of a figure, but he also creates abstract sculptural works that offer multiple interpretations for the viewer.  As an artist working in such classic form, he strives to create work that is utterly original and not derivative of anything that has come before but is still visually meaningful and compelling. He also ensures the image he’s creating will present as a full 360-degree view for a multi-sided experience.

The ultimate purpose of his work, he says, is to exemplify the ways in which human beings seek, reach for, and embody the way we reach and strive for goals in our lives. Thielscher’s art expresses that very moment when success or failure hang in the balance.

In his Carrara marble sculpture “Crux,” above, a twisting, reaching arm and perfectly wrought hand, partially wrapped in a ribbon, rise upward from an abstract form below. Of this work he says “I was trying to create the feeling of an old-fashioned spinning top that is just at the point where it starts to lose momentum, and the point kicks out at the bottom… The ribbon can also be seen to symbolize a ribbon that is often given out as a prize in a competition.” For Thielscher, that competition might well be life itself.

Other commanding images include a foot stepping on an amorphous bundle in the Carrara marble “To Be Different,” and the Red Persian travertine, bronze, wood, resin, and stainless steel “Equine XI.” The piece is an entirely unique image of a horse that is also an homage, the artist says, to favorite artists such “Henry Moore, Brancusi, Dali, Tony Cragg, Mondrian, Rodin, Francis Bacon, Giacometti, Alexandros of Antioch, and Anish Kapoor,” in terms of both form and material employed.

Many of Thielscher’s fine works will be viewable through Project Zola at Booth 918 of the LA Art Show. The LA Art Show’s Opening Night Premiere is February 14th, with the show on view via general admission February 15-18th. The event features over 120 galleries and a diverse selection of art, artists and galleries that span over 180,000 square feet of exhibition space.

  • Genie Davis; images provided by the artist

 

The 29th Edition of the LA Art Show is Set For a Valentine’s Day Debut

Posted on by Diversions LA

It’s going to be a sweetheart of a Valentine’s Day for art lovers, as the LA Art Show, LA’s largest and longest-running fair, returns to the Los Angeles Convention Center February 14-18, 2024.

The 29th edition will be produced and directed by Kassandra Voyagis, who promises a strong 2024 exhibition. According to Voyagis, the LA Art Show’s mission “is always to deliver the most comprehensive international contemporary art experience imaginable. The 2023 iteration welcomed over 60,000 visitors and 2024 promises another spectacular lineup of exhibiting galleries from around the world…we keep building a bigger and better version every year.”

This year, the show will include many international exhibitors, including those from the Philippines, Italy, Israel, Peru and South Korea, with the shows largest section featuring contemporary artworks from galleries located in LA, the Pacific Rim and around the world.

Among returning presenters, Voyagis cites Arcadia Contemporary, in their 17th year at the LA Art Show, K+Y Contemporary, Licht Feld Gallery, and Markowicz Fine Art along with the gallery’s European partner, Bel Air Fine Art, participating in the show for the first time. She notes other new exhibitors including Cube Gallery and Cynthia Corbett Gallery, and the exhibition’s penchant for women-owned and directed galleries, including the Rebecca Hossack Art Gallery, Daphne Alazraki Fine Art and Cynthia Corbett as well as Melissa Morgan Gallery.

And of course, a major focal point of the show is DIVERSEArtLA, about which Voyagis says “We are excited to continue facilitating this pioneering program…It ignites important dialogue through art and helps to deepen our understanding of what it means to be human.”

Curated by Marisa Caichiolo, DIVERSEartLA connects local and international art institutions to generate thoughtful dialogue through art while also honoring the unique biodiversity of Los Angeles.

Caichiolo says the inspiration behind this year’s DIVERSEartLA platform “explores the complex and evolving relationship between memory, humanity, and AI, and is inspired by the ever-evolving relationship between human cognition and artificial intelligence. As we enter an era of rapid technological change and increasing reliance on artificial intelligence, it is important to consider the role that AI can play in shaping our memory and our sense of humanity.” She adds that “We aim to explore the intersection of these two domains and how they influence contemporary artistic movements and expressions. The theme reflects our commitment to engaging with the profound impact of technology on human memory, identity, experiences, and of course, creativity.”

She wants those interested in attending to note that this year’s exhibition will offer a “thought-provoking exploration of the complex interplay between human memory and artificial intelligence, as interpreted by a diverse group of arts institutions, museums and artists.”

Their work will include installation, immersive video, and large-scale sculptural pieces and textiles. Through it, Caichiolo says, “We seek to prompt reflection on the ways in which AI and human memory intersect and influence one another, offering new perspectives on the nature of creativity, identity, and the evolving human experience in the digital age. From AI-generated artworks to immersive virtual reality experiences that challenge our sense of self, the works in this edition invite us to consider the opportunities and challenges presented by AI and memory. What does it mean to remember in an age of digital memory? How can AI be used to enhance our memory and our understanding of the world? And what are the ethical and social implications of relying on AI as a tool for memory and identity?”

These questions will lead viewers in a new direction from previous DIVERSEartLA iterations. Last year’s featured nine interdisciplinary projects examining the climate crisis, including inspiring works by artist and ecofeminist Judy Baca and renowned Korean artist Han Ho.

This year will be quite different from the focus of the last two years on climate change. The 2024 experience will be a “distinct departure in thematic focus,” according to Caichiolo. “We have intentionally shifted our attention to the dynamic relationship between human memory and AI, presenting an entirely new direction that reflects the evolving landscape of contemporary art and technological influence. We are excited to present this fresh perspective and welcome visitors to engage with the innovative and compelling installations.”

Eight of the world’s top art museums, nonprofits and institutions will present solo projects in DIVERSEartLA, including The Nevada Museum of Art presenting “The Journey” by contemporary artist Guillermo Bert and curated by Vivian Zavataro, an installation featuring a series of 20 highly-detailed, life-sized wood sculptures of actual immigrants employed as frontline workers. Among the other institutions presenting solo projects, The Museum of Contemporary Art in Bogotá will offer “Mythstories” by multimedia artist Carlos Castro Arias and curated by Gustavo Adolfo Ortiz Serrano. Appropriating the style and iconography of medieval tapestry, Castro uses anachronisms and the re-contextualization of found objects to create connections across times and cultures, while experimenting with themes of myth, history, and AI, exploring individual and collective identity.

DIVERSEartLA 2024 is also proud to announce the second edition of the Museum Acquisition Award for Emerging and Mid-Career Artists. The Museum Collection AAL from Santiago, Chile, will select an artist from the LA Art Show to add work to the permanent museum collection.

If all of this isn’t enough to plan your Valentine’s Day weekend around, the LA Art Show is donating 15% of proceeds from every ticket to the life-saving mission of the American Heart Association’s Life is Why™ campaign. The organization is LA Art Show’s new charity beneficiary this year.

You can find more information about attending the LA Art Show here.

  • Genie Davis; photos provided by LA Art Show