Art Exhibitions in LA: What’s on?

Find out what exhibitions are showing virtually this month, discover the most exciting artists on the scene and unearth new and original art.

LA is home to a constant stream of art exhibitions, fairs, talks and events. But as galleries remain closed around the world, the closest any of us can get to viewing art is through a screen or in an outside setting. But still, art persists. LA, with its many galleries and ever-growing community of art spaces, continues to showcase work from some of the most exciting names in contemporary art.

Virtual access is both a help and a hindrance; it can simultaneously open up and restrict an exhibition’s reach. While some don’t fancy seeing art on their tablet or zooming in on the screen, others can access it halfway across the world. We’re taking you through some of the must-see exhibitions currently going on in LA and showing you how you can view them from the comfort of your home.

 

Installation view - image courtesy of Santa Josefina and the Artist

 

Michael Haight: Paper-Thin Friends

Although the title may at first seem to reference the distance that currently exists between all of us, Paper-Thin Friends is in fact an exhibition that explores identity, primarily in its collective and temporary forms. Incorporating elements of social media, Buddhist philosophy, and the artist’s own writing, Paper-Thin friends is a collection of watercolour, gouache and tempera paintings with a continuous ethereal quality to them.

In a time of shared nostalgia and sentimentality, Haight’s paintings transcend the Covid-state-of-mind. They have the unique ability of being both fantastical, verging on surrealist, whilst unpacking the authenticity of human interaction and behavior. You can take a journey through Haight’s exhibition at Santa Josefina by visiting his website.

Andy Woll, Mt. Wilson (Las Meninas Opponent Process I), 2021 – image courtesy of the Artist and Night Gallery

 

Andy Woll: The First Turn of the Screw 

Marking Andy Woll’s third exhibition with Night Gallery, The First Turn of the Screw shows a collection of the artist’s new paintings. Sitting somewhere between expressionism and abstraction, Woll responds to the same subject in each work of art. Mount Wilson, in San Gabriel Mountains, LA, is reflected repeatedly, with each painting showing a different aspect of the natural landscape. Time of day informs Woll’s palette, whilst light informs his brushstrokes.

When looking at this collection, whether individually, or as a body of work, it’s hard not to notice the figurative aspects of the paintings. Whilst some resemble expressive nudes, others could be portraits. Woll has in fact incorporated elements of Velasquez’s Las Meninas into the form and texture of the mountain. The merging of these two seemingly unrelated subjects is Woll’s statement on present day LA. The artist explains, “the Spanish Golden Ages has a deep and troubling connection to the establishment of Los Angeles.”

You can view the exhibition here.

 

Installation view - image courtesy of Baert Gallery and the Artist

 

Ludovica Gioscia: Arturo and the Vertical Sea

Arturo and the Vertical Sea takes the form of three large-scale mixed media 3D works in Baert Gallery, LA. These wooden structures, which are presented as part-sculpture, part-looms, hold everything from ceramic pieces, and textile assemblages, to watercolour paintings and wallpapers.

Most of the work shown in this exhibition is a collaboration between Gioscia and her cat, Arturo. The pieces, together and individually, speak of intimacies and emotions of creating, specifically how ‘non-human beings’ that have informed Gioscia’s practice.

Baert Gallery have opened the gallery to the internet, giving viewers the option of a video tour to the soundtrack of Ludovica Gioscia’s own statement on the exhibition. As Gioscia details the many pockets of the Arturo and the Vertical Sea, the piece becomes instantly personal; a visual diary of Gioscia and Arturo’s collaborative process. Take a tour through Gioscia’s exhibition here.

 

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