During Frieze Los Angeles, we’re sharing the best exhibitions on view throughout the city, from the groundbreaking shifts made by a generation of Korean artists at The Hammer Museum, to contemplating the dichotomy between LA’s idealized imagery and its complicated reality at The Broad.
Alma Ruiz Curates “Power in Every Thread” with Maria A. Guzmán Capron and Minga Opazo at Craft Contemporary
Minga Opazo, “Re-dress I,” 2021, 24 x 20 in. unframed, recycled textile and oyster mushroom mycelium, pigment print, edition of 5 + AP; courtesy of the artist.
January 28 – May 5, 2024
Craft Contemporary, the modern gallery with a storied history located on Los Angeles’ historic Miracle Mile, presents work by two artists, Maria A. Guzmán Capron and Minga Opazo in conjunction with Frieze L.A. The exhibition is a work of artivism curated by Alma Ruiz, comprising a range of dynamic two- and three-dimensional works. Both of the California-based artists rework and repurpose textiles in an expression of “powerful feminine energy,” celebrating the power and potential of recycled fabrics. Guzmán’s contribution confronts the “dark side” of the fashion industry while Opazo articulates a passion for science through sculpture. On March 17, Ruiz will lead an intimate walkthrough of the exhibition herself. —By Caitlin Finley
Gallery FUMI Presents Group Show “FUMI LA”
Kustaa Saksi
“Pitkä-Kotka Cabinet,” 2023, 110 x 165 x 38 cm., Paper Yarn, Polyester, Oak, Apple Tree Wood, Brass; courtesy of the artist and FUMI LA.
February 2 – March 9, 2024
London-based Gallery FUMI’s inaugural exhibit in the US, coinciding with Frieze LA this week and running until 9 March9, features an exciting collection of pieces from artists like like Glithero, Johannes Nagel, Saelia Aparicio, Eelko Moorer, Sam Orlando Miller, Allan Collins, and more. Central to the presentation is “BOX 2,” a series by British artist and designer Max Lamb beginning February 19. Lamb looks at furniture as “an extension of the floor,” insisting that he is not a craftsman, but “good at making.” The acclaimed artist’s California debut is an extension of “BOX“, his collection which Gallery FUMI premiered in London last October during Frieze. The show features Jeremy Anderson’s “Space Relics,” a light installation by the duo JAMESPLUMB, and bronze pieces by Voukenas Petrides, the collaboration between American architect Steven Petrides and Greek designer Andreas Voukenas. —By Caitlin Finley
“Scratching at the Moon” at the Institute of Contemporary Art
Dean Sameshimam, “Traces (no.1),” 1990/2023, 16 1/2 x 23 2/5 in. each of eight, unframed, Archival inkjet prints on Hahnemuhle Photo Rag paper; courtesy of the artist, Kristine Kite Gallery, Los Angeles, and Soft Opening, London.
February 10 – May 12, 2024
Born from the societal upheaval and yearning for connection during the pandemic, “Scratching at the Moon” brings together the works of an intergenerational group of thirteen Asian American artists who have helped define the city’s art world over the past two decades, including Bruce Yonemoto, Amanda Ross-Ho, and Patty Chang. The Institute of Contemporary Art exhibition, curated by Anna Sew Hoy and Anne Ellegood, seeks to redress some of the lack of Asian American representation in contemporary art museums while also elucidating the multiplicity and intricacies within the community. The cohort of artists come from varied backgrounds—some born in the United States and others who emigrated from Korea, the Philippines, China, Hong Kong, New Zealand, and Canada—and have made diverse contributions to culture ranging from their art to their pedagogy, research, and activism.
“Scratching at the Moon” honors the individual as an archive within which generations of experiences and heritage are held and confront such topics as gender roles, structural racism, immigration, displacement, gentrification, and family. Through the exhibit and its accompanying scholarly catalog designed by Dorothée Perret of DoPe Press, viewers are invited to contemplate the interplay between personal histories and collective experiences. —By Kate Hayashi
“Only the Young” at The Hammer Museum
Kim Kulim, “The Meaning of 1/24 Second,” 1969, 16mm film, color, silent. 9:14 min, edition 2 of 8; © Kim Kulim, courtesy of the artist, Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, and Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York.
February 11 – May 12, 2024
The Hammer Museum at the University of California, Los Angeles will be the first and only venue on the West Coast to host “Only the Young, Experimental Art in Korea, 1960s–1970s.” The exhibit, curated by Pablo José Ramírez, comprises approximately eighty works that explore the groundbreaking shifts made by a generation of Korean artists who came of age in the decades following the Korean War. Their work reflects an attempt to grapple with, reflect on, and respond to the reality produced by an authoritarian state and a globalizing world beyond. The featured works span mediums including painting, sculpture, ceramics, photography, video, installation, and film.
The Korean Experimental artists produced some of the most significant avant-garde practices of the twentieth century in response to the changing socioeconomic, political, and material conditions that accompanied South Korea’s rapid urbanization and modernization. The exhibition centers on a network of key artists, including Ha Chong-Hyun, Jung Kangja, and Kim Kulim, and is accompanied by the first scholarly publication in the English language on Korean Experimental art (silheom misul), with contributions by art historian Cho Soojin, University of Michigan Professor of Art History Joan Kee, artist Yoon Jin-sup, and curators Kyung An and Kang Soojung. —By Kate Hayashi
“Desire, Knowledge, and Hope (with Smog)” at The Broad
Installation view of “Desire, Knowledge, and Hope (with Smog),” photo by Joshua White/JWPictures, courtesy of The Broad, Los Angeles.
November 18, 2023 – April 7, 2024
In the eighties, John Baldessari’s monumental colored pencil work Buildings=Guns=People: Desire, Knowledge, and Hope (with Smog) (1985) reconceptualized Los Angeles’s sunny La-La land reputation as a gritty, disillusioning reality. Drawing its title from Baldessari’s piece, The Broad’s exhibition “Desire, Knowledge, and Hope (with Smog)” reflects on Los Angeles in flux and the societal issues that extend beyond it. Featuring works by 21 artists, the exhibition showcases a rich tapestry of perspectives encompassing painting, photography, sculpture, and political commentary. The dialogue between generations is palpable throughout the exhibition, with pieces by Mike Kelley and Barbara Kruger resonating alongside those of younger talents like Njideka Akunyili Crosby. Through over 60 artworks, viewers are invited to contemplate the dichotomy between LA’s idealized imagery and its complicated reality, symbolized by Baldessari’s iconic smog reference.
A new installment of The Broad’s Un-Private Collection conversation series will be held on March 2 with exhibition artists Sayre Gomez and Patrick Martinez. On March 30, The Broad will host the second of its two-part performance series L.A. Intersections, which gathers artists from the city’s punk, jazz, and hip hop scenes. The March performance features acts including Medusa the Gangsta Goddess, readings by 2022 Pulitzer Prize finalist Will Alexander, and a dance work by Jobel Medina in the galleries. —By Kate Hayashi
