Beyond Frieze, an abundance of exhibitions are on view throughout Los Angeles
Words by DAVID NASH and ELIZABETH VARNELL
Felix Art Fair Returns to the Hollywood Roosevelt
Where better to host an international art fair than at an iconic hotel named for the first president to travel abroad on an official diplomatic trip that also houses a mural by David Hockney at the bottom of its Tropicana Pool? For Felix LA — the contemporary art fair that favors a ’90s-inspired model, preferring a hotel venue to a traditional trade show atmosphere — the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel has remained host to the contemporary art event since its inception in 2019. For its seventh edition, the showcase will present more than 60 exhibitors from cities around the world, including Bucharest, Lisbon, London, Havana, and Turin. More than half the participating galleries and dealers are first-timers, including COMA from Australia, Sobering Galerie from Paris, and Portland’s ILY2. Known for its boundary-pushing programs, the showcase focuses on collaboration among artists, collectors, and dealers in an effort to redefine the collective art space. Other exhibitors include Tara Downs and Derek Eller Gallery from New York, L.A.’s Charlie James Gallery and Timothy Hawkinson Gallery, and Kyiv’s Voloshyn Gallery. Through Feb. 23. 7000 Hollywood Blvd., L.A.; felixfair.com. D.N.
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An Icon of Japanese Pop Art is Back at Blum
My Imperfect Self marks Japanese-born artist Yoshitomo Nara’s tenth exhibition with Blum and the evolution of his work over the past 30 years. Initially he used clay remnants to deconstruct his iconic images of children into misshapen forms, establishing his connection to both the material and his sense of place. Now a new series of bronze sculptures, several of which debut here, indicate his latest creative direction. These midsize heads exude a quirky, albeit dark, charm that has defined Nara’s work from the beginning. Also on exhibition are a series of paintings and drawings that resonate with the sculptures and offer insight into the continued experimentation that has marked his career since the international recognition he received from his seminal 1991 work, The Girl with the Knife in Her Hand. Through March 8. 2727 S. La Cienega Blvd., L.A., 310-836-2062; blum-gallery.com. D.N.
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David Kordansky’s Technicolor Double Feature
The Perfect Tense, David Kordansky Gallery’s first solo show of new paintings by Sam McKinniss, and Lesley Vance’s large- and medium-scale canvases, as well as new watercolors, are converging this month. The works in McKinniss’ exhibition are centered on the past and deal with themes related to loss (despite their outward appearance of joy, hilarity, and beauty). Tension is created by pairing depictions of iconic images side by side, such as a painting of the Friends cast in repose and another of St. Louis gun-toting couple Mark and Patricia McCloskey. Vance’s work, on the other hand, presents as colorfully vivid, swirling abstractions constructed from “a sunny if acidic” mix of blues, yellows, whites, and blacks made in homage to her interest in pop-inflected Surrealism and the more serious work of the Chicago Imagists. Vance’s work is in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, SFMOMA, Hammer Museum, and the Whitney, while McKinniss’ work is housed in Miami’s Institute of Contemporary Art, Hartford’s Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, and the New Britain Museum of American Art in Connecticut. Through Feb. 23. 5130 W. Edgewood Pl., L.A., 323-935-3030; davidkordanskygallery.com. D.N.
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Hollyhock House Gets Its Close-Up
Marking Hollyhock House’s centennial — and the complex relationship between the house’s architect, Frank Lloyd Wright, and oil heiress, theater producer, and activist Aline Barnsdall — led photographer Janna Ireland to document the landmark structure. The images in Janna Ireland: Even by Proxy capture the precise details of the Mayan Revival house’s glass doors and cast concrete as well as the abstracted hollyhock motif inspired by Barnsdall’s favored flower. The images are placed throughout the space, in dialogue with Wright’s first L.A. commission completed by his assistant, R.M. Schindler, and son Lloyd Wright, and the exhibition marks the first time the children’s room is open to the public. The series of 21 photographs depicting the only Unesco World Heritage site in L.A. joins a canon of work shot during the previous century by Julius Shulman, Margrethe Mather, and Edmund Teske, who once lived on the property at Barnsdall’s invitation. Through Sept. 7. 4800 Hollywood Blvd., Barnsdall Art Park, L.A.; barnsdall.org. E.V.
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Michael Kohn Marks 40 Years in L.A.
Everyone loves a party, and Michael Kohn Gallery’s 40th Anniversary Exhibition is no exception. Since setting up shop at its original location on Robertson Boulevard in 1985, the cutting-edge contemporary art gallery has showcased works by artists like Richard Tuttle, Dennis Hopper, Joe Goode, Alex Katz, and Lita Albuquerque. In celebration of its first four decades, the gallery has put together a group show that includes works by Keith Haring, Chiffon Thomas, and Alicia Adamerovich alongside many others. In honor of its ruby jubilee, a portion of the gallery will be transformed into an intimate theater to debut the restoration of The White Rose, Bruce Conner’s 1967 seven-minute black-and-white video work set in San Francisco. With a decades-spanning dedication to artists and art history, MKG has remained tied to L.A.’s ever-evolving culture and art scene with a keen curatorial eye and a commitment to supporting emerging and mid-career artists. Through April 4. 1227 Highland Ave., L.A., 323-461-3311; kohngallery.com. D.N.
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Albertz Benda Explores the American West
Multimedia artist Devon DeJardin has curated Albertz Benda’s bold new group show, Saddle Up: Artistic Journeys Through Cowboy Culture, which explores connections to land, the pandemic-driven shift from cities to the countryside, individualism, and ideas of the American West. The exhibition brings together a host of young artists, with works by Connor Tingley, a stoneware sculpture from Raven Halfmoon, a Ken Taylor Reynaga painting, and other on-theme pieces from Kayla Witt, Taylor Marie Prendergast, Drew Dodge, Julian Pace, Sol Summers, and others. The gallery also includes sculptural furniture by Faye Toogood and works by Estúdio Campana, Daniel Arsham, and other Friedman Benda artists and designers. The artists and galleries are contributing a portion of the show’s proceeds to the L.A. Arts Community Fire Relief Fund for fire-impacted artists and arts workers. Through March 29. 8260 Marmont Ln., L.A., 310-913-3269; albertzbenda.com. E.V.
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George Sherman Shapes Ceramic Vessels at Marta
Pasadena ceramicist George Sherman’s new Marta show, Embers, builds on his previous On Fire exhibition mounted last year, and also on the decades he has devoted to his practice. Sherman, who continues to move the California Clay Movement forward, is back at work in his studio after retiring as a professor at USC, Scripps, PCC, and CSU, and his new pieces include several series as well as wall works. Nine vessels with 180-degree arcs make up Protractor Skies, whereas another nine rectangular shapes, The Change in the Weather Is Said to Be Extreme, trace the hues of the sun’s trajectory over 24 hours. Each group is arranged on handmade plywood shelves. Kokeshi I and Kokeshi II reference Japanese wooden dolls, a nod to Sherman’s upbringing on a Navy base in Japan. His Vase/Bottle and Evenadam pairs include color patterns found in the San Gabriel Mountains, the range rising above the city where he lives that was so recently ablaze. Through April 5. 3021 Rowena Ave., L.A., 323-775-6811; marta.la. E.V.
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Hammer Museum Spotlights Alice Coltrane’s Creative Range
Jazz musician Alice Coltrane, who arrived in California after her husband John’s death and became spiritual director of an ashram, developed innovative sonic melodies from chants while leading a singular life. Her creativity, Hindu devotional songs, and musicality as a harpist and pianist are all on display at the Hammer Museum’s multisensorial exploration of her life and work, Alice Coltrane, Monument Eternal. Images and ephemera from Coltrane’s archive join new sculpture, paintings, and installations from 19 artists she influenced. Unreleased audio and rare video footage are also included in the show, part of an ongoing initiative, The Year of Alice, with the John & Alice Coltrane Home in New York. Through May 4. 10899 Wilshire Blvd., L.A., 310-443-7000; hammer.ucla.edu. E.V.
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Alex Israel’s Haunting Streetscapes Arrive at Gagosian
“If Israel’s pictures are seductive, they should be. Femmes wouldn’t be fatales if they weren’t. The paintings’ rich, pulpy candy colors and nostalgic lure, their slick, sensual surfaces that say come hither… these are not the girls next door,” writes Sam Wasson, describing works in Alex Israel’s new exhibition, Noir. The painted streetscapes in the L.A. native’s latest Gagosian show take as subjects locations around town, including Santa Monica Boulevard’s Troubadour, Bruin Theatre in Westwood, and Pann’s in Westchester. Israel’s interpretation of noir is saturated with color, and he worked with animators at Warner Bros. to create blueprints for each one using photos, drawings, and memories fueled by day and night walks around the city during the pandemic. The works also nod to Hollywood’s scenic painting tradition, one Israel has embraced even as studios have shifted to digitally printing, layering, or projecting backdrops. A portion of sales are being donated to the L.A. Arts Community Fire Relief Fund. Through March 22. 456 N. Camden Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-271-9400; gagosian.com. E.V.
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Migration and Memory Converge at Dries Van Noten’s Gallery
Hope springs eternal this season at Dries Van Noten’s The Little House Gallery with its latest exhibition, Ojalá, by multidisciplinary artist, musician, and filmmaker Harley Cortez. The show’s title translates to “hopefully” in Spanish, and the works reflect how experiences influence our expressions of creativity and shape our individual and collective identities. The act of migration figures prominently in much of the work, including paintings, sculptures, original music compositions and video elements. With this solo showcase, Cortez, who was raised in both New York and L.A. and has shown in cities including Mexico City, Berlin, and Tokyo, seeks to create a space where art and memory converge in an effort to understand the impacts of human migration and the transformative power of art. A portion of all sales from the exhibition will be donated to Grief x Hope, a nonprofit organization formed to help artists impacted by the L.A. wildfires. Through March 20. 451 N. La Cienega Blvd., L.A., 310-880-6125; driesvannoten.com. D.N.
February 20, 2025
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