Burning Man installations, a local legend’s oeuvre, and a carousel-like creation that just might change your life — don’t miss these spectacles
Words by MARIE LOOK and ANUSH J. BENLIYAN
Judy Chicago at Jeffrey Deitch
Judy Chicago’s interest in techniques beyond those taught at a traditional art school led her to enroll in classes at an auto body painting school in Los Angeles, where she was the only woman alongside 250 male students. Her colorful car hoods, featuring female-focused motifs, are on display in this show, as well as more of her paintings, drawings, sculptures and other early works, many of which were created in L.A. and Fresno in the late ’60s and early ’70s and have been largely unseen for the past 50 years. Through Nov. 2. Jeffrey Deitch, 925 N. Orange Dr., L.A., 323-925-3000.
Susan Ashworth at March
English artist Susan Ashworth presents a selection of moody new oil paintings that explore the landscapes and edges of the tabletop, bringing to life the objects and quiet moments (a teapot half in shadow, a porcelain cup between sips) that fill the creative’s daily routine at home. Through Nov. 14. March, 3075 Sacramento St., S.F., 415-336-4269.
Mark Cottle at Neutra VDL Research House
For the setting of his plastic shopping bag installation The Cost of Money — a commentary on the impact that capitalism and disposability can have on the environment — artist Mark Cottle has chosen the onetime studio and residence of modernist architect Richard Neutra. Through Nov. 23. Neutra VDL Research House, 2300 Silver Lake Blvd., L.A.
Charles Gaines at Hauser & Wirth
In “Charles Gaines Palm Trees and Other Works” — the Los Angeles artist’s first exhibit with gallery Hauser & Wirth — the living legend puts his conceptual style of art on full display. Of note is the new Numbers and Trees series, focused on native flora from Palm Canyon and featuring the creative’s “grid” system; he fills in numbered squares with colorful paints on acrylic sheets set atop black-and-white landscape photos to bring each tree to life. Through Jan. 5, 2020. Hauser & Wirth, 901 E. Third St., L.A., 213-943-1620.
Lari Pittman at Hammer Museum
Owls, sea creatures, Victorian silhouettes, folk motifs and overtly sexualized bodies — all these elements and others have had a place in the work of global artist and locally lauded teacher Lari Pittman, famous for incorporating many disparate graphic-based languages into his collage-like paintings and prints. Experience the prolificacy of the 67-year-old Angeleno over his four-decade career in “Lari Pittman: Declaration of Independence,” the most comprehensive retrospective of his oeuvre in 20 years. Through Jan. 5, 2020. Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Blvd., L.A., 310-443-7000.
Edward and Nancy Kienholz at L.A. Louver
Having been exhibited 15 times throughout the U.S., Europe and Asia, this will mark the return of Edward and Nancy Kienholz’s work The Merry-Go-World and Begat by Chance and The Wonder Horse Trigger to the L.A. Louver, where it first debuted in 1992. Considered to be the husband and wife’s most ambitious assemblage, the brightly colored, large-scale, carousel-like creation invites the viewer to step inside, where he or she will be “immersed” into one of eight different lives (for example, a chairmaker in Egypt or a young Maasai woman in Kenya). Oct. 24-Jan. 18, 2020. L.A. Louver, 45 N. Venice Bvld., Venice, 310-822-4955.
James Tissot at Legion of Honor
Don’t miss the most comprehensive look in over 20 years at the career of the late French artist, who was has been revered for defying conventions in both his art and his private life. Tissot’s paintings appear in major collections worldwide, appreciated for their multifaceted commentary on 19th-century society, religion, fashion and politics. Oct. 12-Feb. 9, 2020. Legion of Honor Museum, 100 34th Ave., S.F., 415-750-3600.
Burning Man at Oakland Museum
Every summer, Burning Man beckons 70,000-plus people to the Nevada desert, where the community erects the fleeting metropolis of Black Rock City. While many of the structures are ritualistically set aflame, this fall, a number of surviving large-scale installations and artworks will be on view in “No Spectators: The Art of Burning Man,” including pieces by Bay Area artists — a nod to the festival’s countercultural NorCal roots. Oct. 12-Feb. 16, 2020. Oakland Museum of California, 1000 Oak St., Oakland, 510-318-8400.
Richard Mosse at SFMOMA
Take in imagery captured via heat-vision cameras showing migrant and military interactions in “Richard Mosse: Incoming,” which documents the displacement of peoples across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. Encompassing video installations and panoramic photographs, the depictions encourage viewers to contemplate our fellow humans at some of their most vulnerable moments. Oct. 26-Feb. 17, 2020. San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, 151 Third St., S.F., 415-357-4000.
Feature image: Shrumen Lumen, 2016, by FoldHaus, as seen in “No Spectators: The Art of Burning Man” at the Oakland Museum of California. Photo by Ron Blunt.
Oct. 14, 2019
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