Each month we share five unmissable things to see and do in the Golden State. You heard it here first.
Words by DAVID NASH and S. IRENE VIRBILA
PIONEERTOWN
Action! A Pop-Up Art Fair Steals the Spotlight
Built by Hollywood actors and investors in 1946 as a Western-inspired movie set, Pioneertown — on the outskirts of Joshua Tree and a two-hour drive from Los Angeles — isn’t just a place where life imitates art; it’s also the setting for the third annual HIGH DESERT ART FAIR. Cofounded by Candice Lawler and Nicholas Fahey, the dealer-led, hospitality-centric two-day art happening takes place at the historic Pioneertown Motel, where more than 15 regional galleries converge to reimagine rooms and public spaces of the motel into site-specific gallery settings. Expanding its reach across the desert arts and music community, Shepard Fairey will DJ the opening night party at Red Dog Saloon on Friday, March 27, and Devo cofounder Mark Mothersbaugh will headline a show in collaboration with adjacent music venue Pappy & Harriet’s. Independent galleries making their mark this year include Boxo Projects, Fahey/Klein, John Doe Gallery, Megan Mulrooney, and Yucca Valley Material Lab. Programming will also include lively discussions with local cultural figures like collectors Patsy Marino and Kevin Comer; artists Ryan Schneider, Gisela Colón, and Phillip K. Smith; and designers like Ryan Lawson and Martyn Lawrence Bullard. March 28–29. Tickets available online. 5240 Curtis Rd., Pioneertown; highdesertartfair.com. D.N.
 |
L.A.
Nordic Precision On a Plate
At just 42 seats, LIELLE, from famed Swedish chef Marcus Jernmark, feels like a posh private club. The vibe is relaxed, with gentle lighting, leather banquettes, and Nordic craftsmanship throughout. The single four-course menu makes ordering easy. Begin with artichoke and citrus with guanciale, black truffles and pine, followed by abalone seaweed rice with fermented hen-of-the-woods sauce and aged squab with yuzu and bitter greens. (Dessert is suitably icy.) The wine list, like the carefully sourced ingredients, is mostly California and from the best of the best. Come with someone who will enjoy cooking that’s sophisticated and surprising, honed over Jernmark’s years in celebrated kitchens and now appearing in L.A. Tues.–Sat., 5:30–9 p.m. 9475 W. Pico Blvd., L.A., 213-376-6574; lielle.la. S.I.V.
|
VENICE
When a Photographer Throws in the Towels
Since her inclusion in the Saatchi Gallery’s 2001 London exhibition I Am a Camera, L.A. contemporary photographer Tierney Gearon has continued to be one of the most pivotal image-makers of her generation. And there’s no sign of her throwing in the towel anytime soon, especially with the recent release of The Collection: A Visual Diary of Towels and Travel ($125), for which she chronicles four years of photographing her expansive collection of Hermès beach towels on an around-the-world road trip from Montana and Marrakech to Japan and St. Barts. The limited-edition book and photographic prints represent more than a visual diary, but a meditation on beauty using towels as fragments of a larger story documenting a specific time, place, and feeling. As an extension of the project, TIERNEY GEARON—THE COLLECTION is a site-specific installation featuring 350 of her vintage Hermès towels in addition to a curated selection of images from the book (and several that were not included). Opening reception March 11, 5:30–9 p.m. and book signing March 14, 10 a.m.–6 p.m. 721 Hampton Dr., Venice, 310-500-0456; tierneygearon.com. All other viewings are by appointment only through thesummerproject@icloud.com. D.N.
|
OJAI
Savor This Four-Day Feast for the Senses
As one of the West Coast’s most highly anticipated epicurean events, OJAI FOOD + WINE returns this year with a four-day extravaganza. More than 100 acclaimed chefs and culinary personalities from across the country will be on hand for 40 curated tastings, demonstrations, book signings, in-depth conversations, and mouthwatering Michelin-starred dinners taking place at the picturesque Ojai Valley Inn. An opening night reception features a walk-around tasting with more 25 celebrated wineries alongside bites prepared by talents including Nancy Silverton, Jonathan Waxman, Maribel Aldaco, Hillary Sterling, and Tyson Cole. Over the next three days, experience seminar showcases from Sta. Rita Hills’ Brewer-Clifton, a rare selection of Puligny-Montrachet and Grand Cru bottlings from Domaine Leflaive; enjoy a multicourse lunch led by Gavin Kaysen; learn traditional pasta craftsmanship from Alessandra Spisni and Evan Funke; join a behind-the-scenes conversation with the executive producer of Netflix’s Chef’s Table and several of its featured stars; and reserve your spot at a dinner prepared by some of Food & Wine’s “Best New Chefs” alumni. March 5–8. 905 Country Club Rd., Ojai; ojaifoodandwine.com. D.N.
|
BEVERLY HILLS
An Art Exhibition With a Tennis Spin
GAGOSIAN has the clear court advantage with its latest exhibition of tennis paintings by contemporary artist Jonas Wood, the gallery’s tenth with the L.A.-based art-world power baseliner. Wood’s bold volley views — with their flat, layered color blocks and incorporated advertising copy — are, as he has described it, “about an interest in abstraction, and how the court becomes a geometric puzzle.” Completed between 2025 and earlier this year, each new work is a linear depiction of a match held at a Women’s Tennis Association, Association of Tennis Professionals, or Olympic tournament from a behind-the-baseline vantage point, and without players or officials shown. Wood’s first tennis-themed paintings date back 15 years, like Mini French Open, 2012 — which, at a third of the size of many in this exhibition, fetched just over $208,000 during a bidding war at a 2017 Phillips sale in Hong Kong. Often compared to 20th-century luminaries like Edward Hopper, Wood’s paintings are vivid extractions of modern life in the context of where he lives and works, and of his interests (as illustrated by Nintendo 3, 2025, which is based on a video game he enjoys with his children at home). March 12–Apr. 25. 456 N. Camden Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-271-9400; gagosian.com. D.N.
March 2026
Discover more Top 5 news.