The Kick It Spot » Contemporary

Steve Turner Contemporary – Wet Paint 2

admin — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 07:44:51 +0000

Attended the opening reception for Wet Paint 2 at Steve Turner’s Gallery. They showed works by 9 new LA artists. I didn’t know any of them. Nevertheless, there were a couple of pieces that stood out to me.

Joshua Nathansan – Over Here, Check Out His Shoes, 2010. Acrylic on wood panel, 26 x 30 inches.

Jesse Mockrin - No Ordinary Sleep (rapids), 2010. Oil and photograph on canvas, 26 x 36 inches.

cool kids congregate.

Link: Steve Turner Contemporary

Jonathan Yeo – Porn in the USA at Lazarides Gallery

admin — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 02:51:42 +0000

He makes portraits using cut outs from pornographic magazines…

close-up…

Frank Kozik – Dead Che

admin — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 17:42:00 +0000

D.(Dignus) M.(Memoria) Dux Mortuus Potens Pugna Erat Insolentia Occisus Est. Loose translation: in life, a proud commander; in death, nothing.

Dennis Hopper Double Standard Premiere Party at MOCA

admin — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 08:46:05 +0000

Attended the MOCA Party at the Geffen Contemporary branch, celebrating the life and work of Dennis Hopper. The show, curated by Julian Schnabel, was Jeffrey Deitch’s first as MOCA’s director.

MOCA members were given easy entrance, but still had to wait in line to see the exhibition. Killing time in line.

View from the line….

See? Crowded.

Art Highlights… Dennis Hopper had an eclectic body of work…

this is what my friends and I usually do when we come to these things… become each other’s paparazzi.

….and that was the show.

After-show shenanigans.

Late dinner at Koraku..

Cheers!

Eurotrash at LAzarides Gallery

admin — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 06:17:15 +0000

Stopped by Lazarides to see works by some of the greatest European artists today – JR, Antony Micallef, Connor Harrington, and Vhils.

Close up of one of Vhils’ pieces.

Connor Harrington has a way with the spray can.

Antony Micallef’s work, however morbid and dark, is amazing to look at.

and of course, there’s JR, who I’ve featured on my blog many times before..

Really have had to be in the space to appreciate the artistry..

Cheers!

Copy + Paste from Lazarides

Immortalizing the individual in monumental proportions is what these exciting artists do best. Using the overlooked, misunderstood and mundane elements of our everyday, each artist captures our attention with their distinctive style and alternative approach. Sharing a vested interest in their individual and collective surroundings and society, they poetically express a desire for universal appreciation.

John Baldessari Pure Beauty – a retrospective

admin — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 19:28:57 +0000

Attended the LACMA preview of the Pure Beauty tour exhibit with the cool kids.

Sheila in deep contemplation.

Baldessari’s Tips For Artists Who Want To Sell

My Tribute to Baldessari.

The dots served two functions in Baldessari’s work; they allowed him to “obliterate” the identifies of people in his found images and also to render them anonymous so they could be seen more as generic types (such as an art curator or an art hustler) rather than specific individuals. But the dots also represented Baldessari’s overall strategy aimed at deflecting the viewer’s gaze from the habitual way of seeing – prompting viewers to look

Sooj and Madame.

Links:
LACMA
John Baldessari

Yves Klein – Le Saut dans le Vide

admin — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 00:47:35 +0000

Best known for his color, Internation Klein Blue, here is a cool photo of Yves Klein, leaping toward the pavement. He did die young, but not because of this…

David Choe pieces at PYO Gallery

admin — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 22:30:57 +0000

Saw these hanging on the walls in their office, and requested to take a closer look. Awesome, awesome, awesome.

PYO Gallery LA Presents Estrada Fine Art’s 8 Artists

admin — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 21:28:34 +0000

Stopped by at the tail end of PYO’s opening reception for Estrada Fine Arts…

Here are some of the pieces that caught my eye:

Dane Goodman’s Untitled (Black Mesa Series) was featured on the show’s post card.

Robert Murray makes these incredible frames with a bajillion screws.

Rose Kelly’s Peacefulness in a Cup of Tea, which was created following an inspirational trip to Bhutan.

My favorite was Eugenie Spirito’s Kissing Fish.

Link:
PYO Gallery LA
Estrada Fine Arts

Jose Parla – Memory Arrangement of Word Symmetry

admin — Mon, 31 May 2010 18:01:01 +0000

Link:
Jose Parla
Bryce Wolkowitz Gallery