Shana Nys Dambrot
Our ground is overflowing with water, our galleries and theaters are overflowing with heartfelt creative gatherings, and because it’s February, our inboxes are overflowing with art fair notices. Before the art world silly season truly kicks off next week, indulge in dance, opera, performance art, multimedia exhibitions, elevated design, celebrated classics, experimental literature, icons of the modern West, incandescent spoken word, architecture, film, and conversation.
Adam Baker at Intersect Palm Springs (Courtesy Schlomer Haus Gallery)
Thursday, February 8
Intersect Palm Springs. This annual art and design fair showcases a lively mix of modern and contemporary art and design galleries, robust programing including curated tours, talks, on-site activations, awards, and special regional events, all with a distinct P.S. flair. Special curated sections include Emerging: A California Collective—an experience highlighting the journey of emerging galleries of Los Angeles and the Bay Area committed to discovering, nurturing, and championing new talent. While you’re there, check out the blockbuster Albert Frey and Kali exhibitions at the very nearby Palms Springs Art Museum’s two locations, and a few early Modernism Week outposts. 277 N. Avenida Caballeros, Palm Springs; Opening night: Thursday, February 8, 4-9pm; Fair hours: Friday-Sunday, February 9-11; $25-$100; intersectpalmsprings.com.
The Rite of Spring (Photo: Maarten Vanden Abeele)
The Rite of Spring and common ground[s] at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. In 1975 the late choreographer Pina Bausch created The Rite of Spring—one of the 20th century’s most significant works in modern dance. Faithful to Stravinsky’s visceral score, Bausch’s monumental choreography is given new life by an assembled company of more than 30 dancers from 14 countries. Rite is paired with a new work, common ground[s], created, performed by Germaine Acogny, the founder of the Senegalese École des Sables and widely considered to be “the mother of contemporary African dance,” and Malou Airaudo, who performed leading roles in many of Bausch’s early works. 135 N. Grand Ave., downtown; Performances Thursday-Sunday, February 8-11; $34-$125; musiccenter.org.
Mercedes Dorame at Oxy Arts
Mercedes Dorame: Where the Sky Touches Water at Oxy Arts. A collection of new and recent work combining photography and sculpture explores the profound beauty of our natural world. Dorame’s lens captures the vibrant tapestry of our Native ecology and its elusive peripheries, inviting reflection on the delicate balance between the familiar and what lies beyond. Inspired by her field research on the Channel Islands, focusing on Pimugna (Catalina Island) and Limuw (Santa Cruz Island), the exhibition’s images and sculptural works consider the liminal spaces of our ecological environment as gateways and portals to consider alternate realms—unseen cultural histories, dimensions beyond our consciousness, concealed habitats. 4757 York Blvd., Northeast Los Angeles; Opening reception: Thursday, February 8, 6-8pm; On view through April 20; free; oxyarts.oxy.edu.
Elena Manferdini: FLORA
Elena Manferdini: FLORA at the Italian Cultural Institute. A journey through the fantastical world of Atelier Manferdini, the exhibition features design objects, physical models, sculptures and A.I. illustrations that re-interpret images of nature into contemporary design. In our current age of digital ephemera and computational imagery, nature appears familiar and at the same time eerily synthetic. The floral motifs within the exhibit undergo a remarkable metamorphosis, intertwining with geometric patterns, delicate furniture forms, and vibrant text-to-image visualizations. As artifacts shift between familiar and alien worlds, FLORA ultimately outlines Manferdini’s expression of design as a vehicle for human emotional states and new esthetic identities. 1023 Hilgard Ave., Westwood; Opening reception: Thursday, February 8, 6pm; On view through April 19; free; ateliermanferdini.com.
Ibuki Kuramochi at Wonzimer
Friday, February 9
Time Being Closing Reception & Performance by Ibuki Kuramochi at Wonzimer Gallery. The curious-minded group show Time Being takes as its starting point the idea that scientific accounts of time, which view it as an empty receptacle of discrete nows, is inadequate in its explanation of how consciousness perceives entities across time. To celebrate its closing night, boundary-blurring performance artist Kuramochi presents Liquid Senses—an exploration that merges the ethereal realms of Butoh dance, visceral expressions, and the fluidity of identity, navigating the boundaries between the physical and the metaphysical. 341-B S. Avenue 17, downtown; Friday, February 9, 7-9pm; suggested donation; wonzimer.com.
Thomas Adès (Photo: Brian Voce)
Ravel and Adès at LA Phil. Composer and conductor Thomas Adès and pianist Kirill Gerstein’s long standing collaboration is one of the most celebrated partnerships in contemporary classical music, and the pair reunite for Adès’ Concerto for Piano and Orchestra. Gerstein interprets both Adès’ concerto and Ravel’s wildly original Concerto for the Left Hand. Adès as a conductor leads the symphony in passages from his critically lauded opera The Tempest as well as Ravel’s emotionally searing La valse. Disney Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown; Friday, February 9-Saturday, February 10, 8pm & Sunday, February 11, 2pm; $58-$216; laphil.com.
Tony Abeyta in Masters of the American West at The Autry
Saturday, February 10
Masters of the American West at the Autry. Masters of the American West exhibition returns with over sixty extraordinary artists. This prestigious exhibition and signature fundraising sale presents paintings, mixed media works, and sculptures by nationally recognized artists in a sale and wildly popular public exhibition that supports not only the artists but the Autry’s diverse cultural and educational offerings and programs, telling the diverse stories of the American West. The weekend events include receptions, panel discussions, artist talks, lunches, and the awards presentations. 4700 Western Heritage Way, Griffith Park; On view: February 10 – March 24; regular museum admission: $16; Benefit sale and party: February 23-24, $150-$500; masters.theautry.org.
Na Mira, TETRAPHOBIA, 2022, installation view, Subrosa, MOCA Tucson, March 24–December 17, 2023 (Photo: Maya Hawk, copyright © MOCA Tucson, 2023)
Scratching at the Moon at ICA LA. Organized by ICA LA guest curator Anna Sew Hoy and Executive Director Anne Ellegood, Scratching at the Moon is the first focused survey of Asian American artists in a major Los Angeles contemporary art museum. The exhibition celebrates the work of an intergenerational group of thirteen leading artists in the Asian American community whose contributions to culture are multiple, ranging from their distinctive visual arts production to their commitment to pedagogy to their dedication to research, activism, and community engagement. 1717 E. 7th St., downtown: Open House: Saturday, February 10, 4-7pm; On view through May 12; free; theicala.org.
Ryol: The Dance (Courtesy of Thinkspace)
Ryol: Stealing Drinks From A Drunk Rock Star at Thinkspace. Indonesian artist Ryol (aka Ryo Laksamana) has created a series of paintings in his distinctive style, exploring the intersections between art history and today’s cultural landscape. A joyous act of challenging perceptions and definitions of what art can be, Ryol creates new situations and therefore a new set of invoked feelings and meanings for not only familiar, but iconic works. This show serves as a playful reminder that the boundaries of creativity are fluid, and the echoes of the past can find resonance in the beats of the contemporary. 4217 W. Jefferson Blvd., West Adams; Opening reception: Saturday, February 10, 6-10pm; On view through March 2; free; thinkspaceprojects.com.
Robert Irwin: Central Garden (Courtesy of the Getty Center)
Robert Irwin: A Desert of Pure Feeling at the Getty. California Light and Space artist Robert Irwin (1928–2023) was, among a multitude of accomplishments, the creator of the 134,000 square foot Central Garden at the heart of the Getty Center. Released both tragically and poetically on the eve of the artist’s death, this bright film on Irwin’s life and work stands as his final message to the world. Since the 1960’s Irwin’s investigations into the nature of perception—and therefore of reality itself—made him a driving force of modern West Coast art. Brian Houck, head of Getty Grounds and Gardens, and Jackie Flor, Getty horticulturist, will introduce the film and share insights into caretaking for Irwin’s living work of art. Following the program, enjoy a light reception and take a stroll through the Central Garden. 1200 Getty Center Dr., Brentwood; Saturday, February 10, 2pm; free w/ rsvp; getty.edu.
Ursula Rucker and Abiodun Oyewole
J Ivy hosts Ursula Rucker and Abiodun Oyewole at the Nimoy. Grammy award-winning artist J. Ivy hosts the second program in the Poetry Uncut series. The showcase includes performances by poet, activist and Pew Fellow Ursula Rucker, accompanied by electronic musician Wendel Patrick, and Abiodun Oyewole, founding member of the legendary Harlem-based Last Poets. The evening opens with L.A.’s own Get Lit, a non-profit that encourages students to embrace their voice via poetry and is scored by Emmy Award-winning DJ Niena Drake. 1262 Westwood Blvd., Westwood; Saturday, February 10, 8pm; $32; cap.ucla.edu.
Sky Hopinka: This is you describing what I saw, 2019. Inkjet print, etching. 13 x 13 in (Courtesy of the artist and The Green Gallery, Milwaukee. © Sky Hopinka)
Tuesday, February 13
It moves forward, always at the Kleefeld Contemporary. A group exhibition anchoring a robust slate of new Spring exhibitions, It moves forward, always explores photography’s ability to connect and reveal multiple timelines: geologic, social, imagined, or historical. The exhibition brings together nine artists including Laura Aguilar, Ilana Harris-Babou, Pao Houa Her, Sky Hopkina, Tom Jones, Hasabie Kidanu, Tarrah Krajnak, Dionne Lee, and Daniel Ramos whose lived experiences and critical perspectives engage themes surrounding land, place, and memory. Whether excavating historical traces in the natural world, giving architectural shape to latent memory, or performing within the complexities of the landscape, this inter-generational group of artists offers ways for sensorial and embodied engagements with time. CalState Long Beach, 1250 Bellflower Blvd., Long Beach; Opening Day: Tuesday, February 13, noon-5pm; On view through May 9; free; csulb.edu.
Sheila Heti ((Photo: Sylvia Plachy. Courtesy of Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
Sheila Heti at ALOUD. The award-winning author of Pure Colour Sheila Heti returns to ALOUD with her new thrilling confessional Alphabetical Diaries. Over a 10-year period, Heti kept a record of her thoughts, then arranged the sentences from A to Z. Known for her experimental literary works —passionate and reflective, joyful and despairing—Heti masterfully structures her diary entries into a pastiche of unconventional structure that keeps the reader entirely engaged. Central Library, 630 W. 5th St., downtown; Tuesday, February 13, 7pm; free; lfla.org.
Carmina Escobar
Wednesday, February 14
LACE presents A Heart Misshapen (A LACE Valentine’s Extravaganza). How does terror shape itself? How does the body free itself from a history that deforms the erotic of its descendants? In Cantadora, Shamana de Cabaret, Carmina Escobar creates a performative ritual; part opera, part incantation, and part comedic examination of her life as an erotic export—a woman-creature, bird-spirit, in whose veins boils the antagonist sex of oppressor and oppressed product of the clashing mixing of the mestizo heritage. This will be the ultimate Valentine’s date night, with cabaret, music, dancing, drinks, and more. A Heart Misshapen premieres La Cantadora Shamana de Cabaret, an experimental sonic performance by extreme vocalist, sound, and intermedia artist Carmina Escobar. The night will culminate with a dance party DJ set from Sonido del Valle. Garibaldina MB Society, 4533 N Figueroa St., Highland Park; Wednesday, February 14, 7-10pm; free/suggested $10 donation; welcometolace.org.
Lluís Barba at LA Art Show: Gallery of Views of Modern Rome. Giovanni Paolo Pannini, 2012, C-Type Print, Diasec Mounted (Courtesy of Cynthia Corbett Gallery and Llui)
The LA Art Show at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Los Angeles has emerged as a global epicenter of art and culture, with a distinct, interwoven multi-cultural influence unique to the city. Diversity is our strength and art is most impactful when it includes or transcends all borders. The LA Art Show continues to lead the way with innovative programming and one-of-a-kind experiences for an expanding collecting audience. With over 120 galleries, museums, and non-profit arts organizations from around the world exhibiting painting, sculpture, works on paper, installation, photography, design, video and performance, these domestic and international galleries curate special exhibits as well as robust programming featuring performances, conversations, interactive experiences, and more. The opening night party is hosted by Lucy Hale, and benefits the American Heart Association. 1201 S. Figueroa, downtown; Opening night: Wednesday, February 14, 6-10pm; Fair hours: Thursday-Sunday, February 15-18; $35-$250; laartshow.com.
Dain Yoon at LA Art Show
Maeve Eichelberger in Masters of the American West at The Autry
Kevin Red Star in Masters of the American West at The Autry
Logan Maxwell in Masters of the American West at The Autry
Terrance Guardipee in Masters of the American West at The Autry
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