Art walking in Culver City

Pagoda by Zhang Huan at Blum & Poe

From the Los Feliz Ledger:

Culver City’s annual art walk (held in June this year) was a revelation. Not only was there a vibrant street scene and eclectic galleries, the art was inspiring. Thinkspace Gallery, which moved from Sunset Junction, is now there too and thriving in what has become L.A.’s contemporary art Mecca. On La Cienega’s Gallery Row you’ll find the city’s most renowned and impressive contemporary art space: Blum & Poe. Chinese artist Zhang Huan’s 49 Days exhibit (now through July 9^th) features monumental gray brick sculptures throughout the museum-sized gallery. His work Pagoda, which recalls a stylized Buddhist stupa, is a massive piece and centers around a taxidermied pig and occasionally emits smoke.

LeBasse Projects is presenting street artist Shark Toof’s first solo show: a series of dense and layered paintings that mix graffiti and animal portraiture. If you can’t make the trek to Culver City, the gallery recently opened an annex on Chun King Road in Chinatown.

LeBasse Projects Chinatown L.A. gallery

Gardens at the Huntington: a brief photo interlude

Japanese garden at the Huntington

 

Chinese garden at the Huntington

MOCA's Art in the Street rules

Banksy

Excerpted from the June Los Feliz Ledger: 

Street art fans: this show is for you.  From graffiti art’s origins to contemporary works by Shepard Fairey and Banksy and dozens of other artists, MOCA’s sprawling Art in the Streets appropriately spills outside the Geffen’s front door and even covers the museum’s wall facing Temple Street. Colorful, vibrant and loud—there are a guitar, drums and a wall of amps that can be played in one gallery—the exhibition is the first to organize these oftentimes outlaw artists’ works into a crowded, somewhat garish and very fun show.





The show is loosely laid out chronologically; there’s some historical information and a photo retrospective of New York’s subway cars covered in graffiti. New York’s Fun Gallery is reconstructed; a Jean-Michel Basquiat hangs in the window. The on-site MOCA store has been imaginatively re-decorated by Subliminal Projects’ Shepard Fairey. Unlike most major exhibitions, this one allows photography. So bring your camera. If you’re not a street art fan, this show may change your mind.

Art in the Streets now through August 8th, 2011 at the Geffen Contemporary.

David Edward Byrd: Creator of iconic pop culture images

Silver Lake artist David Edward Byrd and his iconic Godspell poster art

Excerpt from May 2011 Los Feliz Ledger:

Jimi Hendrix. Woodstock. The Fillmore East. The Who’s Tommy. Do you associate certain images with these rock-n-roll legends?  Illustrator David Edward Byrd is the man behind some of the most iconic album covers and poster art of the late 1960s and 1970s rock era.

A graduate of Carnegie Tech., Byrd got his start serendipitously: his friend worked for promoter Bill Graham who needed some posters made quickly for an upcoming show. And the rest is rock-n-roll history, as Byrd went on to design Jimi Hendrix’s poster art for his headlining show a the Fillmore East in 1968, posters for the Grateful Dead and the Grammy-award wining album cover art for The Who’s Tommy.

For the past 15 years, Byrd has lived in Silver Lake along with partner and mosaic artist Jolino Beserra. Their 1928 bungalow is a colorful pastiche of inlaid mosaics and hand-painted furniture. Stepping inside the house is like walking into a three-dimensional sculpture as mosaics cover many surfaces. “To me it’s important; art is your life, what you touch and see every day,” said Byrd. Also gracing the wall is Byrd’s original line drawing for the classic program cover art for the 1971 Broadway musical Godspell that depicts Jesus with cascading, intertwined locks.“I never felt I had a style, but everyone thinks I do,” said Byrd of his prolific career. “I let the job tell me how to do it.”
His other distinctive art deco-tinged images are found on posters and playbill cover art for original Broadway productions of Jesus Christ Superstar and Stephen Sondheim’s Follies and the poster art for the film Day of the Locust.

Byrd continues illustrating today and his once throwaway rock posters are highly collectible. Beginning June 11th, Glendale’s Brand Art Library Galleries will host a 40-year retrospective of Byrd’s work aptly entitled: The Byrd Show: 40 Years of Art & Design.

Silver Lake meadow opens

Official opening of Silver Lake Meadow  4/2/11

I went to my first community meeting about the Silver Lake Meadow in 1999. It seemed rather far-fetched at the time that one day there would be walking paths and the long-closed open space--home to coyotes-- would open to people.  Happy to be there on Saturday to see the day finally come. Council member Eric Garcetti gave a special shout-out to the tireless efforts of the Committee to Save Silver Lake Reservoirs, now renamed the Silver Lake Reservoirs Conservancy.

Think Georges Seraut: the meadow is dotted with people immediately.

Still to come is the completion of the walking path on Tesla Ave. Locals have already weighed in on the meadow. It's a hit. Sunday saw bocce ball and croquet players, loads of families and posts that the park might stay poop free.

Silver Lake Meadow rules: no dogs, bikes or vending.

 

The far side of the meadow, closest to the reservoir, is indeed a quiet place.

Neutra Architectural Practice @ 85 to be celebrated in Eagle Rock and Silver Lake

2440 Neutra Place. Photo by Don Higgins courtesy of Dion Neutra.

Lovell Health House, Los Feliz

Upcoming on April 10, 2011 is a rare chance to tour 10 buildings designed by architect Richard Neutra and his son Dion Netura in Los Angeles, including homes in Silver Lake along Neutra Place.  Los Feliz's Lovell Health House (a memorable location in "LA Confidential") will also be open to the public as well as the Neutra Architecture office on Glendale Blvd. The tour is one element of a busy weekend commemorating the 85th anniversary of the practice organized by the non-profit Neutra Institute for Survival Through Design.  Activities on Friday night and Saturday will be at the Eagle Rock Recreation Center Clubhouse, also designed by the firm.

Richard Neutra's VDL Research House II, Silver Lake

Saturday night there will be a reception at the VDL Research House II, which is now owned by the Cal Poly Pomona College of Environmental Design. The last time there was a public tour of many of these homes was in 2001.  Don't miss out on this chance to look inside these iconic modernist structures that helped establish Silver Lake's reputation as an architectural enclave.

Neutra Architectural Practice at 85 Weekend Celebration: April 8 - 10, 2011

Retro Banksy in honor of Oscar week: Banksy's 2006 Downtown L.A. show

Welcome to Banksy's September 2006 downtown L.A. show

 

 

Yes, there was a painted elephant in the room. I was one of thousands who toured British street artist Banksy's warehouse show in September 2006. Follows are some samples from that exhibition in honor of the still anonymous artist who is painting the town this week in Los Angeles, in one of the most chronicled Oscar week publicity stunts of all time. The elusive auteur is nominated for directing the documentary "Exit Through the Gift Shop." 

Poster for Banksy's documentary "Exit through the Gift Shop" from Fairfax Ave.

Whoever he is, he's definitely having some fun and has a wicked sense of humor. Banksy's website chronicles his official works. Good luck at the Academy Awards. Bravo!

Love the Banksy shop.