Your Social Life - A British Invasion In LA!

Sorry beloved readers for being so late with the latest installment of YSL. Been a bit busy writing and falling in love all over again with Walter Benjamin (I mean, as far as imaginary boyfriends go, this one if very classy - if improbable).

That's why you're not seeing me tonight at Art Los Angeles Contemporary, the art fair that replaces the other art fair, you know, the short-lived one that is somehow postponed to next year, except the new one is at the Pacific Design Center (because, let's face it, there's NOTHING else going on at the PDC but art galleries filling it from time to time) but with the same galleries as the last art fair. The ones that haven't closed yet. In any case, most galleries at this year's fair are the usual suspects with brick & mortar locations in LA, so, what's the point of having a fair going on, let me ask you?
I think the most useful thing this fair can accomplish is demonstrate how practical it were if all galleries in LA were conveniently located in the same neighborhood. Just saying. Meanwhile, FBC! wishes all exhibitors to sell out their booths, because God knows the times they are a-difficulting, if not a-changing too much.
I'd recommend you click on the list of events and programs associated with the fair, which are certainly the most interesting part for us impoverished non-collectors, especially the Hollis Frampton event, the two programs about the legendary Ferus Gallery (young ignorant artists fresh out of art school, this one is for you). You can tell we're going through lean times because alternative spaces are included in a self-guided tour, and there's a panel discussion about women in the art market, things that would almost remind me of the 1990s (a time when art was daring, young people, since no one was selling).
I'm sorry for myself I have prior social commitments + writing to do, otherwise I'd spend some time there.

Obviously because it's officially art month in Los Angeles (there was Photo LA earlier this month and also the other art fair, the really, really lame one) there are other things going on this week, but FBC! particularly recommends the premiere of Jeremy Deller's movie at the Silent Movie Theater. Deller is the living proof that someone can actually be a YBA and a good artist, plus he went to the Courtauld and one has to support fellow trained art historians. So go and flock The Posters Came From The Walls, with Deller himself in attendance.




And if you're in possession of an invite you can go see my other favorite British artist, Rachel Whiteread who has an opening at the Hammer. The Hammer is spoiling us with what promises to be yet another excellent show on the heels of the magnificent Charles Burschfield retrospective that closed earlier this month. Whiteread is better known for her sculptures but here she will be showing her drawings. I'm hoping for quite a treat, a little bit like the Vija Celmins exhibition a couple of years ago.

Now if some museum could bring us a kick-ass Mona Hatoum show, I'd be extatic. Have a great weekend you all!




1st image, taken from the Hammer Website:
Rachel Whiteread, Black and White Floor, 2001
White ink on black paper. 21 6/10 x 33 in. (55 x 84 cm). Private Collection. Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd.

2nd image: taken from the website for The Posters Came From the Walls

Your Social Life Is About To Get Very Complicated

This week at least. It's this time of the year again, you know the first weekend of openings that follow the holidays (other hellish times chockablock with openings are the 1st Saturday following Labor Day, and the last wave of openings in June prior to the Summer/Venice Biennale/Art Basel/whatever periodical big art thingy happens this year). My readers overseas (hello, gentle readers overseas!) know it's exactly the same thing in Paris, London, Berlin, etc.). What they don't know is because Los Angeles is so spread out, it becomes an impossible marathon to try and go see everything, since gallery "rows" are scattered between Culver City, Chinatown, West Hollywood, and other spots like Venice and Santa Monica and even Beverly Hills if you're Gagosian-inclined.
Some galleries try to stand out and facilitate everybody's life by opening one week sooner (they are courageous, as it guaranties meager crowds), or closing their shows now, while others open one week later. Now if there was an über-calendar-regulator, we'd like to have, say, all galleries in one corner opening on the same Sat., then the other major row a week later, and our scattered friends elsewhere could have a mid-week opening as well (I suggest to our gallerist friends who are in hellish-for-parking locations to open on a Thursday, rather than a Friday. WeHo art dealers, I'm talking to you.). I'm giving you an edited version of where I'd go if I were you, and if traffic was no object.

To complicate things further, we have an art fair opening tomorrow, Photo LA. Which I love because you don't see the same artsy-fartsy mindfucks™ as elsewhere, and also if you go leaf through the bins you can find some nice anonymous early 20th century prints for a few hundred dollars. There's an opening/gala tomorrow which benefits LACMA's Photography Department, where Charlotte Cotton curates and does lots of interesting things.
This takes care of your Thursday, so Friday you can go to some place in Koreatown where a space called COMA presents Teeth Keep with artists Gina Clark & Robert Hansen who, if I understand correctly the press release, are doing performance. It's 7 to 11PM at 3503 West Pico, you can call them at (323) 652 0596 if you want them to explain the press release to you and confirm that yes, there's an open bar.

Now, there's Saturday. I'd say you start very early in Chinatown so you can attend the last day of Darren Almond at Dave Patton. Then you can move on to Charlie James Gallery and attend the opening of FBC! pal David E. Stone (hi David!) and also, maybe, spot me.
At Cottage Home/Sister there's a show I'm curious about, Kirsten Stoltmann. I have no idea if anything is happening at China Arts Objects (Steve, your website is a mess).

In and around LACMA, there's Lecia Dole-Reccio at Richard Telles, and at Steve Turner you can see Julia Meltzer and David Thorne (+Jeff Ono). But wait! A stone throw from Steve Turner, at 6150 Wilshire you can go to Acme and see not only Monique Prieto solo show, but a group show that includes Justin Beal (and Kai Althoff but I'm more into Beal). There's also a show at Marc Foxx and I think something at 1301PE but I'm not sure. Daniel Weinberg curiously has an opening too for a show that's been up since early December, aptly titled "another damned drawing show". Gotta love that man!

If you made it there by 7.45, what with the traffic, the schmoozing, and did I mention the art? - then you're good to head to Culver City where, if I were you, I'd go see the shows at LAXart (someone asked me why I don't write it with the characters that look like European single quotation marks: because it messes up my html).
There's Yunhee Min and also Uri Nir, curated by the ever interesting Aram Moshayedi. I'm hoping to make it to some of these openings, but my back is currently killing me and getting in and out of the car and driving are a bit painful, so we'll see how far I'll make it.

Also on Saturday, but honestly I think going there on Sunday is your best bet, is the vernacular photography fair, a.k.a. the "found photography" fair, where you can buy anonymous pictures for very little money, and if you read Bourdieu in French you can also prepare by cramming Un Art Moyen. It may be translated in English, I don't know. It's a great book, and a good precursor to explain Web 2.0 and reality TV, without the glitz. As for the *fair* it can be fun, if you have some stamina left.

Now, it's all well, but there are a couple of shows that opened last Saturday and deserve to be mentioned. Nicholas Grider opened at Sea and Space and his shows looks interesting, so please go have a look. And Kaz Oshiro opened at the grand dame of LA art dealers, Rosamund Felsen.

If you are in Florida, Sarah Gavlak has an opening ("dilettantes, dandies and divas", a group show), and if you are in Berlin Gaudel de Stampa also presents some artists including FBC! very good pal Matthieu Laurette at Micky Schubert. In Paris, Laurette's exhibition at Gaudel de Stampa is prolongated until the end of January. Speaking of Matthieu Laurette, he just started his blog, where you can see his pictures of the Martin Margiela retrospective in Antwerp. Don't miss Matthieu's visit to IKEA, and his pictures of Amsterdam's architecture!


Now I fear I've forgotten and left out some openings in LA... I apologize, pals, I only have one brain and still no sexy young intern (you know, the dark-haired Daniel Craig I've been waiting for for a while now) to help me. Also, LA readers, brace yourself for the other art fairs coming in 2 weeks, Art LA 2009 (it's the one they chose to hold at the time of the year when it's raining like hell, it's held in the shabbiest setting ever and sales are really slow, so this year, uh, I wish the best to all the art dealers. Really) and its lame sister, Los Angeles Art Show 2009, which moved to the LA Convention Center but still has a lackluster roster of exhibitors, mostly secondary market dealers. If you have to get wet, Art LA is the exciting one.

Pictures: David E. Stone, Uri Nir and Nicholas Grinder. Click on the link to their respective shows for credits.

In Search Of The Vernacular - An Art Fair For The Masses

Because there's no reason I cannot compare animal watching at a county fair to art watching at one of the countless art fairs. Please note the cute pig is called Prince Charming. Not sure you can bestow the same nickname on a Terence Koh piece, can you?

Your Social Life, At Home Only In The Next 2 Weeks

'llo Everybody,

FBC! is back in town and somewhat ready to get back into the groove! Still suffering from art world burnout but trying to get over it, yeepee!

So this week is the kickoff for Photo LA, the Los Angeles photo-centric art fair, as its name indicate. LA is trying to become an art hub with no less than 3 art fairs in January, including the usually boring Los Angeles Art Show, and the upcoming Art LA 2008. These last two will be held roughly at the same moment in about 2 weeks from now. The only one that's really interesting, IMHO, is Photo LA. Check out their program as they present a series of talks and lectures on Saturday that's pretty interesting, including the Charlie White-Jeff Burton one.

I have a feeling the LA Art Show days are numbered, because it mostly includes secondary market galleries, though this year they are joined by the LA Fine Print Fair. I'd rather spend money on a good print than a bad painting, and I remember seeing gems like a very fine Rembrandt self-portrait (an etching I think) 2 years ago that was cheaper than most crappy painting you will fine at Art LA 2008. Well, it still won't come cheap but if I had $15,000 to $20,000 to spend on something I'd get that my Rembrandt etching over anything else. Or I'd go shop at Photo LA!

The only good thing about Art LA is you get to schmooze in a relaxed atmosphere, it is more a friendly neighborhood event than a horrible coke-fueled art world shindig. At least it was last year, and it didn't have any would-be-glamorous party attached (that I knew of). The art, well it's pretty much what you see in LA on any given day, since most galleries are local. Some of my favorite ones are there, so if you insist on going shopping say hi them for me. As FBC! devotees you know which ones they are!

Now this being said I suppose most of you will spend some time in Santa Monica in the next 2 weeks or so. If you happen to go to the Photo LA bash tonight and want to meet FBC! in person, look for a diminutive orange mushroom. I should be easy to spot! You probably won't find me at either the LA Art Show or Art LA, BUT you will for sure find me at the opening party for Patriot Acts at 18th street art complex on the 26th (see image above). It features such luminaries as Vincent Johnson, Susan Stilton, Pam Strugar and Shirley Tse and is curated by Linda Pollack, all people I heppen to know and be friends with. The show truly opens this weekend, so you can see it on your way to Photo LA.

And while I'm speaking of friends and spaces I like, next week is the opening at LAXart of Scoli Acosta' show, with a walk-through by Rita Gonzalez, Da Best Curator In Town!