Gary Basemen, Lana Dejournett, Stefan Sagmeister, Luz Cortez,
and Shepard Fairey at the opening and talk.

CR Stecyk III’s  combinations of letterpress printing, serigraphy, photography, airbrushing, printing, and relief painting based on architectural fragments from Bunker Hill provide the mental vehicle to the strains, heartache, triumph, corruption and modalities of life Los Angeles cica 1925! Faith,Hope,Charity. Not just a your average streets,CRSIII not just your average artist.

Shot during Stefan Sagmeister’s exhibition “The Happy Show” showing at the MOCA | The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (Pacific Design Center). For more info, check out this link…

And at the intersection of Art and Fashion, this is the closest I’ve come to owning some of Kusama’s art.  This was my Christmas gift from my husband who knew how much I love Kusama, and wanted me to have a little piece from the Louis Vuitton/Kusama collaboration last year.  I love to wear it but more importantly, I’m trying to figure out a cool way to display it.

MOCA Stefan Sagmeister Presents ‘The Happy Show’

MOCA Art Talk – Stefan Sagmeister, “Design and Happiness”.

Photo Credit, Roy Choi

Chris Rock once said that women need three things: “Food, Water and Compliments”. Clearly the man hasn’t met me because I need art, good music and a fabulous handbag…  At a “Le Fooding” event you can get all of the aforementioned (minus the handbag–well, maybe they’ll be a swag bag… I digress.).

Ever since I saw Antohony Bourdain talk about Le Fooding on No Reservations I have had champagne wishes and francophile dreams of attending one of their events which can best be described as “Woodstock for foodies”. When Brooklyn hosted their own NYC version (Le Fooding Brooklyn Fling) last fall, I knew it would be a matter of time before the tribe headed west. Thankfully, I found out about the upcoming L.A. event after spotting a tweet and the above picture by Roy Choi.   The Le Fooding team has already met with the chef as they prepare for the two day festival on April 26-27. Choi will be joining Nancy Silverston, Ludo Lefebvre, Josef Centeno, Carolynn Spence, a foursome of legendary French chefs, DJs, and Graphic Artists who will all “feed” off of each others’ creativity during this food festival.  I desperately need to know the DJ and artist line up and will keep you all posted as I get details.

By day, MOCA’s Geffen Contemporary is world renown art venue, but for two nights next month MOCA’s alter ego “Le Grand Fooding Crush” will be an “anything goes, pan-sensual bazaar” (Arrested Development fans, that was for you).  I’m REALLY looking forward to this one.  The best part of the event is that some of the proceeds from ticket sales will go to the Los Angeles Food Bank.  J’aime anything that feeds your mind, body and soul, and Le Fooding looks like it will fit the bill.  C’est magnifique! (Pardon my French, I’m clearly getting caught up in delusions of francophilia).

For more on Le Fooding (and an interesting attempt by yours truly comparing chefs to Impressionists), click here.

Running late, I sped towards Hermosa Beach to meet up with Baron to go to the museum. On a vehicle high, I made every light leading toward the freeway only to counteract the stops I was forced to make on Artesia…which I concluded was around thirteen lights. I arrived at around two, and we left for LA just to hit downtown traffic again. If you know me, you understand not to let me navigate at ALL. I get lost in my hometown of twenty-three years still to this day, so I fit the stereotype. We wandered around Chinatown for about a half hour only to find that we had “google-mapped” the wrong branch of the museum. At this point of our day, it was an hour until the museum closed, forcing us to call it quits, and meander to the bar in the parking lot where the car was parked. It was one of those moments where you knew you’d laugh over a few weeks later…but once we got back on the freeway and hit the 110 traffic, the humor wore off. Luckily, we are both positive people (although it may not seem so now) and stopped at Whole Foods to get dinner and fancy beer. To my luck, I had to go to the restroom the whole hour it took to travel twenty miles, and was faced with a three-person deep line in the grocery store. Why do girls have to pee so much? After I was hit with the door about five times from the party going on in the bathroom, we went back to his place to finally call it a day. This was when things got better. We usually stay in because of the struggles we face with the outside world and today was just enough to support that conjecture. I have to add that his dog Cooper ate one of the chicken bones from my dinner which caused a slight damper on the evening, but the time has passed and now we are happily sipping on beers listening to the dog moan in tired restlessness. I decided today that its the company you keep that makes unsuccessful events worth the experience. And I am happy for that.

MOCA hosted a brief viewing of the Herb and Dorothy Vogel 50 x50 collection on Grand Avenue last week and on Friday I had the pleasure of checking it out

“Little Pinch”, Lynda Benglis

After seeing the collection on Friday I had so many questions about how they chose their art that I decided to see the original documentary again.  I was particularly struck by their relationships with artists like Richard Tuttle.   In watching  their interaction with him and others it is clear that the Vogels thought like artists and sought to fully immerse themselves into understanding their process; as such their motivations were beyond monetary value and investment.  I think this is what endeared the couple to many in the art world.  They understood the evolution of an artist’s style and how their works connected to one another in a way that curators spend years trying to understand.

“Dog/Decoy”, Joan Jonas

Untitled, Stephen Antonakos

http://vogel5050.org/#

Artist: Roland Descombes
City: Zephryhills, FL
Title: Cypress Roots
Medium: Pencil
Size: 17″ x 25″

Artist: Roland Descombes
City: Zephryhills, FL
Title: Cypress Roots
Medium: Pencil
Size: 17″ x 25″

I find it interesting how similar my process to painting is to Andrew Kuo. I’m really precis and calculated and I have tons of waiting time lol, but our styles are totally different.

Andrew talks with Alia in his New York studio about his painting process, color theory, instagram, sports, The Simpsons, and beauty.

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/12/los-angeles-moca-said-to-be-close-to-pact-with-national-gallery/?ref=arts

Check out Le Grand Fooding Crush Paris-L.A. 2013, at The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA on North Central Ave on April 26 and 27, from 6 to 10 p.m. It’s like a food festival meets music festival, and a first ever LA event takes form as an outdoor urban picnic that celebrates the cultural link and love story between Paris and Los Angeles. Some of the best chefs from Paris and LA will participate, in addition to top DJs and graphic designers from both cities.  Learn more here.

Ever since Kris and I moved to Los Angeles which was about 1 year and 1/2 this month woo, we had never been to the MOCA. We are huge art fanatics, (Kris being and artist) and for some reason I think we have been to every other art museum in LA and the MOCA is literally just a few blocks from our home and we never made time to go. Well Thursday him and I decided okay we are going today after work. Why Thursday and not the weekend? Duh, it’s free and why not take advantage of that. We had so much fun and they have really amazing art showcasing.

And the last picture of our pups, we got a new bed and the dogs were testing it out.

Hope you all had a good weekend.

Mark Kostabi, “Media Shower”, 1982

I couldn’t help but chuckle when I went to MOCA yesterday to see the Herb and Dorothy Vogel “50 Works for 50 States” collection and came across the above piece by Mark Kostabi.  It’s been a few months since we’ve had some consternation-induced MOCA news, and just when you think you’ve let just enough time go by without some MOCA drama something will always jump off to get us all in a titter.  All hell broke loose Thursday as the L.A. Times dropped a buzz worthy exclusive bomb that sent reactions flying on Twitter, and the media.  We usually only get this excited over celebrity marriages, not institutional ones.

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art, in response to a RFP of sorts from MOCA trustees, proposed a merger between the two museums.  The overture was not unprecedented, as MOCA went down this road with LACMA in 2008, and at the time  in lieu of succumbing to acquisition, Eli Broad infused the institution with a $30M investment (or a conditional matching gift) with the hope that the museum could continue to remain independent and true to it’s original mission.  The mini-melodrama that preceded this failed 2008 merger led to some stings and bruised egos when in the same year Broad pledged $50M to build a contemporary wing at LACMA.  BCAM was supposed to house much of Broad’s personal collection currently held in Santa Monica.  Instead, on the eve of the grand opening of BCAM in 2008, Broad announced that only a fraction of his collection would be showcased there and the negotiations went off the rails. All of this eventually led to Broad breaking ground and building his own contemporary museum downtown, across the street from MOCA (to be completed in 2014).  So when Michael Govan, the director of LACMA offered to buy MOCA after the BCAM debacle, I’m not surprised that Broad rebuffed the overture.  Whew, I swear I feel like I’m writing an intro to “Soap” every time I talk about this…Back to 2013:  Yesterday’s L.A. Times Article sent shockwaves through the arts community and the theories were fast and furious.

I have to admit I was completely psyched that one of my Tweets got cited by HuffPo Arts!                Click on this pic to the link to their article)

THE MORE THINGS CHANGE THE MORE THEY STAY THE SAME- Another Trip Back in Time!

Of course a merger of this nature does one of two things: 1.  Eliminates the redundancy and competition for precious patrons/ visitors and their endowments and admission fees, and allows the new institution to gain a larger market share. 2. Creates operational efficiencies necessary for either institution to weather tough economic times.  I’m really oversimplifying things but when I look at what’s happened to MOCA in the last 9 months (culling of curatorial, educational, design and public relations staff, a focus on it’s stellar permanent collection, and a reliance on Jeffrey Dietch to do double duty as a Director and Curator), while they were attempting to establish some fiscal normalcy, I now see that they’ve culled and packaged themselves quite nicely for the taking.

MOCA Bake Sale c. 2008, Grand Avenue, Photo Credit: CultureShockArt

I couldn’t help but think about this bake sale from 2008 when MOCA was in dire straights and I asked myself, “what’s changed at MOCA?”  Lots.  What’s changed for the better?  Not much.  What hasn’t changed?  MOCA has suddenly found itself without fingers to point and it’s leadership is now forced to look itself in the mirror.  Another disruptive event is due within the leadership ranks. MOCA is no longer what we “wish” it could be, an institution as MOCA Mobilization noted in 2008,  that ”has attracted the admiration of internationally renowned artists and patrons of the arts. It is one of Los Angeles’s great cultural institutions”.  A big part of that equation is missing, and the Mobilization group is placing the responsibility square on the shoulders of Eli Broad and a board of trustees who have fallen short of their fiscal responsibilities.

The one person holding the cards in MOCA’s fate is Mr. Broad.  According to the L.A. Times, when he bailed out the museum in 2008 he won a stipulation that “MOCA could not be acquired for 10 years by ‘any museum located within 100 miles of MOCA’s Grand Avenue facility,’excluding ‘educational institutions or museums affiliated with educational institutions’.”  This stipulation opened the doors for the USC acquisition talks (and presumably shut down Govan), so I can’t help but wonder what’s up Broad’s sleeve here.  Does he view the LACMA offer as hostile?  Is USC primed to swoop in as the White Knight and re-engage MOCA in negotiations?

In reading Broad’s book, “The Art of Being Unreasonable”, there was an interesting section about persistence and knowing when to quit.  ”Sometimes you have to accept a loss so you can put all your energies, time, and money into the next project.  As in negotiation, it’s important to set a limit on what you’re willing to expend.”

Here’s another wise observation from the book:  ” Sometimes you walk away so that you can have a second shot down the line to return.  That’s something to remember when your loss stings the most.  There will be another day, and as long as you stay on the hunt it will bring its own opportunities.”  Wow, just let that settle in for a second!  I think Michael Govan studied this book.

And lastly, just ONE DAY before the Times broke that exclusive, Broad sent out this tweet (also from the book) that speaks volumes:

“I don’t recommend bowing out of something unless you’re becoming an obstacle to the very cause you want to support”.

As much as I would like things to stay the same at MOCA (as far as it’s curatorial integrity and depth of it’s collection), I am convinced that for MOCA, a radical change is overdue and in reading the tea leaves it looks like that’s happening.

Kate and Laura Mulleavy’s words on MOCA‘s exhibition of their work:

Rodarte: States of Matter

I have been following the designers’ work since attending a show five years ago. At the time, watching the dresses moved me. But if someone were to ask me why, I would have been completely lost for words.

Okay, so the weird acronym combination hasn’t caught on (just my own pet name for it), but there’s a distinct possibility that this merge may happen, especially after the MOCA board was ravaged by unexpected departures – it would be an interesting shakeup in the LA art world. Read on here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/08/arts/design/los-angeles-county-art-museum-urges-merger-with-museum-of-contemporary-art.html

And yes, I realize I posted a New York Times article about LA museums (sorry LA Times) It’s for…bicoastal appeal. Or something.

I’m an artist but not an art critic. I like museums but I don’t go each time there’s a new exhibit. I’m more like museum thrifty because most of the time when I end up going it’s because there was free entry. I’m exaggerating a bit (I do like free admission) but I’ve seen some wonderful museums and viewed some really great exhibits up and down the East coast, including the Smithsonian in Washington DC. That museum was totally overstimulating. Tons of people.

I recently visited the MOCA, or Museum of Contemporary Art in Jacksonville, FL because once a month (during ArtWalk) entry is free. The current exhibit is called Slow: Making Time in Photography and Film. The show basically explores time and not necessarily the 1800′s-1900′s but more like time within a photo or video. The main artist that stood out to me was Sam Taylor-Wood. A female artist that’s also a Pisces (oh you know I looked it up AND according to Wikipedia her mother is an astrologer). She’s the one that took the following famous photo.

famous photo taken by STW

You aren’t supposed to take pictures at museums, right? Do cell phones count? Yeah yeah I know they do but I needed to share this. While I took this photo I was still processing the fact I was watching it and the fact it was filmed. Also, what the heck is up with that peach?

illegal museum photo taken by the not so famous CCP

Everything about this exhibit was creepy. Don’t get me wrong, I love creepy. That’s why I’m sharing. I couldn’t take my eyes off the videos. I actually thought to myself…maybe if I make myself watch this I’ll have a weird dream about it. I didn’t. Yet. There’s still hope!

Here’s the rabbit video. Just remember before you hit play be warned…it’s a bit…creepy. And maybe gross to some folks.

Here’s a not-so-creepy example of her work.  (but still a tad bit creepy)

Isn’t there something about Mute that just makes you feel a tad bit anxious? It’s disturbing somehow…but fascinating? There was another large scale video installation by David Claerbout which basically featured a giant postcard photo of a large tree with some men standing nearby. The only thing that was moving in the photo were the leaves on the tree. My mind wasn’t sure what to make of it. My brain was confused. The same way it was in the strange moving images of the STW exhibit.

{http://www.hauserwirth.com/artists/4/david-claerbout/images-clips/}

Eve Sussman was another part of this fascinatingly weird exhibit. And I just realized where all the creepy music was coming from.

While watching this sloooooooooooow moving picture-video-thing below a little boy who looked to be about 7 walked up to it, looked at me and then to his parents and said “Ew! That’s weird”! And that about describes it. I couldn’t find a video of it but this is the photo that can be purchased. Apparently the artist recorded (on film) this girl (?) getting into position for the photograph and the piece I saw at MOCA was that in extremely slow motion.

creepy kid

As I roamed the corridors I surveyed the expressions on people’s faces as they watched the videos for the first time. I allowed myself to be immersed in the emotions I felt surfacing and I remembered the quote about artists using lies to tell the truth. I wonder what truth lies behind the minds of these artists. What they were really saying, what they wanted viewers to know and what they don’t want us to know.

Then I asked myself the same questions and I realized that when I produce a piece of art it’s almost like I’m screaming to be let out.

One track that really got everyone talking was ‘Mutual Core’. Its haunting vocals and minimalist organ line giving way to a crushing gabber low-end stab could not have been predicted by anyone.

On top of that, the video – directed by Andrew Thomas Huang – was equally lauded for its exquisite visuals and crisp colours. So it should come as no surprise that Huang has teamed up with MOCA to adapt the video as part of Midnight Moment series of installations, a project in conjunction with Times Square Advertising Coalition (TSAC) and Times Square Arts.

You can watch the adapted footage below as well as the original video below that.