Art LA at Barker Hanger in Santa Monica with opening gala on Jan. 22 and show Jan. 23-25, 2009
ART LA 2009 REVEALS EXHIBITOR AND SPECIAL PROGRAMMING HIGHLIGHTS
Jorge Pardo To Recreate The Mountain Bar On Site at the Fair; Richard Hertz Headlines Conversation Series, Agathe Snow to Premiere Feature Film, CHINATOWN: EVERY SQUARE HAS ITS ROUND, and more at ART LA 2009
Los Angeles, CA (November 19, 2008) – From Friday, January 23 through Sunday, January 25, 2009 the historic Barker Hangar at the Santa Monica airport will be home to ART LA 2009. The fair presents a select roster of 60 top international and Los Angeles-based galleries and will kick off on Thursday, January 22 with an opening night reception benefiting MOCA. The exhibiting galleries at ART LA 2009 are an even balance of established galleries and emerging galleries, all presenting the most progressive, international artwork being produced today. Under the direction of Tim Fleming, director for ART LA, the fair will feature an exciting program of special exhibitions and crossover events linking art with music, film, architecture and design. Special exhibitions will be devoted to experimental collaborations, painting, sculpture, photography and film. As one of the most significant annual cultural events in greater Los Angeles, ART LA provides a platform for exhibitors to display their work to an international audience. Large-scale installations, performances, conversations and premiere film screenings will be staged at the Barker Hangar and throughout the city during the run of the fair. Public hours for ART LA 2009 are Friday, January 23 and Saturday, January 24 from 12 noon-8 p.m. and Sunday, January 25 from 12 noon-6 p.m. ART LA 2009 tickets are $15 daily.
ART LA 2009 EXHIBITOR HIGHLIGHTS:
This year’s exhibitors were chosen for their impressive works portraying the latest contemporary art trends and movements within both the Los Angeles and international art scene. Gallery highlights include: Blum & Poe (Los Angeles), Galerie Catherine Bastide (Brussels), Galerie Ben Kaufmann (Berlin), L.A. Louver (Los Angeles), Mesler & Hug (Los Angeles), Peres Projects (Berlin), and Susanne Vielmetter Gallery (Los Angeles).
Galerie Catherin Bastide will showcase a photography series, by Marianne Mueller. The Proper Ornaments uses the camera as a medium through which she observes self and world, at home and on trips, day and night. The Proper Ornaments, is a collection that simultaneously displays the last twelve years of her work. The installation combines her clever body images and observations of the ubiquitous beauty of the allegedly mundane, and is reminiscent of the often metaphysical juxtapositions found in a dream world.
L.A. Louver brings their Rouge Wave Projects to ART LA 2009, where a group of artists will create an installation of the plates that Eduardo Sarabia originally created for his "History of the World.” This piece is comprised of dozens of unique, hand-painted ceramic plates, each plate crafted using traditional Mexican ceramic techniques, which are then painted shades of blue enamel. The imagery of History of the World portrays a culture dominated by contraband trade and rural poverty. Sarabia combines traditional decorative elements with black-market iconography: floral and geometric patters are united with representations of provocative women, guns, drugs, liquor bottles and farm animals. Each plate is assigned a unique number, and is signed on the underside by the artist.
Mesler & Hug will bring Henry Taylor’s first West Coast museum exhibition, Girrrrrl! to ART LA 2009. Taylor’s paintings poignantly examine the social, political, and racial disparities that persist in the United States, and includes four new works depicting scenes from Taylor’s personal life and urban community. Taylor uses lush strokes, an exuberant color palette, and the language and logos from products of pop culture in his vivid portrayals of friends, loved ones, local characters, childhood memories, and neighborhood landscapes.
ART LA 2009 will also showcase projects from Peres Projects, who will present the Los Angeles premiere of Agathe Snow’s feature length film, “Chinatown: Every Square Has its Round,” where Snow documents her visits to Chinatowns in various U.S cities and her conversations with those who live there. The film examines the question of national identity, temptations, and stereotypes. The film will premiere at the Ruskin Group Theater, adjacent to the Santa Monica Barker Hangar. Peres Projects will also exhibit Dan Attoe’s collection of new paintings, drawings, and large-scale neon sculpture.
The work of Ruben Ochoa will be presented by Susanne Vielmetter Los Angeles Projects and includes sculpturing, installation and photography. His subjects mainly refer to the urban surrounding of Los Angeles: the tension between social classes, culture, urban architecture and nature.
Other noted galleries represented at ART LA 2009 include David Kordansky Gallery (Los Angeles), Galerie Isabella Bortolozzi (Berlin), The Modern Institute / Toby Webster (Glasgow), and Galerie Rodolphe Janssen (Brussels), who is exhibiting for the first time at ART LA. A complete list of exhibitors can be found at www.art-la.com.
ART LA 2009 PROGRAMMING HIGHLIGHTS:
THE MOUNTAIN BAR AT ART LA 2009
Jorge Pardo will recreate The Mountain Bar at the Santa Monica Hangar for guests of ART LA 2009. The Mountain Bar is a Los Angeles hotspot and home away from home for many artists based in LA and beyond. The Mountain Bar was once the home of Chinatown’s oldest restaurant, the General Lee. An eclectic team of artists refurbished it with a striking red paint job, cascading ceilings and feng shui design. The Mountain Bar at ART LA will be operational throughout the duration of the fair.
ART LA 2009 CONVERSATION SERIES
The ART LA 2009 Conversation Series will feature Richard Hertz, author of THE BEAT AND THE BUZZ: HOW THE ART WORLD WORKS, VOLUME ONE, L.A., who will provide an insider’s view of the art scene. Additional conversation series participants to be announced.
ART LA is organized by artfairs, inc., producers of the globally acclaimed photography and contemporary art fairs including photo LA and photo MIAMI. For additional information on ART LA, please visit www.art-la.com or call (323) 937-4659.
Tim Fleming, director of ART LA, and featured artists are available for interviews upon request.