Find me over at ARCHITECT Magazine.
Where I take a look at what’s going down with the sprawling MOCA architecture show that may be on the verge of being killed — and the architects who’ll be left holding the bag if it is.
Tagged: MoCA
Calendar. 03.13.13. (Sorta.)
I’ve got deadlines coming out of my ears, so listings are rilly thin. (Don’t have time to comb through all the press releases.) But you can entertain yourself by checking out my MOCA-LACMA explainer, as told in animated GIFs.
- Paris: Chris Ware, at Galerie Martel. Opens Friday.
- NYC: Alexandra Groczynski, Truisms, at Transfer Gallery. Opens Saturday at 7pm, in East Williamsburg. (It’s the debut show at this new tech-focused space.)
- NYC: Blocked, a talk about writing by New York Times critic Holland Cotter, at the School of Visual Arts. Thursday at 7pm, at the SVA Theatre on West 23rd Street.
Art books and fake books at the Printed Matter L.A. Art Book Fair
The age of the e-book has created a quandary for people who like to display the things they read (or aspire to read) on the shelves in their homes. Your e-reader may hold a PhD’s worth of Jacques Lacan tomes, but how will your dinner guests know about it? Enter the E-Book Shelf Surrogate (click the image above to supersize), introduced by Hol Art Books at the Printed Matter LA Art Book Fair. At the fair, any visitors who pick up an e-book, will also get an 11×17 print that can be folded into the model of a paper back book, so that you may chicly and casually show off your intellectual ability to your friends. All for only $15!
Tip: while you’re there, pop over to the Gagosian booth, where they’re selling a Destroy All Monsters zine with CD for $30. Probably the only thing I’ll ever be able to afford at Gago, besides the sneering condescension (which is free).
The fair is on through Sunday 6pm, at MOCA Geffen in Little Tokyo.
Video: Destroy the Picture at MOCAtv.
A viewing of Paul Schimmel’s last show at L.A.’s MOCA, Destroy the Picture: Painting the Void, 1949-1962 (now closed), would not be complete unless you’ve also taken in this somewhat surreal video produced in conjunction with the show. It’s an uneven buffet of Schimmel commentary with shots of some of the work on view, as well as uncut vintage footage related to a few of the artists. This includes lovely black and white film that Yves Klein shot at judo demonstration in Japan, and there’s loads of footage of Klein crafting his flame paintings — with the assistance of a firefighter and a pair of comely nude models. (I love that he wears a vest and cravat while operating the flamethrower.)
But the pièce de résistance is the early ’80s video of L.A. artist Sal Scarpitta acting out an auto race: it’s totally, charmingly nuts. (And waaaaaay better than some of the other stuff on MOCAtv, which feel like ads for urban clothing companies.)
If you’re a diehard art nerd, set aside half an hour for this. Worth it.
How to create your own Marina Abramovic centerpieces for only $12.
STEP ONE: Acquire Angry Bird piñata.
STEP TWO: Rest on top of performer. As the performer breathes, the Angry Bird is gently raised and lowered — a meditation on awareness and mortality.
IF DESIRED, CONTINUE TO STEP THREE: Place Angry Bird head on a Lazy Susan. Inspire grotesque discomfort in your dinner guests by forcing them to confront the probing stare of another as they sip cocktails and dine on tuna tartar.
MOCA LA’s ‘Art in the Streets.’
Eye-popping overload: My review of MOCA LA’s Art in the Streets is now up at ARTnews. And, in case you missed it, my bit on Studio 360 (from April) about graffiti outside the museum. (Photo by C-M.)
On L.A. MOCA’s (sort of) new logo.
Yup, this belongs to a museum.
The L.A. Times is reporting that the Museum of Contemporary Art in L.A. is in the process of working on a new logo. (You can find the old one here.) In his item, Christopher Knight describes the new design as a “post-Bauhaus/neo-Minimalist affair.” But, I gotta confess. The only thing that comes to mind when I see this is “toy company.” In fact, all of a sudden, I’m experiencing an unrequited yearning for a King Kong Barbie and a Snowtrooper Battle Pack. Perhaps the museum is considering revenue streams I hadn’t considered?
[Update, because I'm a crackhead: This isn't a new logo. It's a logo that was designed for the museum 30 years ago that they appear to have dusted off and used on a press release. Boy, did I just majorly blow it, or what?]
After the jump, a few comparisons to the logo I thought was new, but isn’t really. Sheesh.
I’m totally over the Hitler-finds-out parodies, but…
…this is fucking hilarious: Hitler finds out Jeffrey Deitch is named director at MoCA.
Thank you thank you Marshall Astor.