Haute Highlights
Mickalene Thomas: Origins of the Universe Opening Reception
Friday, April 13, 7-9 p.m.
Exhibition Saturday, April 14-Aug. 19
Santa Monica Museum of Art
New York-based artist Mickalene Thomas makes a move to the West Coast with her exhibition Origin of the Universe.
The multimedia artist, who often experiments with various forms of landscape painting, tackles a new subject: female empowerment.
Thomas’ new exhibition explores the transgenerational female and how she relates to various environments. To do so, Thomas combines her classical art history background and blaxploitation influences with themes of femininity, beauty, sexuality and power.
Moreover, Thomas plays with classical genre conventions; she brings black female subjects into the limelight when they were previously rejected. This is seen in her piece “Origin of the Universe,” which is a play on realist painter Gustave Courbet’s “Origin of the World.”
If you’re looking for an art show that pushes boundaries and tried-and-true conventions, then Origin of the Universe is for you.
KarmetiK Machine Orchestra: Samsara
Thursday, April 12 and
Friday, April 13 at 8:30 p.m.
REDCAT
Imagine a world where we don’t go to concerts to watch people play music, but instead sit down to a show performed by machines. Sound implausible? Let the KarmetiK Machine Orchestra convince you otherwise.
Composer and engineer Ajay Kapur and sculptor and theater designer Michael Darling developed the show, which features sophisticated electro-mechanical instruments as well as human performers and musicians interacting with several speakers placed throughout the crowd. The performance is actually a musical interpretation of traditional Indian folk tales drawn from the Panchatantra and the Jataka Tales and revolves around samsara, or the Sanskrit concept of life, death and rebirth. It’s a complex subject navigated by an equally complex production, one that looks to astonish the audience and question our notions of future and past.
“We’re combining ancient traditions of dance and music with the most futuristic technology,” Kapur said to CalArts.
In other words, the best of both worlds — and what appears to be a wonderful show. To top it all off, tickets are very reasonably priced at $16 for students.
M83
April 12, 8 p.m.
The Fox Theater
For the procrastinators out there who missed out on the Coachella bandwagon this year, have no fear.
Many of the bands playing the following two weeks in the hot, sweaty, indie heaven we know as Indio will be in and out of Los Angeles for a couple of weeks.
Though many bands will hit the city, there are a few standouts. One band hitting the L.A. and Indio scene to keep on your radar — M83.
The eccentric, electronic, pop-rockers, notable for hits such as “Kim & Jessie” and “Midnight City” — think Victoria’s Secret runway commercial, yeah you know which one — are not to be missed.
The on-the-rise music sensation shines with its dynamic flair and unique sound, making the band one of this year’s hottest numbers.
Tickets cost around $25 and can be purchased on Ticketmaster. But can you really put a price on an awesome night of adventure and charismatic music? You know the answer.
CicLAvia // Sunday, April 15 10 a.m.-3 p.m .// Various locations
The hustle and bustle of L.A. transportation can be a bit of a drag, especially when there’s gridlock on the freeways and constant congestion Downtown. Relieve your road rage this weekend by exploring the city with some other methods of travel: on foot, bicycle and anything without a motor.
CicLAvia offers a great opportunity for Angelenos to get out and truly discover the streets of Los Angeles without the hassle of parking. Inspired by ciclovía, the successful weekly street closure program in Botogá, Colombia, CicLAvia closes off 10 miles of roadway that passes through various neighborhoods including South Los Angeles, Downtown and East Hollywood.
Past iterations of the event have also included many entertaining activities along the path, such as dodgeball, dance performances and parades, and Sunday’s CicLAvia looks to feature more of the same. What better way to cap off the weekend?