Los Angeles provides variety of spooky art
A Halloween weekend in Los Angeles is a little like trick-or-treating: Sometimes you get great candy, sometimes you get a rock.
Your options this Halloween weekend might not seem like anything beyond a Halloween party or rave, but if you look hard enough, you can find plenty of fun, alternative and artsy ways to enjoy the spirit of this creepy holiday. The nooks and crannies of Los Angeles hide ghoulishly good art events. Whether or not you’ve got big plans, check out these events to give your Halloween weekend an artsy twist.
Haunted-House Themed Show, Hive Gallery, Now — Saturday
The Hive Gallery & Studios is an impressive space that houses the work of some of the most intriguing artists around Los Angeles. Until Saturday, you can get lost in a smorgasbord of aesthetic weirdness, with everything from neon, fabric and bathroom installations to the work of almost 60 artists — all part of the gallery’s current “Haunted House” show.
The show includes artists such as Tiffany Silver Braun, who has an eye for macabre colors and details and a penchant for dark humor. The exhibition also includes work from Hollywood-born Pablo Damas, who creates striking pieces with brooding Halloween colors, often with recognizable figures like Frida Kahlo.
Though the show will feature your nightmares transposed onto canvas, it’ll be all of your best ones. Get your fix before the show ends Saturday.
Munster, Go Home! The Hammer Museum — Sunday
Though the Hammer Museum is located in enemy territory (Westwood), it’s still a venerable art museum — and nothing beats a free Halloween event.
The museum will host a free screening of Munster, Go Home! — a flick dedicated to Herman Munster, the head honcho of the Munster family, and his shenanigans. Not every Halloween flick has to be all gore and horror, and this particular one is perfect for your friends who can’t handle Paranormal Activity.
During your visit at the Hammer you’ll also be able to check out works from exhibiting artists such as Zarina, a printmaker and sculptor who focuses on incorporating paper into her works, and Carlos Bunga, who creates large-scale installation works. If anything, it’ll be a silly and entertaining way to spend your Halloween weekend.
Film Series, LACMA — Ongoing
So, is Munster, Go Home! too cheesy or not cheesy enough for you? LACMA’s got a few more options in Halloween flicks to feed your cravings.
Halloween isn’t complete without classics, and you can use the weekend to catch LACMA’s free screenings of horror favorites such as House of Wax, The Tingler and The Fly.
While you’re there you can also check out some great art, like Chinese artist Ai Wei Wei’s “Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads,” a large-scale work that is a recreation of whimsical statues that surrounded a fountain in the Old Summer Palace in Beijing, or ASCO, a collective Chicano group that focuses on performance and conceptual art.
The museum is your playground: Find new art and watch a scary flick while you’re at it. There’s nothing more L.A. and hipster than spending the weekend being artsy while getting into the Halloween spirit.
Boo at the Zoo, Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens — Saturday and Sunday
The zoo might not be the first place that comes to mind when you think of art, but the Los Angeles Zoo’s “Boo at the Zoo” somehow finds a way to merge arts and crafts with creatures of the wild.
Head to the zoo on Halloween weekend to engage in some crafts, including pumpkin carving — the unique Halloween tradition that really is an art form all its own. There will even be demonstrations to aid your pumpkin-carving skills and help you find inspiration for your pumpkin masterpiece.
The event also includes activities like face painting and crazy fun house mirrors to get you into the usual creepiness of Halloween.
Though Halloween is notorious for being ghastly and terrifying, Los Angeles is home to myriad fun holiday events. If you look hard enough, there’s something for everybody — even in the art world. Explore these and other art-related events to make your Halloween weekend different from years past and maybe stumble upon your new favorite artist in the process.
Eva Recinos is a junior majoring in creative writing. Her column “Art Box” runs Thursdays.