LA Art Show features an eclectic array of modern art


By
 in , ,

The L.A. Art Show had its Opening Night Premiere Party on Jan. 27 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The evening served as a fundraiser for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, with a majority of ticket proceeds being donated to the charity.

Founded in 1994, the L.A. Art Show has expanded to become one of the largest running platforms for modern and contemporary art. The evening was hosted by Academy Award-winning actress Anne Hathaway and spouse Adam Shulman. The evening’s attendees also included celebrities such as actors James Franco and Michael Douglas and actress Alia Shawkat, among others.

The L.A. Art Show is essentially an enormous art fair held in the West Hall of the L.A. Convention Center. Now in its 22nd year, this year’s exhibitions include 79 galleries, many of which travelled internationally to participate.

The evening featured an eclectic array of modern and contemporary art. Some notable exhibitions include a performance piece by L.A.-based British performance artist Millie Brown, who has previously made headlines for her collaboration with pop star Lady Gaga. Brown’s piece featured at this year’s show, “Wilting Point,” exhibits Brown lying among a bed of fresh, brightly colored flowers and immersing herself in a “meditative state where she [focuses] on the beauty of the external decomposition around her,” according to the gallery’s website.

In Brown’s own words, the performance piece “is an exploration of the transience of life. The intention is to eliminate all the distractions of daily reality, in order to focus on the impermanence and fragile beauty of our existence.” What proved to be most provocative about Brown’s piece is her tenacity; abstaining from food, Brown will survive only on water for the duration of the exhibit. Indeed, it was mesmerizing to watch Brown so deeply resolved in this element.

Also featured in the show was a Kazuhiro Tsuji piece titled “Frida Kahlo,” an eerily realistic mixed-media statue of famed Mexican artist Frida Kahlo.

Aesthetically, Tsuji strives to move beyond the colloquial likeliness of his life-like pieces. On his website, Tsuji wrote, “I create these heads from the inside out, bringing to life the appearance of inner thought and emotion as I layer the silicone.”

The statue features a bust of Kahlo’s head held upright in the palms of two hands. The mediums used to create this piece include platinum silicone, resin, composite metal and human hair. The piece proved to be an early crowd favorite, and was one of the most popular pieces of the night.

Also worth mentioning were the works of South Korean painter Tae Hee Kim, who displayed a series of erotic yet sensitively detailed paintings involving genitalia and intercourse.  Her pieces were among the most beautiful and skillfully created paintings of the evening.

The L.A. Art Show runs through Jan. 31. More information regarding hours and participating galleries can be found online.