Dreamin’ of a… is a group exhibition conceived by Los Angeles-based art historian and curator Sagi Refael featuring work by Adar Aviam, Mara De Luca, Rafa Esparza, Robert Ginder, Renée Lotenero, John Knuth, Marisa Mandler, David O’Brien, Rotem Reshef, Glen Wilson, Nathan Zeidman and Barak Zemer.

The show is a tribute to the landscape of Los Angeles, as seen and experienced by walking its streets and taking its public transportation. The show closely examines the tensions between the glamorous cinematic and televised images of the “City of Angels” and the grittier realities of life in the city. Dreamin’ of a… takes its title from John Knuth’s piece from 2018, a mylar sewn landscape composed on a cardboard sign the artist bought from a homeless person. The piece expresses LA as microcosm of the American Dream and suggests the outlet of creativity and imagination as a means of socio-economic advancement. The artworks gathered for the show vary widely in media and operate together as a form of “Gesamtkunstwerk”, aiming to synthesize from many perspectives an idea of the identity of Los Angeles. Emphasizing the city’s fragmented and evolving nature, its continuous becoming and collapsing, Dreamin’ of a… examines the act of dreaming in LA and its linkage to branding and image-making, contemplating drives to self-measure and climb socially against the broader canvas of time, landscape, and community. Dreamin’ of a is on view through August 31 at Charlie James Gallery 969 Chung King Road, Los Angeles. photographs by Lani Trock