Elite of the Obscure

Harry Gamboa, Jr, Cruel, 1975. Super-8 film. Showing Willie Herrón III

This September, The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) presents Asco: Elite of the Obscure, A Retrospective, 1972–1987, the first retrospective to present the wide-ranging work of the Chicano performance and conceptual art group Asco. Geographically and culturally segregated from the still-nascent Los Angeles contemporary art scene and aesthetically at odds with the emerging Chicano art movement, Asco members united to explore and exploit the unlimited media of the conceptual. Creating art by any means necessary — often using their bodies and guerilla tactics—Asco merged activism and performance and, in doing so, pushed the boundaries of what Chicano art might encompass. Asco: Elite of the Obscure includes nearly 150 artworks, featuring video, sculpture, painting, performance ephemera and documentation, collage, correspondence art, photography (including their signature No Movies, or invented film stills), and a series of works commissioned on occasion of the exhibition. Asco: Elite of the Obscure  is on view at the Los Angeles Contemporary Museum of Art September 4 to December 4.

[ART] Pacific Standard Time

5_Wasser__Marcel_Duchamp_und_Eve_Babitz_beim_Schach

Post-war Los Angeles was like a subtropical greenhouse where art flourished – a movement emerged that would define the second half of twentieth century contemporary art in America – artists like Ed Ruscha and John Baldessari, and major events like Warhol's first exhibition, and Marcel Duchamp's first retrospective. But most of what we know about this time is only the very tip of the iceberg and the Getty Research Institute has been tirelessly diligent: "Through archival acquisitions, oral history interviews, public programming, exhibitions, and publications, the Research Institute is responding to the need to locate, collect, document, and preserve the art historical record of this vibrant period."  And as a result of these efforts one of the more monumental series of art exhibitions, collectively entitled Pacific Standard Time, will be on view this fall and winter at 60 venues across Southern California, including the Getty, the Hammer and LACMA.  The above photograph, by Julian Wasser, is of a nineteen year old Eve Babitz – considered a muse or a midwife to the Los Angeles art movement – nude and playing chess with Marcel Duchamp at his retrospective. She won.

Rebel on Certosa Island

As part of the Venice Biennale in Italy, James Franco's site–specific film installation, entitled Rebel, will open on the island of Certosa.  Rebel is a collaboration with artists Douglas Gordon, Harmony Korine, Paul McCarthy, Ed Ruscha, Aaron Young that "unites the myth-making allure of cinema and contemporary art, and acts as interrogative ode to Hollywood iconography." Rebel will be on view on Certosa Island from September 4 to November 27. Photo by Adarsha Benjamin

Causes and Spirits: William Carter

“Watch any mother kneeling beside her toddler, pointing and explaining what they are looking at. Our urge to see, and to connect, starts there.” William Carter.  This book is both an autobiography of William Carter and a study of people. Carter’s photographs, beginning in 1960, take the viewer on his travels throughout the world, from home to New York and Kurdistan, from Dublin to Gaza. Whether working as a photojournalist or purely for himself, Carter focuses on the gestures and expressions of people (sometimes charming, sometimes unsettling), and on streets and landscapes that often long for human presence. The subtitle “Photographs from Five Decades” might seem misleading as it implies a “typical” photobook where the sequence of images is primary. For Carter, however, it is the interplay between his photographs and writings that allows him to see into himself and his subjects: indeed he calls himself a “photographer-writer”. In Carter’s words, his work aims to capture the “hidden implications, eye-blink compositions, odd ironies and happy accidents” of the world. – Steidl

Appropriated Imagery: Richard Prince + Jackson Pollock

Guild Hall of East Hampton presents Richard Prince “Covering Pollock” featuring 27 new works that are focused on Jackson Pollock, a leader of the Abstract Expressionist group. Richard Prince uses appropriation to distill and disrupt America’s compulsive fascination with iconic brands, fame, and lifestyle. This is the first public viewing of “Covering Pollock” and the first museum exhibition of Richard Prince’s work on Long Island. On view until October 17. 

[SERBIAN DIARY] Waiting for Autumn

I am so tired. I need to rest for a while. I have to keep quiet. I have to think. I need to get some sleep. I can't wait for the yellow Autumn days to come. Photo and text by Marija Mandic who is a photographer based in Novi Sad, Serbia - we're hoping Pas Un Autre might see regular dispatches by Marija for a series entitled Serbian Diary. 

 

[EXHIBITION] Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera

Frida-White-Bench

The two most famous artists to have come from Mexico, the lives of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera have attained a mythological status. A major touring exhibition, which comes first to Chichester from Istanbul and Dublin, brings together works by Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera for the first time ever in the UK. On view now until October 9 at the Pallant House Gallery in Chichester, U.K. 

Pornography and Motherhood

Madison Young isn't your average pornstar – she's an artist, a feminist, and a sexual educator. Young, born Tina Butcher, caused uproar when she exhibited a show, entitled Becoming Milf, at her gallery Femina Potens Art Gallery, that explored her own new found motherhood, as well as the societal myths and stereotypes of motherhood.  The above photograph caused such a controversy that some accused Young of pedophilia. "I’m brand new to motherhood.  My little girl is only eight weeks old right now.  I’m sure that sharing my life with my daughter will inspire, influence and affect my work in different ways as she gets older.  Right now, as the mother of a newborn, one of my greatest challenges is time.  I’ve always tried to balance more than is humanly possible in a day but now I have a tiny little being who needs and demands my attention 24/7.  I’ve had to really prioritize what areas of my life I need to be giving my energy to right now.  I’ll be working mostly local for at least Emma’s first year, and if I decide to take out of state or country gigs next year then it will be a family affair.  I take Emma along with me whenever I can, such as to university speaking engagements and to the art gallery, and Daddy watches Emma during the more adult-oriented work experiences."

Serum Versus Venom: Zero Surplus Garb

Left: White snow camo jacket with a multi-function convertible pocket. Right: Organic white cotton shirt and vintage military mechanic pant.

Serum Versus Venom continues its pursuit of Futurecraft© by aggressively colliding vintage military fabrics and workers' garb with modern, functional designs. The utilized vintage fabrics span 90 years of global military history. "We are not looking to re-use the old fabrics for the sake of nostalgia. Rather, we are simply looking for the best fabrics on earth. These vintage fabrics were built to last and the quality is unrivaled." - David Gensler

Room Editions

Los Angeles based photographer Patrick Hoelck's solo exhibition entitled “Room Editions” will open in Los Angeles this Thursday. “Room Editions” will showcase limited edition prints that have been hand picked from Hoelck's self-published book "Polaroid Hotel". The exhibition is curated by Daniel Salin and hosted by Stephen Webster. The opening will take place on August 25th between 7pm and 10pm at 202 N Rodeo Dr. Beverly Hills, CA 90210. The show will run through September 18th at Stephen Webster's private gallery in Beverly Hills.