curate.la

This biggest takeaway from this past week/end was: COMMUNITY Thank you everyone who joined us at @murmurs.la this past Saturday for the #CurateLA10 x @kickstarter conversation about artistic funding models with @digitaldannybaez, @maeamaria, @ozziejuarez, and @lhyatt moderated by @shelleyhol After the panel was the after party with drinks by @mezcalamaras and a set by the one and only @brownskinhazel to celebrate 10 years of Curate LA 🎂 Looking forward to seeing y’all at the next one 💋 📸 @kobewagstaff

☀️🌴 For 10 years, Curate LA has been at the forefront of championing and cultivating the profound ecosystem of L.A.’s creative landscape. And through it all, we are most proud of the friends we've made along the way and the beautiful art community of L.A. that we are so lucky to call home. A decade strong, we are more committed than ever to being the essential art platform in L.A. Follow along at #curatela10 or download the Curate LA app for happenings across our electric city ⚡️ 2014 Los Angeles's own @shelleyhol and @alexbenzer identify a gap to navigate the burgeoning art community in L.A. Curate LA is founded as an artist-run initiative to connect and promote artists and art spaces 2015 The Curate LA App revolutionized the way L.A.’s artistic ecosystem engaged with wider audiences. The FREE interactive map serves as an accessible tool to discover art 2016 Curate LA Goes Large: Cementing its mission to promote art beyond traditional white cube spaces, the platform collaborated on several public art projects, including immersive art during Grand Ave Arts at @moca and a curated digital billboard exhibition of works by women artists, in collab with @standardvision in DTLA 2018 #CurateLAMemberships are launched offering exclusive experiences with artists, curators, collectors + more. Member events have become hot tickets alongside art fairs and highlights in the cultural calendar. Memorable nights include parties with @jerrygogosian, @sohohouse, and @foreignerrrrr’s Roadblock™ Rally, celebrating artist @AlvaroBarrington 2019 Next Stop: Curate LA has always been in its own lane, and “Ceci n'est pas un Bus Tour” with @naobustamante, @estitties, and @jenstark was no different. In partnership with @theicala 2020 Curate LA responded to the global movement for equity and justice with its report, “Unmask The Top.” In collab with @thefutureleft, the report investigated the directive makeup of 12 L.A. arts organizations, calling for transformative operational transparency 2021-2022 Following Curate LA’s public list of Black-owned galleries and art spaces in L.A., a comprehensive report on Latinx and AAPI-owned spaces followed More to come in 2024 💋

⁠Los Angeles County sits on Chumash, Tongva, and Kizh land and when we consider Pacific Islander and Latin American Indigenous Diasporas, Los Angeles has the largest indigenous population of any city in the US. If you live in what's now known as the Los Angeles Basin, you're living on what its Indigenous residents call Tovaangar, which means "the world." Tovaangar is home to the Gabrielino Tongva people (“people of the world”).⁠ ⁠ As members of this community, we wanted take a moment to recognize their presence and heritage that we as residents of Los Angeles County owe so much to. We want to introduce a Land Acknowledge into the practices of Curate LA that recognizes the Indigenous peoples who have been dispossessed from the homelands and territories upon which all of our cultural institutions were built and currently occupy and operate in. We hope this will encourage you all to do so as well.⁠ ⁠ Image text: We acknowledge that the virtual platform of Curate LA and the communities we work within is taking place throughout the unceded territory of California home to nearly 200 tribal nations. We acknowledge and honor the original inhabitants of our various regions, specifically the traditional unceded territory of the Chumash, Tongva, and Kizh people who reside in Los Angeles County.

Marina Iglesias "La Loba" in 'Fasti'⁠ ⁠ The paintings in Iglesias' exhibition are inspired by the first century poem of the same title by Ovid which relates to the Roman calendar and holidays. @marina_iglesias’ paintings represent Ovid’s four focus on the months of January, February, April and June and they are stylistically inspired by Ovid’s words as well as medieval and Renaissance painting and tapestries, tarot cards and ancient scientific illustrations. Iglesias composed verdant landscapes as the setting for Ovid’s and her fantastical scenes.⁠ ⁠ On view at @steveturnerla through December 21

If blue were to take the form of a dream, it would ideally spring forth as a blissful euphoria that is hopeful and open, like a celestial sky. ⁠ ⁠ But in the wrong state of mind or circumstances, blue dreams and feelings can easily sway across the divide, coming to life as visions of despair and sadness. In either manifestation, these dreams generally have a surreal and otherworldly edge.⁠ ⁠ The exhibition ‘Blue Dream’ highlights artworks by twelve artists united by cerulean palettes that drift towards the softer, more boundless, and buoyant side of this monochromatic spectrum. Some artists featured in the show reflect on the long history of a color so deeply revered and explored by artists throughout the ages; others delve into the more psychological and emotional implications of such a vast color. ⁠ ⁠ Each artist leans into the beauty and promise of this color with visions and imagery that push toward a brighter future. However, despite existing in this hopeful blue realm, their works are also tinged with an awareness of the darker, less romantic potential of feeling blue and the reality that the freedoms tied to this color are no longer a given.⁠ ⁠ On view at @shrine.nyc through December 21⁠ ⁠ Images: ⁠ 1. Trulee Hall “Bathing Beauties Cleansing Feet”⁠ 2. Bill Adams “Army of One”⁠ 3. Aaron Michael Skolnick “Me and Andy 3 (transforming into Andy Kaufman)”⁠ 4. Carla Edwards “Tear”⁠ 5. Ryan McGinley “Dread Dam” detail⁠ 6. Katherine Bradford “Ocean Wedding”⁠ 7. Sean Cairns “Star Watchers”

With origins dating back to ancient Egypt, the centuries-long pursuit of alchemists can be distilled into a singular objective: to perfect the human mind, body, and soul by harnessing the power of forces beyond our understanding. This desire was represented in the form of the Philosopher’s Stone, an unknown, mythical substance with the ability to cure any disease, transmute base metals into gold, and produce the elixir of immortality. While alchemy was demoted to a pseudo-science during the 18th century, its lasting impact on human civilization—and countless artists across generations—can still be measured in the multitude of belief systems that emerged in its wake, including astronomy, philosophy, psychology, theosophy, and transcendentalism.⁠ ⁠ Like shining light on a prism, new and recent works by participating artists in this exhibition reveal the vast spectrum of alchemy’s contributions throughout time. The process of chrysopoeia is mirrored in works that transform everyday images, objects, and materials into proverbial “gold.” Sculptures of metal and clay—created with methods that can be traced back to the Neolithic Age—convey sentiments that are wholly contemporary. Oil, water, and crushed stones are manipulated into representations of (un)reality, indexes of observation and accumulations of gesture.⁠ ⁠ Together, the artists in 'On Alchemy' embrace and uphold aesthetic innovation, material investigation and conceptual risk-taking as crucial acts of creative self-determination. By preserving the enduring spirit of this ancient tradition, we may yet find the answers that will carry us into a brighter future.⁠ ⁠ On view at @robertsprojects through December 21⁠ ⁠ Images: ⁠ 1. Lenz Geerk "Man holding the night sky"⁠ 2. Chris Oh "Melt"⁠ 3. Brenna Youngblood "Into the Cosmos (for Alex)"⁠ 4. Raghvi Bhatia "Unpredictable Timepiece (Bloom)"⁠ 5. Installation view of 'On Alchemy'⁠ 6. Anthony Cudahy "Desire turned matter"⁠ 7. Erica Mahinay "Elemental (Earth, Air, Wind, Fire)"

In the spirit of Friedrich Nietzsche’s ‘Beyond Good and Evil,’ the act of lighting a candle represents a challenge to the dichotomy of moral absolutes, revealing the complexities within truth and falsehood. In this exhibition, artists Angelica Lorenzi, Hou Zhuowu, and Rebecca Shmuluvitz beckon viewers to engage in a profound inquiry into the established narratives that shape our understanding of reality. Their works encourage a courageous embrace of the shadows that inevitably accompany every moment of illumination, urging us to delve deeper into the complexities and contradictions that lie beneath the surface of perception. In this exploration, we are invited to confront the nuanced interplay between light and dark, reality and illusion, ultimately enriching our appreciation of the multifaceted nature of existence. ‘To light a candle’ is on view at @unveilgallery through December 20

“In the times of the Communist Polish People’s Republic, Poles’ sexuality was suppressed and superficial, an important social trend that was reinforced by the dominance of the Polish Catholic Church. These porno mags are also incredibly interesting visually, due to their naturalism and the limitations of resources at the end of the last century; there is no retouching, no plastic surgery, and virtually no access to professional make-up artists. The photo editorials depict “real” people, paradoxically, somewhat escaping the patriarchal canon of beauty. They’re a wonderful time capsule, bearing imperfections at different ages, social structures, and sexual orientations. And apart from this type of inspiration, these magazines make great reference material for models! We find expressive ready-made body arrangements that are fantastic for dressing up in compositions and painting these photos are not easy to find on the internet today. The images are very niche and have a strong character of time and place, making them unique.“ - @agata_slowak_ Agata Słowak “Daily Beauty Rituals” in ‘SZTUKĄ DIABŁA TŁUKĄ’ on view at @blum_gallery through December 21 Images © 2024 Agata Słowak; Courtesy of the artist and BLUM Los Angeles,Tokyo,New York

In the play Anthony and Cleopatra by Shakespeare, Cleopatra is described as a woman of “infinite variety,” a woman of such complexity and rich character who can awe, mesmerize, challenge, excite, and intrigue anyone by her infinite creative mind and being.⁠ ⁠ This phrase “infinite variety” encouraged Hiroko Yoshimoto to look into nature, which can create endless variations and permutations of life forms. ⁠ ⁠ "I have painted more than 130 canvases entitled 'Biodiversity.' Indeed, life’s infinite variety and richness bring a sense of wonder of its abundance and vitality to every corner of our planet. To me, that is the success of life on Earth. I hope my paintings reflect celebration and wonder of such a fecund Earth of today but with an urgent plea for sustaining it for the future." - @hirokoyoshimoto2848⁠ ⁠ 'Of Infinite Variety' is on view at @launch_la through December 14 with a closing reception and artist talk this Saturday from 3-5pm.

Artist chris velez aims to hybridize and complicate binaristic distinctions between nature and technology, opting for a more rhizomatic referential approach. ⁠ ⁠ Much of @scientology_420's work unfolds like a retro-futurist vision, a post-human landscape where rogue digital, spectral, and spiritual energies run rampant. The artist is technologically and technically savvy, bouncing between televisual special effects, 3D models, cropped jpegs, and painterly anamorphisms. He animates and resamples ideas by using the visual language of mashups and mixtapes, psychedelics and non-Western spirituality, uncanny valley and humor. His work feels like a new millennium TikTok philosophy, working to connect people’s aesthetic experiences with more simultaneity and immediacy than ever before — but his ultimate ambition lies in expanding collective human consciousness.⁠ ⁠ 'The Subtleties of Levitated Things' is on view at @xelainstituteofart through December 15

The exploration of office forms and spaces—those generic, impersonal environments where the narratives of order, management, and power were constructed—lies at the heart of the exhibition 'Office lllusions.' ⁠ ⁠ For @jacopo_pagin, these mythologized spaces and their desks, computers, and sterile interiors point to fragmented utopian aspirations throughout the 1990s and 2000s, when the world was believed to be controllable from behind a screen. But the spaces are also deeply ironic, their promises hollowed out by the realities of the challenges, confusions, and conflicts of the present.⁠ ⁠ 'Office Illusions' ultimately presents a critical reading of Western ideals—a glimpse into the seductive aesthetics of power and their enshrined contradictions while reflecting on collective perceptions of time and different cultural and historical reflections. Pagin's practice, particularly in this show, emphasizes not only individual, idiosyncratic memory but also the collective memory that shapes our understanding of history. The impersonal aesthetics—familiar and nostalgic—evoke a collective remembrance of foreseeing a bright future that we now recognize as inconsistent, rhetorical, and speculative, favoring one-sided power. By traversing the ghostly remnants of recent cultural history, Pagin urges us to confront the illusory nature of progress and the limits of our constructed narratives. ⁠ ⁠ Jacopo Pagin "Void to void" on view at @makeroom.la through December 17

'Blurry Pastures' is a unique take on the idea of a landscape painting. ⁠ ⁠ The exhibition illuminates district processes and each artist's varying perceptions within the genre. Rather than limiting landscapes to just picturesque depictions of natural scenery, we explore a broader conceptual framework.⁠ ⁠ On view at @rhett.baruch.gallery through December 14⁠ ⁠ Images:⁠ 1. Aryo Toh Djojo "Beat Down Babylon" @aryotohdjojo⁠ 2. Matthew Miller "My American Landscape" @matthewisms⁠ 3. Rick Osaka "Green Are Sago Shadows" @rickosaka⁠ 4. Hely Gonzalez "Mi Querida" @helyomargonzalez⁠ 5. Laura Vahlberg "Moon Garden" @lauravahlberg⁠ 6. Future Retrieval "Garden Pot IV" @katieparker101⁠ 7. Jessica Swaffer "The Blackberry and The Fowl" @jessica_swaffer⁠ 8. Jesse Edwards "Gardener 2" @jesseedwards_com⁠ 9. Hely Gonzalez "Graviton (That Look)"⁠ ⁠ 📷️s: Chris Hanke @false_artifacts