Nic Hess, Urban China, Your Bright Future and Brush Fires
So, I just got back from a trip down to L.A. I went specifically to visit the Getty Library to do some research on the Gutai Group but as luck would have it, a brush fire broke out near the Getty and it was evacuated and closed for the 2 days that I was there.
All was not lost, here are some notable art exhibitions that I was able to see.
Hammer Gallery
Nic Hess
Urban China: Informal Cities
There was a visually delightful installation by Nic Hess, a swiss artist, who creates Tape Drawings which combines the disciplines of drawing, painting, sculpting, collage and installation art.
Another exhibition that was rather interesting which I was unable to photograph was - Urban China: Informal Cities
here is the Museum's blurb:
Urban China: Informal Cities is an exhibition that explores the dynamic and innovative content of Urban China, the only magazine published in China devoted to issues of urbanism. The magazine’s global, cross-disciplinary network of correspondents and collaborators merge rigorous methods of data collection and analysis of rapidly developing cities in China with witty graphic representations of their findings. This installation will include a built environment of reclaimed construction materials; a massive wall graphic combining photographs, found images, numerical data, and maps; a Flash-based, user-navigable database of photographs; and a selected collection of past issues of Urban China magazine.
At LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum): Your Bright Future: 12 Contemporary Artists From Korea
The artists included were: Bahc Yiso, Choi Jeong-Hwa, Gim Hongso, Jeon Joonho, Kim Beom, Kim Sooja, Koo Jeong-A, Minouk Lim, Jooyeon Park, Do Ho Suh, Haegue Yang.
I was unable to take photographs except for the exterior installation "Happy Happy" by Choi Jeong-Hwa.
My favorites in the exhibition were the following - (photos and videos taken from the internet)
Jeon Jooho
Digital animation "The White House".
The animation depicts a small figure standing outside of The White House on the back of a $20 bill. The figure slowly moves across the bill painting over the windows of The White House, rendering it into a bunker/fortress.
Do Ho Suh
"Fallen Star 1/5"
A beautiful collision of a traditional Korean house into the NY apartment building where Suh first lived when he came to the U.S. Suh has been one of my favorite artists ever since I saw his silk and nylon textile replicas of his childhood home in Korea. Now, Suh has changed his material but the work is no less powerful and poetic.
Video clip - http://www.lacma.org/ybf/artists/suh-fallenstar.html
"Home Within Home"
This piece was absolutely breathtaking. It was the NY house with the Korean house inside of it (the same houses in the Fallen Star piece) all in white. Yes, one is reminded of Rachel Whiteread...but not exactly.
"Staircase"
This was not in the show but it is so beautiful that I'm including it here.
Six Channel Video Projection
Filmed in six locations: Chad, Nepal, Israel, Brasil, Cuba, Yemen.
Kim Sooja taped herself standing still with her back facing the camera amidst a flow of people who either reacted to her or ignored her. The people who pass by provide the interest in the video. Some play to the camera with a variety of facial expressions and actions while others simply provide a rhythm and flow to the counter direction of the piece.
Video Clip - http://www.lacma.org/ybf/artists/kimsooja-women.html
There were other notable discoveries from the LA trip which I will post in the coming days.
Filed under //
Asian Artists
LA Art
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