No longer an outlier from the busy Europe– New York art corridor, Los Angeles is rapidly becoming a serious contender and thriving hub on the world art scene.
Before Los Angeles could reasonably have been characterised as a global city on the level of New York and London, the film industry captured the world’s imagination.
As long as there has been an entertainment industry, Los Angeles has been its epicentre.
A recent influx of artists, dealers, and museum directors has transformed the region into a significant global player in yet a different creative industry.
With its internationally recognised museums, galleries, and artists, Los Angeles is well on its way to becoming the new art capital of the world.
This week there are a host of artists and exhibitions opening in LA. Here are some of the spaces to watch:
Connected Spaces: Cheryl Ann Thomas + Michael F. Rohde
American Museum of Ceramic Art, 399 N. Garey Ave., Pomona.
Ceramic sculptures by California artist Thomas and woven tapestries by her longtime friend Rohde are on display from March 12 through Aug. 21.
Also on view: Ashwini Bhat: Imprinted, Assembling California, sculptures, photographs and a video work by the San Francisco artist (through May 1).
Ann Phong: Re-Evaluating Normal
Begovich Gallery, Cal State Fullerton, 800 N. State College Blvd.
The California artist’s large-scale paintings exploring the pandemic, social strife and environmental degradation are displayed from March 12 through May 21. Open Tuesdays-Thursdays; Fridays by appointment. Free. fullerton.edu
Parisian Ecologies: The City Transformed in Nineteenth-Century Prints and Drawings
Benton Museum of Art, Pomona College, 120 W. Bonita Ave., Claremont;
Vintage images of Paris, on view March 24 through June 25.
Infinity Mirrored Room — The Souls of Millions of Light Years Away
The Broad, 221 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A.
Ahh, one of my favourites, this popular immersive environment created by artist Yayoi Kusama reopens March 2.
Also on view: Since Unveiling: Selected Acquisitions of a Decade, works by John Baldessari, Julie Mehretu and others added to the Broad collection over the last ten years (through April 3).
Deborah Roberts: ‘I’m’
California African American Museum, 600 State Drive, Exposition Park, L.A.
The artist interrogates concepts of Black beauty, race and identity concepts in mixed-media work on paper and canvas on view March 19 through Aug. 20.
Also: Mario Moore | Enshrined: Presence + Preservation, portraits celebrating frontline and essential workers, members of marginalised groups and others (March 23 through Oct. 2).
LaToya Ruby Frazier: The Last Cruze, photographs, video and an architectural installation documenting 2019 shuttering of an auto plant in Ohio and its effect on the local working-class community (through March 20).