Wolfgang Tillmans at Regen Projects

Thanks to a colleague for informing me about the Wolfgang Tillmans show opening at Regen Projects tonight.  I stopped by on my way home from work before the actual opening since I hate the crowds.  I honestly can say I'm not real familiar with the photographer's work but this show I found to be eclectic.  Within the two spaces, Tillmans had put together video, and 3 separate "series" of photographic work.  I say series because I honestly don't know if they were meant to be part of a cohesive unit or rather just variations on a common theme.  

There were several table style displays in which Tillmans had accumulated various archival pieces such as newspaper articles, laser discs of Terminator 2 and 3, stamps and postcards (one ironically addressed to a gentleman with the same name as a coworker, Jose Marroquin), and other ephemera.  There were also large black and white photographs, which I learned were actually blown up xerox copies.  Of those I liked the detail of the mihrab in a mosque and the closeup of the wooden screen.

My favorite "series" though, was the abstract work.  Predominantly swatches of color, Tillmans bent, folded, and crinkled the photo paper to provide a truly sculptural quality.  While photographs traditionally are thought to be two dimensional objects of three dimensional space, Tillmans has taken a two dimensional "object" (color) and given it a three dimensional quality.  

If nothing else, the show displays Tillmans versatility in his craft.

Phantom Sightings/Philip-Lorca diCorcia

Sooo....It's been a good 8+ months since I wrote on this, but I figured, what the hell. I'll post. This evening I went to LACMA to see the soon to close Phantom Sightings exhibit (closes Sept 1). It was an exhibit that I had wanted to see since before it opened, and somehow never got to it until now. There was so much work by so many different artists that at times I was overwhelmed, but still found it informative, visually intricate, and flexible enough that I didn't feel forced to go from A to B to C. I was happy to see text panels in English and Spanish (why doesn't every museum in LA have this for every exhibit at this point?). Some of the pieces I particularly enjoyed were the Volkswagon and cacti/succulent plants (made from actual Border Patrol uniforms) by Margarita Cabrera and Julio Cesar Morales's watercolors based on actual photographs of individuals hidden in vehicles trying to cross into the U.S. If nothing else, Phantom Sightings causes the viewer to reflect on the circumstances that Latinos and Chicanos encounter in this country.

I also took the time to visit the Philip-Lorca diCorcia exhibit. As is often the case with contemporary artists, sadly to say, I was not familiar with his work. It involved pieces from several series including hustlers, pole dancers, and city dwellers. It also included a portion of 1000 polaroids he had taken, which I wish had been a little easier to view. There is a video of it online and a book available for purchase. diCorcia's photos are theatrical, yet don't exude drama. Particularly with the photos of the pole dancers from the Lucky 13 series, the individual being photography appears to be more of in a state of tranquility?! I was shocked to see the prices of hustlers in the earlier 90's (some as cheap as $20), which was included in the title of each photograph as well as the name, age, and where the person came from to LA.

A couple exhibits I'm looking forward to that will be opening at LACMA in the next couple months are Contemporary Projects 11: Hard Targets—Masculinity and Sport and Vanity Fair Portraits: Photographs 1913–2008 (SOOOOO LA!).

I hope you enjoyed my post and I promise I will try and write more frequently. On a side note, I am beginning to shoot some photos and may be volunteering soon at an art foundation assisting with their archive. Plus, I will FINALLY be applying to graduate school over the next 3 months. As always, please post so I know how you feel about my blog.

A Blast from the Past

I know this isn't in West LA, BUT I thought I should let everyone know (meaning the 2 people who actually read my blog when I actually post in a blue moon). Opening next weekend at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego is Erwin Redl's Matrix II piece that originally was exhibited at the Ecstasy exhibit at MOCA in LA a little over two years ago. I've written about Redl's work before (see July 29, 2007 post, "The Dynamic Grid") and absolutely LOVE it. If you get the chance to go see his lightwork, I definitely recommend it. If you plan accordingly, you can also see an exhibit of Robert Irwin, another artist working with the medium of light. Let me know what you think of Redl's Matrix II.