For decades, LA was regarded as the glitzy, tasteless bimbo of the international art scene, where the only ‘masterpieces’ were the swollen lips strolling down Rodeo Drive.
But like the tectonic plates seething beneath our feet, the LA art scene has been soundlessly making moves for years. From the art-punk scene run by artist Marc Kreisel out of Al’s Bar (now closed) to conceptual artist John Baldessari, our Lady Los Angeles has always had the artistic freedom to be anyone she wanted to be.
“I love Los Angeles because it is a place willing to take chances on the new and the provocative. The Los Angeles art scene is fearless in its willingness to embrace the new and different … it is growing and expanding beyond anything one can imagine,” says Mario Vasquez, LA-based curator and art blogger at Super Mario Art: Art in the Fast Lane.
In recent years, DTLA’s arts district has served as the nucleus of the LA art world. But even that’s beginning to shift as art scenes blossom in less-expected places like Glendale, Boyle Heights and South LA.
With his hand on the pulse of LA’s new artists and galleries, Mario illuminates the burgeoning art scene in Los Angeles:
Commonwealth and Council
Koreatown
Showcasing loads of emerging artists, Commonwealth has become an exciting artists’ forum. Recently, they exhibited new work by Alice Könitz—recepient of the 2014 Made in LA Moen Award by The Hammer Museum. Alice’s work revolves around the relationship between form and social.
Artwork by Alice Könitz. Image courtesy of @commonwealthandcouncil
Eastside International (ESXLA)
Boyle Heights
Located on the grounds of the Brewery Artist Lofts (formerly Raid Projects), Eastside runs rotating exhibitions of emerging contemporary artists, such as Bessie Kunath. Eastside also offers short-term artist residencies and hosts artists from all over the world.
Artwork by Kari Reardon. Image courtesy of @eastsideinternational
The Pit | The Pit II
Glendale
An art space run by artists Adam Miller and Devon Oder, The Pit exhibits changing group shows every eight weeks curated by other emerging artists. The most recent show, Flavr Savr*, features artists Math Bass, Danielle Dean, Lynn Hershman Leeson, Ragen Moss and Kathleen Ryan. Check out Pit II, a second, more intimate gallery that opened earlier this year in a former garage.
Artwork by Kathleen Ryan. Image courtesy of @thepitla
TSA (Tiger Strikes Asteroid)
DTLA
TSA is an artist-run network that originally started in Philly in 2009. It opened a new space in DTLA in 2014. Next exhibition opening mid-May is Through the Grapevine, a solo show by painter Justin Michell.
Artwork by Ryan Bulis. Image courtesy of @tsa_la
Joan
South Los Angeles
Joan was co-founded by three art curators: Summer Guthery, Gladys-Katherina Hernando and Rebecca Matalon. The gallery focuses on both emerging and under-recognized artists. Recently, the gallery held a group show on the topic of French actor Sylvia Bataille who was famously the ex-wife of French luminaries George Bataille and Jacques Lacan.
Artwork by Whitney Hubbs. Image courtesy of @joanlosangeles
6 LA Artists You Should Know
Emily Sudd
A ceramics artist whose work combines discarded and kitsch ceramic works and morphs them into new and provocative forms.
Emily Sudd ‘Cabinet pieces’. Image courtesy of @lamGalleryla
Joshua Dildane painting. Image courtesy of @joshuadildane
Joshua Dildine
An abstract painter who recently began using photographs and paint to create a dialogue between memory and gesture.
Chris Trueman
An abstract painter whose work recently showed at Edward Cella Gallery in Culver City.
Chris Trueman painting. Image courtesy of @truemanchris
Nathan Zeidman painting. Image courtesy of @romainchenais
Nathan Zeidman
A painter who recently had his MFA exhibition and whose work is simply magical. Visiting his studio is like walking in a vortex of artistic energy.
Sarah Awad
A figurative painter whose expressive techniques invite the viewer to reconsider line, color and figure.
Jonathan Apgar painting. Image courtesy of @jonathanapgar
Jonathan Apgar
An abstract painter whose treatment of paint and form are beautiful and immersive.
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Belinda Gosbee is an Aussie writer, actress and coffee snob based in Los Angeles. Follow her jaunts on twitter @belindagosbee or instagram @gos22
Header image: Erik Frydenborg Omnibus, courtesy of The Pit art gallery.
