by design*byproxy -

Party Like It’s 1980

 Raymond Pettibon, Black Flag at the Starwood, Tuesday, November 18, 1980, 1980, photocopy, 11 x 8 1/2 in., collection of The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, gift of Barry Sloane, courtesy Regen Projects, Los Angeles

“Self Portrait with Cadillac”  1979
 by Kenny Scharf
WOW! It’s a crazy time for ART and Design.  So many things to see.  I’ve been partying like it’s 1980. I’ve made it to a few events, but so many more to go; all part of Pacific Standard Time which is an unprecedented collaboration of cultural institutions across Southern California coming together to celebrate the birth of the L.A. art scene. Beginning October 2011, over 60 cultural institutions will make their contributions to this region-wide initiative encompassing every major L.A. art movement from 1945 to 1980.
Friday night I went to check out Under the Big Black Sun at the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA and listen to Henry Rollins spin for MOCA members only party.  The show featured over 130 artists and their work from 1974-81 with topics of race, gender, sexuality, presidential history, international relations, (sub)urban blight, war, spirituality, American life, punk culture, media and Hollywood commentaries, and political activism.  
Be warned: this show will take a few trips to get thru.  Its large and intense.  The show is up till February, so that’s enough time for a few visits.
Saturday night we hit up the opening reception  Royal/T presents East Village West, curated by Ann Magnuson and Kenny Scharf: An infamous walk on the wild side to celebrate California’s Pop Culture and Hollywood’s influence on NYC’s Neo-Dada art movement.  It explored how California pop culture and Hollywood influenced underground club culture and art scenes in the late ’70s and early ’80s.
With art by Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Kenny Scharf and many more, this show was a lot of fun and saw so many old friends.  Even my 3 year old had a blast.  You have until January to check it out.

A few of the notable exhibits in the Design and Architecture Category I’m looking forward to seeing:
–The House that Sam Built @ The Huntington Library 
-Indoor Ecologies: The Evolution of the Eames House Living Room @ LACMA
–Collecting EAMES– The JF Chen Collection @JF Chen
–California Design, 1930-1965: “Living in a Modern Way” @LACMA


See the Pacific Standard Time site to view more information about all the exhibits and events.

by design*byproxy -

A California Minute

California Stars, acrylic and lacquer on panel

Marine Contemporary Presents Jow: A California Minute

C – the dit dit dah of Morse code travels through the
A – dark blue water, white tipped waves beneath the moonlight
L – displaced in a foreign land
I – longing to be back in California
F – distance + desire
O – comforted by the lyrics from that familiar tune
R – sunshine, sand, blue skies, palm trees, LEMONS
N – soul, stars, girls, nights
I – slow pace, laid back, dreamin’
A – California minute

The predominant focus of this show is lyrics from songs about California from the 1960’s and early 1970’s. For the last five years, a significant part of Jow’s work has focused on text and word play with a special emphasis on signs and symbols. More known for her witty and irreverent drawings on vintage letterhead paper, this show marks a departure from that body of work and focuses more on the artist’s love for language in its purest visual form.


For A California Minute, Jow explores the complexity of California’s allure and fantasies about the Golden State’s promise through the simple dots and dashes that articulate Morse code. Extending out of her earlier work with Braille, Jow became interested in Morsecode, not only for its capacity to communicate language and its romantic sense of nostalgia, but also because its graphic qualities are reminiscent of work by minimalist artists of the same period.

On view September 10  –  October 15 2011.
Opening Reception September 10   6-9.

by design*byproxy -

Blank City

“BLANK CITY,” a new documentary on New York’s late ’70s “No Wave” movement screens tomorrow in Newport Beach, CA. The film features LYDIA LUNCH, THURSTON MOORE, JAMES CHANCE, DEBBIE HARRY, JIM JARMUSCH, and more. Check the website for additional screenings.