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ForYourArt highlights select cultural offerings for the weekend ahead to help you Plan ForYourArt. Visit foryourart.com for a curated list of events for the week of January 21-27th.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 22
Between Science and Magic with Diana Thater
SMMoA (Bergamot Station)
7pm
Artist Diana Thater, known for creating visual and spatial environments through her explorations of film, video and installation, discusses her work and new exhibition, Between Science and Magic. Thater revives the mythology of Hollywood filmmaking and the notion of "movie magic" through images of famed magician Greg Wilson performing in the surreal setting of a defunct, gilded theatre. The piece is conceived of as a meditation on the history of cinema, particularly in Los Angeles. Exhibition on view until April 17. The conversation is free, first come first serve.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 23
John Baldessari: Blue Line (Holbein)
Margo Leavin Gallery (West Hollywood)
3-5pm
The opening reception for a three-part exhibition, the primary component being Blue Line, a three dimensional object with photographic images of Hans Holbein the Younger's "The Body of the Dead Christ in the Tomb" (1521) on two sides. Tipped diagonally and installed perpendicularly to the main gallery's entrance, the work appears as a single, solid blue line. The second component of the exhibition is a modified photograph of the an installation at the Mies van der Rohe designed building of Haus Lange, Krefeld, Germany, where Baldessari literally superimposed photographs of California landscapes over the building's windows, musing on the connections between internal and external space. In a third, room, a video captures visitors' interactions with the installation, calling into question basic notions of experience and perception. Exhibition on view until March 6.
Rodney McMillian: Succulent
Susanne Vielmetter (Culver City)
6-8pm
The opening reception for Succulent, a new exhibition by Rodney McMillian, whose work subtly and poetically explores notions of the public and private, social and domestic spheres of American life. The study focuses on the home as both an object and idea, and ultimately as a liminal space that straddles the fluid boundary between socialized and personalized behaviors. The exhibition also marks the unveiling of the gallery's new space, designed by Peter Zellner. Exhibition on view until March 6.
USC Roski School of Fine Arts Open Studios
Graduate Fine Arts Building (Downtown)
4-10pm
One of my many events hosted each year by Los Angeles' top fine art institutions, the USC Roski School of Fine Arts graduate open studio event presents the work of the school's 16 MFA candidates. From 4pm onwards, the young artists open their studios to share their work with visitors and members from the arts community, with a special series of video and film screenings, performances and a live DJ set. Free and open to the public, with drinks and a reception beginning at 8pm. No RSVP necessary.