With a gathering of minds comes a convergence of ideas, artistic wavelengths and paths of creativity. This Saturday, The Holding Co. in Los Angeles is hosting L'art Pour L'art which will bring together artists from across a wide spectrum of creative disciplines. The very act of creation can be a solitary experience and this is a refreshing and wonderful opportunity to join artists from the community. L'art Pour L'art hosts art industry mixers seasonally with the next event taking place this Saturday April 28, 2012. The event will include over 20 different artists and local bands (Princess Pangolin, Byron Blocker and the Offbeats, and Monroe) giving way to a wonderful chance to exchange ideas, form friendships, and create professional bonds. There will even be an interactive Etch A Sketch wall. An exciting group of artists will be featured in this season's event and a few of them were kind enough to take time out of their madly insane schedules to share a few words with me about their work.
BAHA DANESH is a non-stop contributor to L.A.'s underground art life. Her work has been featured in the Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, L.A. Weekly, and Juxtapose Magazine.
Sirisuk: What inspired you to organize L'art Pour L'art?
Danesh: I created LPL because I grew up in a family that never understood the true meaning behind being an artist. Growing up I was told creating and designing are just hobbies and that I should focus on more important subjects such as becoming a doctor or lawyer. This only frustrated me and permitted me to form a family that consisted of only artists. The LPL family hosts our gatherings with open hearts and minds and believes that we can all achieve and learn from our time together, and we see limitless potential in our friends and the individuals who surround us. We open our doors to a variety of artists and unfortunately some artists don't know how to step into today's fast paced art world. This is where the LPL family jumps in and lends a helping hand by showcasing their art and music at our industry mixers.
Photo courtesy of Baha Danesh
Sirisuk: Is your own work going to be included, and can you tell me about your own artistic endeavors?
Danesh: Yes, I enjoy sharing my art work at LPL because it's a great place to express my excitement and to receive feedback from other local Los Angeles artists. Telling stories through bright colors and unfortunate mishap is just half of what I do. Clearly creating any form of art consists of fun and adventure. I do this by building bridges between myself and the rest of humanity -- reuniting and recording fragments of thought, feeling, and memory, and presenting things that I can't express in any other way.
I came from a country where freedom of art and speech is very censored. This has allowed me to see how lucky I am and only pushes me more to express my artistic endeavors. I was born in Iran Tehran and after the Iranian Revolution my parents moved to sunny Los Angeles, California. Being not too far from the entertainment and business capital of Los Angeles, I started discovering and exploring my artistic abilities at a young age. Today I am very involved with the Los Angeles art community and I believe a person who loves to create and to design will never want to stop learning, exploring, or growing.
Photo courtesy of Baha Danesh -- the artist's own work
Sirisuk: What can people expect from this year's event?
Danesh: For our spring showcase I am pleased to say we've created a place where the guest becomes the artist. This opens up the door to endless possibilities by not only showing what others have expressed but by giving each guest the tools to express what art is to them. At the LPL industry mixers we encourage our guests to interact with each other, which is why for our spring showcase we have teamed up with Ohio Art and are bringing the classic Etch A Sketch toy and creating an interactive Etch A Sketch wall. Please, don't just take our word for it. Join us to experience this for yourself, and maybe you too will find the artist within.
VANESSA LOPEZ hails from San Diego. Her art has been featured in numerous shows including a Dia de Los Muertos celebration at Cal State Northridge and in the previous season of L'art Pour L'art.
Sirisuk: Is there a certain theme to your work this year?
Lopez: My theme for this show is the Sleepy Lagoon Murder Case of 1942 resulting in the Zoot Suit Riots of Los Angeles in 1943. Though all of my paintings start off as sketches, my focus is acrylic on wood. Last year I was into wood burning. I was very inspired by Dia de los Muertos and I made wooden skulls. That was kind of my thing for a while.
Pachuca (photo courtesy of Vanessa Lopez)
Sirisuk: What did you work on for this show?
Lopez: For this show I am contributing non-traditional portraits of some of the 300 people who were unjustly arrested for being "Pachucos" during the Zoot Suit Riots.
Pachuco (photo courtesy of Vanessa Lopez)
Sirisuk: Why did you decide to contribute your work to this specific event?
Lopez: I heard about the event from my friend and fellow artist Hilda Rios. I decided to contribute my work to show support for other up and coming artists. I wanted to be part of something positive, to support the artistic community.
KOJI OHMURA is a Japanese-born artist who has worked in Los Angeles for eight years as a special effects makeup artist. He has worked on numerous film and television projects including Inception, Super 8, Alien vs. Predator: Requiem, and CSI.
Sirisuk: What pieces are you contributing to the show?
Ohmura: I will bring my concept art sculptures from my stop motion film "Victoria's Zombiecret." I am planning to show four characters: Clownmbie a zombie clown, Amber a pet zombie, 6-year-old Victoria, and 21 year old Victoria.
The artist at work (photo courtesy of Yojigenya/ Koji Ohmura)
Sirisuk: Are they part of a greater project -- if so please tell me a bit about it.
Ohmura: I am in the film industry working as a special effects makeup artist and a sculptor. I always wanted to make my own film and I started to make several short films by myself. I found joy in making stop motion films so I decided to make the film "Victoria's Zombiecret." This is about a girl named Victoria who gets a pet zombie from her parents on her birthday. She names him Amber and treats him as her best friend. One day, she puts clown makeup on Amber and goes to Halloween party. It is a dark but cute story and I love making my stories a little silly.
Amber Clownmbie (photo courtesy of Yojigenya/ Koji Ohmura)
Sirisuk: What are you most looking forward to at Saturday's event?
Ohmura: I always look forward to seeing other artists' works. I think whenever I go to art shows, I get inspired by others and I find a new idea for my art. Last time, when I visited Holding Co. I was so amazed by other artists' works. I am excited to go there again this Saturday.
For more by the artists, please visit:
Baha Danesh: http://www.bahaart.com/
Vanessa Lopez: http://vnlpz.blogspot.com/
Koji Ohmura: Facebook.com/Yojigenya
Event: L'art Pour L'Art
Time: 7 p.m. - 2 a.m.
Address: 104 Robinson Street, Los Angeles, CA 90026
Website: www.ArtForArtMixer.com
21 + $10.00 pre-sale, $15.00 at the door