Event Coverage: Trends from the 2018 LA Art Show, by Dale Youngman : Cartwheel Art

Event Coverage: Trends from the 2018 LA Art Show, by Dale Youngman

Posted by Dale Youngman

The LA art show is always one of my favorite events of the year, and this year I was very excited to see so much newness in the contemporary market, with really exciting work from around the world. The first thing I noticed that was a departure from the past couple of years was the resurgence of figurative art. Although there were still many galleries showing exclusively abstract works, I was very happy to see a return to figurative and realistic fine art, and not just from the traditional galleries, but much of it done in a very contemporary way.

Zhenya Gershman at Project Awe

Minas Halaj at Retrospect Gallery

Some of the most interesting work involved new methods of deconstructivism. There was a definite trend towards fractured, fragmented and splintered human forms – making me wonder if it is a sign of the times – are we all falling apart, or do we feel that we are being pulled in opposing directions?Are we mere wisps of our former selves? Is too much being obscured from our view? Or do we just not want to see what is really going on?

Marcus Sebastiano at MRG Gallery

Joseph Lee at Art Unified

Justin Bower, at Patrick Painter Gallery

Wyatt Mills at Mugello Gallery

Mixed media by Juan Miguel Palacios at Retrospect

Another major trend across all genres was bling! There were rhinestones, glitter, mirrors, crystals, and sparkle in works in all mediums from one end of the hall to the other. If you were mining for gold, there was plenty to be had, with Trump’s favorite color showing up in pop art as well as more serious applications. As someone who is often attracted to shiny sparkly things, I was in heaven and took photographs of many favorite pieces. I hope you enjoy!