“MAN/SON and the Haunting of the American Madonna” at Hyaena Gallery
The Tate/LaBianca Murders, also known as the Manson Family Murders, were a pivotal point in Los Angeles and U.S. culture, signalling the end of the happy days of hippiedom, proving conclusively to grown-ups, squares, and law enforcement that long hair, rock n’ roll, and drugs were bad, beyond bad, beyond the baddest; an evil combination…
Closing Weekend of “Common Tread” at Begovich Gallery, Cal State Fullerton
“Common Tread: Traversing the American Landscape” is a group art exhibition about the great American road trip curated by Martha Lourdes Rocha and Martin Lorigan. Last summer the two curators road tripped to galleries from sea to shining sea, then spent four months installing this impressive show, now in its last week at the…
Preview: October’s “The Macabre Show” at La Luz Highlights Grotesque Beauty
The word grotesque comes from the same Greek root as “grotto,” meaning a hidden place. It was in grottoes, either natural or man-made caves, on their sprawling estates where nobility would have artists create strange, fantasy-driven works of art to surprise, delight and disturb. By the 18th Century, the word’s usage, whether in English, French or…
Stay Up! Los Angeles Street Art a Focus at West Hollywood Book Fair
On a significantly hot day in the City of Angels, the grassy grounds of West Hollywood Park and the city’s adjacent library hosted the 11th Annual West Hollywood Book Fair. Tents upon tents dedicated to all sorts of literary themes filled the space and in one corner of the area sat a group of men…
LA Skin & Ink at Craft and Folk Art Museum
Just inside the Craft and Folk Art Museum on Wilshire, a girl quickly unbuttoned the top of her pants to show off a small tattoo on her the inside of her hip. No exhibitionist, the girl simply showed off her ink design to gain admittance in the locale’s show “LA Skin & Ink.” On opening…
“Once Upon a Time…” Opens at Coagula, Rock Star Gets All Butt Hurt
Art thrives on controversy. The Pre-Raphaelites, the Impressionists, the Surrealists, the Cubists, Abstract Expressionists, Low Brows, and Pop Surrealists all created varying amounts of furor when they were first shown. Some caused riots, others a reassessment of concepts and collections. Aside from Deitch at MoCA there hasn’t been much of stir in the Los Angeles…
Art Platform Raises the Art Bar at Barker Hangar
Say Los Angeles, and people think traffic and celebrities. This weekend screw Carmageddon with its closure of the 405 Freeway–Art Platform is here bringing in stars and ingenues of the art world. Some of the biggest, established names in art along with exciting newer artists, emerging artists, alternative artists, and up-and-comers are on exhibit at…
Cartwheel Preview: LA Skin & Ink Opening at CAFAM
Through “flash” (tattoo drawings on paper and board), photographs, tattoo equipment, and related art and ephemera, L.A. Skin & Ink will feature several noteworthy artists and the stylistic movements that have helped define the significant role of Los Angeles in bridging tattoo with fine art. Participating artists include: Bert Grimm, Bob Shaw, Don Ed Hardy,…
Billy’s Thursday Night Fish Fry Brings Community Together with Cool Acts and Tunes
Every final Thursday of the month, La Luz de Jesus becomes a throbbing scene. Music, comedy and performance art resounds in the gallery as the crowd spills out into the back patio and onto the street, takes in the art, or browses through the huge collection of books, toys, and unusual items in the retail…
“The Breaking Bad Art Show” at Gallery 1988 Melrose
This summer, Gallery 1988 curated “The Breaking Bad Art Project,” a visual representation by artists of AMC’s hit series Breaking Bad. This exhibit was only up for seven days and Cartwheel was able to get a glimpse at the art from this show before it closed. Few pieces remain for sale from this collection, visit…
UAM CSULB – Songbirds of Today and a History Lesson from Long Ago
Apologies for not including the decoder ring in the title, but UAM CSULB stands for University Art Museum at California State University Long Beach …whew! It’s a hidden gem on the campus and definitely worth discovering if you get the chance. Especially since over several months they will have an offering of three different exhibits within the same…