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CONTEMPORARY EDITIONS LOS ANGELES Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions
(LACE) distinguishes itself by serving as a laboratory for open,
artistic experimentation and creative expression, where artists—including
under- represented, newly emerging, as well as established artists—have
the freedom and the opportunity to take risks. To foster this mission,
LACE supports artists in the research and development of new works.
The results, while not always predictable, are based on challenging
and expanding the role of contemporary art in Los Angeles and in
society at-large. Contributing Artists:
Contemporary Editions Los Angeles is an entrepreneurial initiative inaugurated by Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions in May 1998 as part of the organization's efforts to sustain its fiscal health, and promote its economic growth and autonomy. All proceeds from the sale of these editions will be applied toward the programs at Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions, which maintains an unwavering commitment to innovation in the visual arts. To foster its mission, the organization supports artists in the research and creation of new works for public presentations by bringing the resources of the institution to bear upon individual production. This approach emphasizes exploration and risk-taking for both the artist and organization, and the results, while not always predictable, are based on a curatorial interest in challenging its limitations while expanding the role and location of contemporary art.
MARTIN KERSELS Angry Horde, 1998, orange tree
branch, torch head, torch hose, valved propane tank of 20
ounces, striker, hanging hardware; orange tree branch c. 20" x
2 1/2", torch hose c. 6'; overall dimensions of installation
vary; numbered, signed, and dated on bottom of orange tree branch;
ed. of 15 Much of the work of Martin Kersels embodies a humorous contrast between awkwardness and grace. Angry Horde is no exception. The piece consists of an orange tree branch with a hole drilled through it vertically from top to approximately one-third from the bottom. Threaded through the hole is a rubber hose connected to a torch head embedded in the top of the branch and, at the other end, to a small propane tank that sits on the floor. Accompanying the piece is a striker like those used in labs to ignite bunsen burners; embedded in the branch is hardware that offers the option of hanging the piece on a wall. Kersels has created an amusing, poignant, and utterly non-partisan object that can function as easily for a member of rioting mob as it can for the collector who needs an elegant poolside torch. A multi-media visual artist, Martin Kersels's work has been exhibited across the country and worldwide, in such shows as "Defining the Nineties: Consensus-Making in New York, Miami, and Los Angeles" at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Miami, the 1997 Whitney Biennial, "La Belle et La Bete: Un Choix de Jeunes Artistes Americains" at the Musee d'Art Moderne Ville de Paris in France. He is represented in Los Angeles by ACME.
SHARON LOCKHART Ben Gazzara, Los Angeles, California,
March 21, 1998,
1998, Selenium-toned silver gelatin photograph in welded aluminum
frame, 19 1/2" x
22 3/4" x 1 1/4", numbered, signed, and dated on reverse;
ed. of 15 In a rare black-and-white portrait, artist Sharon Lockhart creates a quiet yet intensely provocative character study. The subject is actor Ben Gazzara, a well-known colleague of director John Cassavettes, whose films have greatly influenced Lockhart. This photograph is unusual within the artist's impressive body of work because of its subtle scale, which matches nearly one-to-one the size of the subject's head. The image was captured using an 8" x10" camera, which offers intriguing and at times unsettling detail (including the reflection of the camera in the eyes of the subject). Like much of Lockhart's work, this photograph invites quiet contemplation and rewards sustained viewing. The carefully calibrated size of the image, combined with the rich use of black and white, make this photograph unique -- an intimate exposure of the subject in repose as well as of the artist's passion for her mentor, the great filmmaker Cassavettes. Sharon Lockhart's work has been seen in numerous prestigious group exhibitions and film festivals such as "Hall of Mirrors: Art & Film Since 1945" at the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art, the 1997 Whitney Biennial, Sundance film festivals, and "New Directors/New Films" at the New York Museum of Modern Art. In 2000 she will have a solo exhibition at the Museum Boijmans van Beuningen in Rotterdam. She is represented by Blum & Poe of Santa Monica.
PAUL MCCARTHY Unresolved Images, 1968-1971, 1998,
21 silver gelatin prints on 4-ply matboard with handwritten vellum
sheet and red, leatherette-covered handmade box, 8 1/4" x 10 1/4" x
1 3/4" closed,
each photograph is 8" x 10", numbered, signed, and dated
on vellum sheet Between 1968 and 1971, Paul McCarthy took a series of photographs which, while never printed, were used privately by him as references for later work. This collection of photographs comprises Unresolved Images, 1968-1971. Collectively, the photographs in this piece offer an astonishing look at the mind of McCarthy in the early years of his artistic development. The photographs are mounted on heavy board and are presented in a special box. They are accompanied by a vellum sheet with comments handwritten by McCarthy that instruct the viewer to handle the photographs "like a deck of cards," rather than framing or mounting them. An internationally recognized artist, Paul McCarthy has been a prominent presence in the Los Angeles art scene since the early 1970s. He has influenced generations of younger artists through his multi- disciplinary artistic practice, which include film, video, performance, and photography, and as a professor at UCLA. In 1980 McCarthy presented two performances at Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions. His work has been exhibited worldwide, and he is collected in major international museums. Patrick Painter Inc. of Santa Monica represents him locally.
JORGE PARDO Eucalyptus, 1997, nine silkscreen
prints, each print is 13 1/4" x
9"; installation
vary, numbered, signed, and dated on reverse, printed by Christian
Zickler, Frankfurt;
ed. of 15 Jorge Pardo's interest in the peculiar landscape of southern California and the play of modernist forms has resulted in these 135 unique botanical studies. The entire edition was made from twelve silkscreens that have been layered and reconfigured in different colors and combinations. The result is fifteen exquisite portfolios, each comprised of nine monoprints in combinations set by the artist. Because Pardo reconfigured the templates each time a print was pulled, every print -- and thus every portfolio -- is unique. The edition in its entirety was exhibited in "Home Sweet Home" at the Hamburg Deichtorhallen last autumn. Pardo is represented by Patrick Painter Inc., Santa Monica. Jorge Pardo, a Cuban-born, Los Angeles-based artist, is widely known for producing artwork that combines elements of sculpture, design, and architecture. In 1998, the Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles unveiled one of his largest projects to date -- 4166 Sea View Lane, a house in the Mount Washington area of Los Angeles that the artist designed, built, and in which he resides. Pardo's work has been included in numerous group exhibitions around the world, including, "KolnSkulptur 1" in Cologne; "Assuming Positions" at the Institute of Contemporary Art, London; "Rooms with a View -- Environments for Videos" at the Guggenheim Soho in New York, and many others.
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