Richard Serra, “Sequence”

SFMOMA, Cantor Arts Center, LACMA

This week, SFMOMA released additional renderings of its eminent expansion including new views of the interior.  Snohetta (the chic, Norwegian architects) and SFMOMA haven’t been apologetic or really skirted the issue about plans to basically gut the entire existing building, keeping only Mario Botta’s  postmodern façade.  Climbing SFMOMA’s imposing stairs is literally my first memory of being in a museum.  As a kid, I tried to recreate the alternating bands of polished and flame-finished black granite of these stairs with a set of sleek dominoes on my living room floor.   A friend and I lamented the demise of Botta’s staircase the last time we visited SFMOMA and we brainstormed potential artist projects that might utilize the soon-to-be-dismantled stairs.  (The SFMOMA expansion is going to be LEED Certified so maybe some of the black stone will be reclaimed.)

“Sequence” at SFMOMA of the future.

Alas, the released images show all of this will be eliminated in the expansion, sacrificed for the sake of greater street presence and improved openness to pedestrian traffic flow.  (The $555 million expansion will also double the current amount of gallery space, so there is that.)  New public space includes a multi-storied, glass-fronted gallery open to Howard Street.  In the renderings, this gallery space is filled with a massive Richard Serra corten-steel sculpture.  This isn’t just a filler “scalie” artwork; Serra’s Sequence (2006) will be installed in the new space when the Snohetta expansion opens in 2016.  Sequence is part of the Fisher collection, the donors who generous donated many buckets of ducats for the expansion, and who are kinda-sorta donating their incomparable trove of contemporary art to the museum.

“Sequence” on Howard Street.

Kenneth Anger Inspiration

Matthew Dear’s Her Pleasure Music Video

A month ago, my best friend took me to the Treasure Island Music Festival.  To prepare, I bought glitter (to throw at strangers) and checked out the lineup.  I was dying to see The Presets, whose new album Pacificahas been on a constant loop in my life.  The Gossip was also performing.  I’m a huge fan of Beth Ditto (video involves vogueing), but had never seen their video for Move in the Right Direction. It made me scream: “Barbara Kruger!” within the first ten seconds.  Okay, Kruger doesn’t have omnipresent claim to ALL use of bold text in black, white, and red, but the video is undeniably similar to Kruger’s installations at L&M Arts, her elevator at LACMA, and basically her entire oeuvre.  At least The Gossip creative team was clever and animated the Kruger-like text: cheeky things like “guitar solo” flash during a bridge, and the words “fadeout” appear at the end of the song. Cute.

Video Interlude

A selection (not a curation) of videos from the tumblr.

Birthday gift idea: merchandise collaboration between the Hammer and American Apparel.

LA artist Ramiro Sparks tells us what’s what in Beverly Hills.

And just because, some Versailles, some Dior, and lots of glamor.

Enjoy, H.I.

Donors: Swarovski

J.Lo, Rodarte, and So Much More.

“It’s a new generation of party people.” Yes, yes it is J.Lo.  I’ve been listening to this song non-stop for the past few days, ever since I discovered the video.  Watch it.  You may notice within the first twenty seconds a blatant product placement for Swarovski (see below still taken from the video).  What’s could possibly be inside that box?—A huge-ass crystal earring, which J.Lo puts on, and that opens the flood gates to a crystal-filled club world.  Huge crystal chandeliers and curtains of crystals everywhere!

Geffen Contemporary North Wall Murals

MOCA

I can’t wait to get back to LA to see Art in the Streets. Everyone is going crazy for it, or going crazy because of  it.  Taggers have converged on Little Tokyo and the Popo don’t know what to do.  Deitch says it’s inspirational and motivational. But it has also been controversial.  Small reminder:

MOCA’s Geffen Contemporary’s North Wall in December 2010:

Blu's mural for MOCA, whitewashed.

How the wall appears now:

Collaboration: Lee Quinones, Abel, Cern, FUTURA, Loomit, Push, RISK and Sano.

The new mural is called Birds of a Feather.  Here’s a video of the artists creating it.   I wonder how long MOCA will leave the work up?  Will they whitewash this one too when the show is done, or leave it up for a while?

Look out soon for a future post about another famous LA mural that was whitewashed too.

H.I.

P.S. Who wants to go explore this street art smorgasbord with me when I’m back?