Tom Kiefer’s aim — to document atrocity — is clear. But his exhibit at the Skirball Cultural Center raises a number of important ethical and legal questions about whose stories he tells, and how.
Hyperallergic

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Los Angeles
January 22, 2020

 

Letter from the editor:

Sometimes an artist's good intentions aren't enough. Jacquelyn Ardam grapples with a photography project by Tom Kiefer, which documents the personal objects confiscated from migrants (and later discarded) at a border control facility in Ajo, Arizona. "Out of context," she writes," many of the vibrant images could easily be read as glossy ads for products sold at Target."

The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art (founded by Star Wars creator George Lucas) won't be opening until 2022 but has already made a major acquisition: 37,000 items of Black film memorabilia. Discover some of the objects here. 

Also, if you're looking for something to do this weekend in LA, artist Nayland Blake is hosting a party at Zebulon, during which performance artists Nao Bustamante and Marcus Kuiland Nazario promise to reveal your true gender to you.

 

Elisa Wouk Almino

 
 
 

Why a Photo Exhibit of Objects Seized at Border Control Feels Sanitized

Tom Kiefer’s aim — to document atrocity — is clear. But his exhibit at the Skirball Cultural Center raises a number of important ethical and legal questions about whose stories he tells, and how.

Jacquelyn Ardam | Skirball Cultural Center, through March 8

 
 
 

Event Pick

 
 

Nayland Blake Hosts a “Gender Discard Party”

The artist’s 21+ event will feature an irreverent “Gender Reveal Party,” party games, a makeover station, and more.

Matt Stromberg | Zebulon, January 26, 8pm–11:59 pm

 
 
 

SPONSORED

 
 
 
 

News

Actress Ellen Barkin Reveals She Was Assaulted by Carl Andre in the Late ’70s

Recalling an incident when working as a waitress at 22, Barkin says that Andre choked her over an issue with her service, connecting that assault with Andre’s alleged murder of his wife, artist Ana Mendieta.

 

A Sotheby’s Partnership Brings Together Old Master Paintings and Streetwear

The limited-edition collaboration between the auction house and streetwear site Highsnobiety brands t-shirts and hoodies with Old Master paintings from Sotheby’s upcoming Masters Week 2020.

 

An Oscar Nominee May Be Unable to Attend the Ceremony Due to Trump’s Travel Ban

Syrian director Feras Fayyad, whose film The Cave is nominated for Best Documentary Feature, is the latest high-profile artist experiencing visa troubles.

 
 
 
 

Reviews

 
 

An Art Movement Unapologetic About Love and Pleasure

Artists of the Pattern and Decoration movement expanded our perceptions around what is worthy of being called art.

Elisa Wouk Almino | MOCA, through May 11

 
 
 
 

A 360º Installation Can Transport You to a Dreamy, Black-and-White Universe

In Oscar Oiwa’s 360º installation, Dreams of a Sleeping World, rippling circles resemble hundreds of eyeballs, rabbits emerge from black voids, and plant life springs out of stippled marks.

Reneé Reizman | USC Pacific Asia Museum, through April 26

 
 
 

SPONSORED

 
 

Claremont Graduate University Redefines Arts Education for the 21st Century

The Center for Business and Management of the Arts at CGU is redefining education in art making, markets, and management through its innovative interfield programs, entrepreneurial thinking, honest self-reflection — and oh, Los Angeles.

 
 
 
 

Meet LA’s Art Community: Gajin Fujita Likes to Think About “What LA Was Like, Way Back When”

An interview series spotlighting some of the great work coming out of Los Angeles. Hear directly from artists, curators, and art workers about their current projects and personal quirks.

Elisa Wouk Almino

 
 
 
 

37,000 Items of Black Film Memorabilia Acquired by the Lucas Museum

The collection includes items from silent era “race films,” an independent movement during which Black filmmakers told their own stories and distributed films to theaters serving Black viewers.

Monica Castillo

 
 
 
 

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