Los Angeles
February 22, 2023 Despite reports of booming business and a more open art world, much of it remains opaque. | Matt Stromberg The art displayed in the rooms of Hollywood’s Roosevelt Hotel this year proves that Minimalism is officially dead. | Renée Reizman Shuffling between a tattoo-parlor-slash-glory-hole and vibey sound chandeliers, I was reminded of the artistry and creativity this show welcomes. | Sarah Quiñones Wolfson Become a member today to help keep our reporting and criticism free and accessible to all. Become a Member WHAT TO SEE MexiCali Biennial: Land of Milk & Honey
Feb. 25–May 28
The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture, 3581 Mission Inn Avenue, Riverside, California (riversideartmuseum.org) Launched in 2006 by artists Ed Gomez and Luis G. Hernandez, the MexiCali Biennial explores the cultural and artistic terrain of California and Mexico. This year’s edition, Land of Milk & Honey, focuses on the region’s agricultural and culinary significance and associated issues surrounding labor, ecology, and politics. California was touted as a bountiful Eden by early promoters of the state, however the flipside of this starry-eyed view was exclusion, exploitation, and corruption, themes that the Golden State is still reckoning with. Participating artists include Carolyn Castaño, Edgar Fabián Frías, Narsiso Martinez, Ruben Ochoa, Jazmín Urrea, and many others. Mulyana: Modular Utopia
Feb. 25–Apr. 8
USC Fisher Museum of Art, 823 Exposition Blvd, University Park (fisher.usc.edu) With his immersive installations made from knit and crocheted objects, Indonesian artist Mulyana gives intimate hand-craft a monumental spin. For Modular Utopia, his first solo show in LA, he continues his explorations of undersea environments that are shaped by his own personal mythology and Indonesian folk traditions and costumes. He fills his tableaux with imaginary creatures alongside depictions of a full-sized whale skeleton and dying coral reefs, mixing fantasy with the realities of fragile marine ecosystems. Dreamtime™: Jane and Louise Wilson
Jan. 21–Mar. 25
Contemporary Arts Center Gallery, UC Irvine, Mesa Parking Structure, 4002 Mesa Road, Irvine (uag.arts.uci.edu) British sibling duo Jane and Louise Wilson are known for their cinematic installations that often focus on institutional spaces such as governmental or military spaces, and the historical legacies they represent. Dreamtime™ looks at the Cold War, a quintessentially 20th-century conflict that has taken on a new life in the 21st. The exhibition is anchored by two works: “Stasi City” (1997), which was filmed at the former headquarters of the defunct East German spy agency; and “Dream Time” (2001), which takes its title from an American media company that advertised on the side of a Russian rocket en route to the International Space Station in 2000. MORE ON HYPERALLERGIC A video shared online shows a swastika that appears to transform into an emblem of the Islamic Republic taped to a fence in front of the museum. | Taylor Michael |
