Tag: CAAM
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Artist a Day: Gary Simmons

I first saw Gary Simmons’s work in the magnificent lobby of CAAM last year. The mural titled, Fade to Black is an homage to classic silent films that featured all-black casts. These films were necessary representations that were created to counter the racist depictions of African-Americans in propaganda films like Birth of a…
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The Art that Helped Me Survive 2017

Look, I know it’s dramatic, but 2017 was tough and I’m not even going to try to sugar coat it. Despite this, I saw some incredible work that helped me make some sense of the world we find ourselves in today. Here are 9 highlights: 1. Kenyatta Hinkle, The Evanesced @ CAAM The Evanesced at CAAM…
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Radical Women Take Center Stage in Two Important L.A. Exhibitions

Two exhibitions at the Hammer Museum and CAAM in Los Angeles have taught me one important thing: radical women get things done. If you silence them, they find a way to speak, if you hide them, they will be seen, and if you ignore their work, they will make their presence known. History has an…
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Poems and Portraits: Revealing and Reclaiming Blackness in Western Art

The cover of Robin Coste Lewis’ book, Voyage of the Sable Venus features a Harlem Renaissance era photo of a slim black woman standing on a sidewalk deep in thought. With one hand resting on her hip and the other cradling her chin, the woman is pondering what lies behind the glass window in front…
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Artist a Day Challenge (16): Genevieve Gaignard at CAAM

It’s easy to compare Genevieve Gaignard’s photographic portraits to artists like Cindy Sherman, but once you walk into Smell the Roses, Gaignard’s immersive three-part installation at CAAM, the experience is very different; she invites you to walk into her portraits. With small-scale furniture and mini appliances fit for a tiny home, Gaignard creates wildly complex backdrops that guide viewers on an emotional journey…
