In 2009 MOCA had miraculously survived a financial crisis that left them vulnerable to bankruptcy and acquisition. After receiving an infusion of capital that required them to tighten their belts, the museum was anxious to move forward when they announced their new attitude under the guise of a turnaround campaign called “MOCA New”. When that … Continue reading Same Ol’ MOCA
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 … Continue reading The Art that Helped Me Survive 2017
In 2008, artist Kerry James Marshall was the subject of an oral history interview with the Smithsonian Institute where he recalled his childhood memory of the Watts riots of 1965. He remembered hearing sirens and seeing smoke, miles away coming from where he used to live in Nickerson Gardens. Over the course of the afternoon … Continue reading Kerry James Marshall’s Mastry Examines the Power of the Image
As I near the end of my Artist a Day Challenge for Black History Month, I bring you to the very first name on my list of artists to feature this year, and that is Kerry James Marshall. Mastry, Marshall’s critically acclaimed and highly anticipated retrospective is finally coming to MOCA Los Angeles in March after its two successful runs … Continue reading Artist a Day Challenge (27): Kerry James Marshall
Upon graduating from Cal Arts in the mid 90’s, Los Angeles artist Henry Taylor has cultivated a career as a portrait artist who uses his medium to connect with his subjects. That familiarity shows through in his work as most of his portraits come from impromptu encounters with the people who find themselves in his orbit: family, friends andhomeless people in … Continue reading Artist of the Day Challenge (26): Henry Taylor
“We wear the mask that grins and lies, It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes, This debt we pay to human guile; With torn and bleeding hearts we smile…” ~Paul Lawrence Dunbar There’s something strangely familiar inside the dimly lit living room installation of Mickalene Thomas’s latest exhibition, “Do I Look Like a Lady?” … Continue reading Do I Look Like a Lady? Mickalene Thomas at MOCA
Art and music collide in a beautifully explosive Steinway & Sons collaboration that showcases the Spirio piano in a new light. The Steinway Commission pairs visual artists with Steinway musicians to create unique works of art that reflect their collaborative vision and process. This three year project makes its debut with a Steinway Spirio piano that … Continue reading The Ghost in the Machine: Mark Bradford & Robert Glasper Combine Creative Forces
Noah Davis’ storefront installation titled “Imitation of Wealth” is nearing the end of its 5 month run at MOCA Grand. If you haven’t seen it, you have 3 days left, it’s free and it’s a fascinating work. The installation is housed in a small vacant conference room space across from the museum’s gift shop and is … Continue reading Artist a Day Challenge 2016-19: Noah Davis “The Imitation of Wealth”
Kahlil Joseph: Double Conscience It’s a peculiar sensation, this double-consciousness, this sense of always looking at one’s self through the eyes of others, of measuring one’s soul by the tape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity.” ~ W.E.B Du Bois For me, a great litmus test for a good piece of … Continue reading Seeing Double at MOCA
One day, I will crack the code to Retna’s personalized alphabet that is a skillful fusion of Old English, Hebrew, Asian and Arabic calligraphy. In the meantime, I enjoy his work in abstraction. I love the symmetry and repetition in his murals. This particular one was painted for Jeffrey Deitch when he was at MOCA circa 2013. Continue reading Artist a Day Challenge No.5: Retna
Culture Shock Art 