Group Show at the Bird Museum

To those who think art is for the birds, artist Michael Giancristiano salutes you! He has recently created the Eli Bird Contemporary Art Center, a miniature museum in which
he curates art shows with accurate miniatures of original fine art pieces. I am happy to say his first show features a wide range of work from many contemporary artists, and it includes a miniature of my abstract color photograph the abyss.

I can usually spot Giancristiano's work right away. He knows how to work with wood and media to create something elegant yet organic. I've mostly seen his 'On Thin Ice' series of paintings on plywood which minimally reveal the deeper layers of his work, showing a process that feels persistent, measured, and natural.

As for the Eli Bird Contemporary Art Center, otherwise known as the EBCAC, part of Michael's concept is to have work that invokes nature, and I believe that the EBCAC shows will also benefit children's foundations.


The inaugural EBCAC show has work by the following artists:
Lori Agostino, Dori Atlantis, Arlene Bogna, Paul Blieden, Richard Bruland, Ellen Cantor, Rebecca Hamm, Yoichi Kawamura, Linda Kunik, Daniel Lara, Lynda Lester, Erika Lizee, Rebecca Lowry, Freyda Miller, Amandine Nabarra-Piomelli, Hung Nguyen, Ana Osgood, Paul Pitsker, Bryan Ricci, Gina Stepaniuk, Elizabeth Tobias, David Eli Vaughn, Valerie Wilcox, Karen Frimkess Wolff, Kyoung Ha Yoo.
It's nice to see how many artists find Giancristiano's concept absolutely irresistible.

:: bogna ::

A shout out to the Stripe Factory

I recently wandered into the gallery in Chinatown known as Sister and ran into 'Stripe Factory' by artist Danica Phelps. Stripe Factory is a series of panels with perhaps thousands of little stripes arranged on them. Meticulous? Yes. Fastidious. Oh yeah. Method to the madness? Absolutely. Apparently the artist really made these panels factory-style with assistants to help make all the stripes in the name of efficiency.
What's nice about these panels is how different they seem when viewed from different distances. From one vantage point, a panel seems to hold purely an abstract texture. If you get a little closer, you can detect a pattern. From one angle there is a slight optical illusion, from another you can really see the detailed work. And if you get a little closer, each little piece of a stripe has its own shape and integrity, which can start to feel maddening when seeing so many of them. And I mean maddening in a good way. It's a nice exercise in seeing the forest, or the trees, or the veins of each leaf, depending on a couple of steps.

:: bogna ::

(Detail of a panel from Stripe Factory)

'My Life as a Filmmaker' and other soapboxes

Recently I was asked to speak at Gabrielle Kelly's "My Life as a Filmmaker" class at Los Angeles Film School. I was happy to come and talk about the skills of survival needed in the big filmmaking world out there, but I wasn't sure if I'd be able to fill in the hour and a half. But the students were very cool and very excited about their projects and their goals after graduation. I was impressed that they all seemed to specialize in a trade that complemented their long term goals.
I shared my stories of survival, showed a couple reels, talked about Vista Point Pictures, and listened to their concerns. Then I gave a little bit of tough love that I wish someone had given me: that it is your responsibility as an artist to be resourceful and to do some strategic planning so that you may continue your art and your craft. That it's okay to have professional experience, or to learn something about finances and commerce along the way, without worrying that knowing those things might somehow make you less of an artist or a pure creative. And that it is up to you to keep developing and strengthening your craft and your voice. I think many artists just want a patron to swoop in and develop their raw talent for them, but this ain't the Renaissance. There are things you can do to buy your own independence, even if only in little chunks at a time. Being savvy isn't something that need come only after huge 'overnight' commercial success. Self-reliance means being authentic and responsible throughout the process of your journey as an artist. And as an artist, you may not have a way out of that...
Before I knew it, the class was over, and I was all pumped up from having jumped onto my soapbox. I don't know if my talking was helpful, but I hope to see great things from these students in the future. We are all in this together, after all.

:: bogna ::

Getttin' ready for SAFARI AMERICANA

Yes, it's just around the corner. 'It' being SAFARI AMERICANA: Scenes of Delight, my solo show this summer at Gallery 825 in Los Angeles. I'm excited that I get to have the big space that I wanted in the back, and I get to fill it. And I will. With big, fun colorful images taken with toy cameras from my road tripping. And it's analog, baby. Except for the multimedia component of course. But it's mostly large format color photographs dominating the walls with the images that dominated me when I saw them in "real" life. And since I am about to experience a very rewarding process both as a visual artist and as a filmmaker, I am pulling up my sleeves, rubbing my hands together, and giggling on the inside. I cannot wait!

The secret to Sundance

It's all about the slopes. No, really. That's where it's at. Since everyone is at Main Street or at a screening, no one is hitting the slopes except for a handful of die-hards and locals, and you can get some really nice rides in. A change of pace after dealing with packed shuttles, traffic, agro volunteers (although some are nice), and managing a schedule. It's not for everybody to sneak away from the festival, but if it's for you, kudos on finding time for life. And enjoy the ride.

:: bogna ::

This year, it's personal

It seems that a theme for this year's Sundance is personal filmmaking. Take the premiere of DEATH IN LOVE, a dramatic feature by director Boaz Yakin, who Sundance Festival Director Geoffrey Gilmore calls a "master." DEATH is filled with strong, poignant performances and graphic images, leading the viewer down a dark and twisted road where only the deepest darkest secrets can be revealed. With an interesting theme of the "sins of the mother" being passed onto two sons, DEATH takes place in modern-day Manhattan with a past set in a WWII Nazi concentration camp. As a self-financed indie film, DEATH IN LOVE feels emotionally uncensored. Yakin is giving us what we need to see even if we were afraid to ask for it. Very powerful whether you are ready for it or not.

:: bogna ::

Seriously Inspired

I am deeply moved by the work of Morgan Spurlock. All of it.

I just saw his latest documentary 'Where in the World is Osama?' in which he travels to Egypt, Morocco, Israel, Saudi Arabia, France, Afghanistan, and Pakistan on a personal quest for truth. And in doing so, he lets us meet so many interesting people on screen, people we would have never gotten to meet otherwise, 'people like us' who are ignored by the media, who are moderate in their viewpoints, and who just want a good life for themselves and their families. The new experience of fatherhood apparently helped shape this film too, since Spurlock's drive came from wanting a good and safe world for his child. And after seeing the film's end credits which show us the people he met in his travels, with the song 'Why can't we be friends' playing in the background, I saw that world. Maybe it was just a glimpse, but I saw it.

And I find myself thinking about the film and the filmmaker who calls himself a Warrior Poet and actually walks that walk. Am I starstruck? I doubt it. I'm from LA, and that's just not my style. More like -- seriously inspired. It's like he's always busting out the Socratic Method on all of our unsuspecting asses while delighting us with his witty and entertaining filmmaking. From 'Supersize Me' to '30 Days' to the documentaries like 'Czech Dream' (part of the 'Morgan Spurlock Presents...' series), the questions keep coming and we have to keep growing to keep up.

It is so good and humbling to feel this much admiration for an artist's work. An artist who is asking us all to evolve. And, who knows? It could happen.



(Photo of Morgan Spurlock by Arlene Bogna)


:: bogna ::

What the world needs now...

...is another Sundance blog. There simply aren't enough of them around.
I will endure minus one degree temperatures, packed shuttle buses, and crowded restaurants just to remedy this situation and make sure we have another much needed Sundance blog. You have my word.


:: bogna ::

Yes, we definitely need to be entertained

Maybe it's not included in Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, but it should be. Our need for entertainment runs deep, as seen lovingly in the signage of this neighborhood video store pictured above, which provides movie rentals as well as pool service and supplies (in that order).
It just goes to show that no matter where we are, we definitely need to be entertained. And, say what they will, movies are better for you than even more distracting forms of entertainment (see below).

:: bogna ::

Is it Art? Or is it Real Estate?

There is something amiss this holiday season. News of the strike hasn't gotten any better, the housing sector is the red-headed stepchild of the economy, and arts funding has been cut again after promises of substantial increases. It's pretty blah, blah, blah. And that's just in Los Angeles.

But that feeling of something wrong is not just "the holidays" or "an LA thing." Wrong things happen everyday, around the world, and have been for quite a while now. And you are not the only one to feel that.

A Polish businessman and philanthropist, Daniel Czapiewski, decided to express that notion of dissonance by building an upside-down home, which brings tourists to the tiny Polish village of Szymbark. This isn't just an architectural whim, this is intended to let the visitor get in touch with a deep feeling of dischord, followed by nausea and dizziness, as an emotional metaphor for experiencing inhumanity.

So if you ever thought that a humanist who happens to be president of a wooden home manufacturing firm couldn't possibly be an artist, aren't you glad you get to think again?



:: bogna ::

Ready for Art Therapy?...and other notions

So, I joined up with artist Quinton Bemiller's gallery tour at Bergamot station, and I wanted to share some of the highlights from it that spoke to me. (Quinton is an accomplished and knowledgable artist who speaks about exhibitions like no other guide or docent. His gallery tours are not to be missed.)
I really enjoyed seeing the luminous work of one of the top abstract painters Jimi Gleason at Patricia Faure Gallery. Reminiscent of Rothko, in the sense that you could just sit there and meditate in front of large fields of color for days, but with a textured and unique application of oil paint which made it feel fresh, real, and intriguing.

I was also impressed by the showing in Shoshana Wayne Gallery of the work of Brad Spence. Inspired by clinical psychology, his show "Art Therapy" has a relaxing and healing quality true to its name. As soon as I walked into the space I felt instantly relaxed. And, like with the work of Gleason, I felt my eyes relax as I gazed deeply into and almost past these paintings - the way it feels when I look at the horizon outdoors. I suppose that is the feeling of infinity, and if I can feel it in a painting, that's something.

The work of Susan Woodruff at William Turner Gallery was a fun fluid romp, kind of like looking like a Georgia O'Keefe painting underwater.

But it was the work of David Allan Peters at Ruth Bachofner Gallery at our last stop at Bergamot Station that really took the cake. Ruth came out and spoke to us about Peters' work, which was a real treat. Imagine the patience of painting layer upon layer upon layer upon layer, then using handmade tools to carve out shapes that expose beautiful rings of color in minimal elegant composition...and that's just for the paintings....then, gather the carved-out bits and make a colorful sculptures too. Talk about eye candy. It is, simply put, rockstar friggin' awesome.

:: bogna ::

Public But Not Forgotten: a potato in a parking lot

I am very fond of a certain potato in a parking lot. But it's not just any potato. It's a bronze potato sculpture, and it's sitting in the parking lot of Anawalt Lumber & Hardware in West Los Angeles.
Seriously. Do people even notice it on their way to the hardware store? Do they stop and think how those three massive bronze potatoes could balance off each other so precariously? It is art, after all. Someone had to imagine it and cast it in bronze. It's got a title and everything: "Crutch."
When shoppers use a car remote to lock/unlock their cars, and the potato sculpture happens to be obstructing their view of the automobile, then maybe, maybe, they see "Crutch" for a second... but I think that's about it. I mean, if anyone saw you admiring it in the parking lot, wouldn't they laugh at you?
I guess we've forgotten that art can exist in something as banal and utilitarian as a parking lot. Well, at Pico and Sepulveda, apparently it can. So the next time you need lumber, a bolt, or an eyeglass screwdriver, just remember that art might be lurking someplace unexpected, and closer than you think.

Looking for Something

If you are looking for an antidote to the kitsch trend in art this summer, then look just a little further, like towards Hyperion and Rowena in Silverlake, CA.
"Looking for something and maybe almost finding it" is the title of Kathy Jaroneski's solo exhibition at the Silverlake Neighborhood Council.
Her paintings have a quality of seeing both through and far into an introspective reality.
The color composition is bold and soothing at the same time, like good design, but the forms, strokes, and drips of paint have a motion which makes the paintings come alive.
There is a tension in her work, a dichotomy where discipline meets emotion. Color logic rules over expressive brushstrokes in "Silvia's Lake", while a light palette serves to offset an aubergine storm in "Aubergine #2". It lulls you in then shakes you up. Definitely a must for anyone seeking some emotional authenticity in a season of empty blockbusters and subprime refinancing.

On another note, let's hear it for seeing something you weren't really looking for in the first place, and would rather not have seen, but now that you have you can't help but grin a little. I found myself grinning at the Claremont Museum of Art when I saw this sculpture. You get the picture. You should see what the artist Amy Maloof did to a shopping cart as well.

Enjoy the heat and keep looking.

:: bogna ::

Walking the Art Walk

Did you get to the Culver City Art Walk? If not, there's always next year. Didn't know there were galleries in Culver City? Well, you might want to up your 411 skills and come check it out. Even when there aren't large happy swells of people ebbing in and out of the galleries during an official art walk with live jazz in the air, it's still worth seeing anytime.

I was so happy to see Mike Stilkey at BLK/MRKET Gallery. His solo show HORSE STORIES was beautiful, and his success couldn't happen to a nicer guy. He totally helped me when I was framing a gallery submission and I seriously wish him well. It was good to see so much of his work, especially when accompanied by his whimsical horses on the walls and all those red dots.


I also was thrilled to see Nicola Vruwink at d.e.n. contemporary. I first saw her work at the OPEN SHOW at Gallery 825 and I knew she was a genius for crocheting audio cassette tape. There is a deep satisfaction when looking at - and reading - her work. Between her and Sharon Kagan, knitting and crochet has been forever elevated in my mind as the ultimate avant-garde lovingly ironic art medium.


So, even if you missed the art walk, you can still make it out there and not be disappointed. And if you do find yourself in Culver City, make sure you see Blum & Poe. They started it all. And I do know that every time I go to Blum & Poe I leave happy, like I've really seen something. Usually something big.

WACK! 'd and loving it

If you haven't seen the WACK! show at the Geffen Contemporary, why not? Afraid of feminist art? Don't be. The show has a bit of everything: it's humorous, somber, playful, sad, mischievious, showy, intense, experimental, revolutionary, exploitational, intimate, legendary, so there is something for everyone.

There have been plenty of reviews about WACK! but I just wanted to share the pieces that affected me the most.

First of all, I think one of the funniest inventions of mankind is pantyhose, but it gets better...What if someone made a bold, sophisticated installation out of pantyhose? Not a lame piece, or a pretty docile piece about texture, but something, I dunno, macho, but in an ironic way? There have been times I must say I've been tempted to try, especially after a bad day from a corporate past-life, but Senga Negudi has done what needed to be done and let's leave it at that and enjoy it. It's the first image in the second row on the Geffen's online gallery.

Or have you ever seen any of Judy Chicago's work up close? I still see her Through The Flower piece turning in my head. And nearby was the "soft gallery" - I can now say I have been inside a self-reflective art gallery made of mattresses. So many great pieces but I don't want to spoil the surprises.

Gallery 825 just had an ArtSpeak series with some of the pioneers/renegades of early Feminist Art. We are lucky that we have the opportunity to look at art so politically charged for its time and talk about it openly.

Have you seen WACK!?

:: bogna ::

Crackerjack: Jay Belloli from the Armory Juries Gallery 825 Show...

...and one of my pieces, "tribe", is in it! Tribe is an abstract color photograph (not a painting) and it's all about the moment, a very long moment, an "even longer than you think" moment, captured on film. Check out Gallery 825 - they are a very cool gallery and I am very happy I get to be a part of this show.

:: bogna ::

[ my first blog ] The Getty LA & MOMA NY

So it should be fitting to start my blog after seeing the Tim Hawkinson show at the Getty. I knew I was into something with the Uber-organ that greeting me in the plaza lobby. A large, industrial organic floating plastic bladder organ with tubing that read sheet music, it played a "song" every hour. And, as a security guard pointed out, kind of sounded like a boat horn. After hearing a tune, I was ready for the rest of the show.
You really have to stand in front of the Octopus piece to appreciate it. Even though there are banners all around town showing off its striking color and composition, can you tell what the little suction cups are made from? I couldn't until I stood in front of it, and I won't tell you because I think it's a spoiler. My boyfriend loved the Leviathon piece. It was made largely of super sculpy. Which is very funny for me because I just threw out a big box of it because I was so "over it" and didn't know what to do with it. I should have given it to Tim! My personal favorite however was the bat made out of radio shack bags and around a twist-tie skeleton. The black plastic skin had an unusual texture on the wings, almost transparent in some areas, while the body had fur. I can't get over the little jaw and teeth too. Yes, all out of the black plastic bags courtesy of Radio Shack. I'm glad they are good for something.

As I was in New York recently, I darted in to
MOMA to check out the "Comic Abstraction" exhibit. The empty speech bubbles with colored backgrounds by Rivane Neuenshwander were printed individually, largely and brightly, and bannered around the city...VERY appealing, luring me right in like a moth to a flame.

I was particularly fond of Ellen Gallagher’s pieces, seemingly earthy, even decorative, abstract textures from a safe distance, but if you got closer the texture was actually a pattern of repeating eyes or lips taken from early racist cartoons. Put a whole other spin on the work.

Very fun to behold was the installation of “Speech Bubbles” by Philippe Parreno, and I realized as I stood underneath it, with empty plastic speech bubbles hovering above me, that I had nothing to say. And “Blossom” inspired by the Powerpuff Girls was deliciously colorful and nice to take in...and so many others (okay I’ll stop listing). The web images on the site don’t necessarily do justice but you get the idea. The Security Guards had fun inviting people to go see Jerry in “Waiting for Jerry” who, of course, never arrived.

:: bogna ::