Barnsdall Art Park Presents Loitering is Delightful Exhibit

LA’s Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA) and the Barnsdall Art Park Foundation (BAPF) will present Loitering is Delightful, an exhibition that brings together 10 LA artists to explore the joyful possibilities of slowing down, particularly relevant in this fast-paced digital age. Taking place at Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery from Oct 31 - Jan 12 - with an opening reception on Sun, Oct 27 from 2-5pm - Loitering is traditionally considered the preserve of delinquents and, generally speaking, those up to no good. The show reflects on public space and who is entitled to occupy it while many of the artists are enabling visitors to loiter with seating, objects to contemplate, etc. so visitors can slow down from their busy lives to delight in daydreaming and dawdling.

As Ross Gay reminds us in his incisive essay Loitering Is Delightful “the darker your skin, the more likely you are to be ‘loitering.” Gay goes on to point out that for people of color, any public display of “non-productive delight” - from loitering to laughter - can be censured. This leads to questions such as …at which point does lingering cross into criminal territory? What does ‘loitering’ really mean? And why is it frowned upon? Could loitering offer some respite from the capitalist cycle of consumption and production in a world consumed by digital devices and driven by productivity? Loitering is Delightful invites you to delight in dawdling. Some new works include:

• Cauleen Smith is making two new videos that document her making a flower arrangement in her studio, one with blue and yellow flowers (the colors of prison scrubs for men and women) and another in orange, the color of federal prison jumpers. After she completes the arrangements, she will deliver them to the entryway of the LA County jail.

• Lani Trock is creating a monumental installation in the center of the gallery, featuring hanging bougainvillea, hydroponics plants and meditation cushions.

• Megan Whitmarsh is producing a new installation comprising hand-sewn textile sculptures and cushions, with hanging fabric plants. It will include a fabric newspaper featuring excerpts of various texts relevant to the exhibition themes. Image attached.

• David Horvitz is making a large-scale installation entitled ガールソーン (gārusõn) which will offer Japanese tea to visitors.

• Ishi Glinsky was inspired by the concept of loitering to consider the notion of occupation. During their takeover of Alcatraz, the American Indian Movement showed how occupying space can be a political act. Glinsky drew on the history of this protest and the rich iconography of tribal cultures to produce a 10 ft tall (faux) leather jacket, invoking loitering as a political statement and an act of counter-cultural defiance.