The City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA)’s is excited to announce their upcoming landmark Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA Exhibition Condemned To Be Modern at LAMAG (Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery) in partnership with the Mayor’s Fund for Los Angeles. On view from Sept 10, 2017 through Jan 28, 2018, Condemned To Be Modern, curated by Clara Kim (current curator at London’s famed Tate Modern), opens with a public reception on September 10 from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. at LAMAG (Barnsdall Park, 4800 Hollywood Blvd), which will include a performance piece by Crystal Sepulveda as part of artist Clarissa Tossin’s video projection on Hollyhock House. Condemned To Be Modern is part of PST: LA/LA, a far-reaching exploration of Latin American and Latino art in dialogue with LA. Supported by grants from the Getty Foundation, Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA takes place from Sept 2017 through Jan 2018 at more than 70 cultural institutions across SoCal. As Mayor Eric Garcetti puts it,
“Art has the power to ignite conversation and transform perspectives for people from every background. PST: LA/LA addresses critical issues from civic identity to social unrest, while also evoking the strong cultural connections between Los Angeles and Latin America.”
Condemned To Be Modern takes its title from the infamous words of Brazilian critic Mario Pedrosa and brings together the work of 21 contemporary artists, exploring modernist architecture through their ambitious body of work produced over the last two decades. Artists including Eduardo Abaroa (Mexico), Jonathas de Andrade (Brazil), Leonor Antunes (Portugal/Germany), Alexander Apóstol (Venezuela/Spain), Felipe Dulzaides (Cuba), and Melanie Smith (Mexico) explore the effects, contradictions, and contested legacies of modernism in Brazil, Cuba, and Mexico as expressed through construction of government buildings, public housing, etc. during moments of radical political and social change. Together, their artistic work ignites a powerful dialogue about the role of government and public policy on the development, preservation, and use of the built environment. Additionally, the exhibition examines LA’s own architectural monuments such as the Mayan influences on FLW’s Hollyhock House, illuminating connections between Latin America and the rich architectural history of our city. The exhibition includes a series of auxiliary events as well as an ambitious 160-page catalogue.
Photo Credits:
Top: Mauro Restiffe, Empossamento #9, 2003, Gelatin silver print, Courtesy the artist and Fortes D’Aloia & Gabriel
