Even with today’s technology, it still seems difficult to capture the exact moment you begin to fall down on your bum. But capturing that same exact moment in a live performance? Impossible. Chinese artist, Xu Zhen, proves us wrong though. Featured at MOCA (Museum of Contemporary Art) at Grand Avenue, Xu focuses on that exact moment we’re unlikely to process.
Xu Zhen: In Just a Blink of an Eye, July 27–September 1, 2019 at MOCA Grand Avenue. Courtesy of The Museum of Contemporary Art. Photo by Myles Pettengill.
Suspended in midair and frozen in time, a group of performers float mysteriously as if defying the laws of physics. These performers are part of the exhibition titled, In Just a Blink of an Eye. As in, you were standing up straight one moment and in just a blink of an eye, you fall down on the floor trying to comprehend what just happened.
Curator of this exhibition, Amanda Hunt, explains the meaning behind the artworks:
The work engages notions of the body as material, and in turn the materiality of the body, testing the limits of physical and cognitive possibilities as the viewer tries to comprehend what we see. A prolific and experimental artist, Zhen’s conceptually-driven practice encompasses a vast range of media and often employs humor, irony, and sophisticated trickery. As the audience waits for movement, for the performer to stand up, or for them to continue to follow the rules of gravity, they instead experience time and stillness as moments extend and are stretched out on through these living sculptures. Xu Zhen explores fragility and balance, literally and metaphorically, spatially and temporally.
Photo by Myles Pettengill.
Apart from trying to find out how this illusion is achieved, these performance pieces really spark a series of deeper questions. Is this exhibit really a “performance piece”? Can these performers be considered “sculptures”?
Performance art can be traditionally defined as “Live Art,” a performance presented in front of an audience that can be either scripted, unscripted, random, carefully orchestrated, spontaneous or otherwise planned with or without audience participation. It can also take form via media where the performer can be either present or absent.
In In Just a Blink of an Eye, the performers are frozen in mid-action, restricted from any movement other than blinking. In this case, it could be defined as “Live Art,” but the very stillness of each performer begs the question of where and when the “performance” aspect kicks in. The blurred lines get further stretched out when we start referring to the performers as “sculptures”. Because they are suspended and frozen in time, they take on the visual aspect of sculptures. It is only until the performer starts blinking when you realize that this is a live person taking the shape of a sculpture.
However you would like to interpret it, Xu Zhen’s In Just a Blink of an Eye is being exhibited for one last weekend at MOCA Grand Avenue this Saturday and Sunday, August 31st and September 1st from 11am-5pm. Free with purchase of regular admission.
To learn more about this exhibit, check out this video by MOCA:
https://laafa.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/NewLogo52217.png00Ada Ruizhttps://laafa.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/NewLogo52217.pngAda Ruiz2019-08-27 16:00:472019-09-29 11:03:37Xu Zhen: In Just a Blink of an Eye
Getty, Broad, Hammer, LACMA, these are just some of the names that have helped elevate the Los Angeles museum scene from New York City’s ” oft-ignored kid brother” to a prominent player on the world stage. LA is now home to world-class galleries and museums, both public and private, and continues to garner respect from international artists, critics, and patrons alike. But what if you’re looking for something…different?
Looking for something a bit more interesting? Unique? Maybe even, quirky? Los Angeles has far more interesting and exciting places operating under the radar of the established art gate-keepers. Check out these gems that you probably have never stepped foot in… but should!
A portion of the overstuffed collection you can find at the Valley Relics Museum.
(Photo courtesy Tommy Gelinas/Valley Relics Museum)
(Yes, YES you really can find awesomeness in The Valley!!!)
Hours: Saturday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Price: Free
The San Fernando Valley often gets treated like the black sheep of the L.A. area, but this museum tries to give it the tender loving care it deserves.
Much of the collection feels like a shrine to kitsch, from neon signs to classic cars, cute T-shirts to an old school Jack In The Box drive-through intercom. You’ll find rare documents, postcards, BMX bikes, yearbooks (what are they wearing?!), an Alvin (of And The Chipmunks fame) statue, and much more.
It’s the brainchild of private collector and Valley native Tommy Gelinas, who opened the museum in 2013. And it’s got something that those who love the Valley know all about: free parking.
Classic cars shine under the lights of the Nethercutt Collection’s epic showroom. (Photo by Steve/Flickr Creative Commons)
Museum Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Collection Hours: Advanced reservations only; tours Thursday-Saturday at 10 a.m. or 1:30 p.m.
Price: Free
This is a car museum that’s not just a car museum. Tucked away in Sylmar, the Nethercutt Museum is a wonder in and of itself, with more than 130 antique cars restored and in working order. That’s due to the institution’s philosophy of function above all, with a staff dedicated to making sure their stuff actually works.
But beyond the museum, there’s the collection. It requires advanced reservations for a guided tour, but it lets you see a wonderland of functional art. The big showstopper: The “Grand Salon,” a giant, marble showroom designed to match car dealerships of the early 20th century, filled with 30 stunning vehicles from that time period. But the collection also includes music boxes, a 5,000-pipe Wurlitzer Theatre Organ, even antique furniture that you can actually sit your butt on. Remember: It’s all about function.
They also offer concerts throughout the year, using that giant organ to help you enjoy silent movies, special Christmas concerts, and more. But there’s one piece of functional, fine art you’ll need to use to get a spot — a phone, because tickets are only available by phone for a two-hour window. (We failed to secure a spot the last time we tried for a Christmas concert, so may the odds be ever in your favor.)
The Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills. (Photo by Maciek Lulko/Flickr Creative Commons)
Hours: Wednesday-Sunday, 12-5 p.m.
Price: Free, with a $10 suggested contribution; tickets to PaleyFest and other special events range in price
The Paley Center was formerly known as the Museum of Television & Radio, and before that, the Museum of Broadcasting. Despite changing names as much as P. Diddy did, those names still give you an idea what the center is all about: the stuff we watch.
You can see exhibits, showing artifacts from your favorite shows, ranging from South Park to The Crown. You can also go deep — their archives include more than 160,000 TV show, radio programs and ads. Visit and watch everything you’re not getting in your Netflix and Hulu subscriptions.
Their signature event is PaleyFest, with panels featuring stars and creators. Get good seats, and maybe you’ll be able to grab an autograph, despite guards trying to move you along.
Signs from the Museum of Neon Art. (Photo by Jeremy Brooks/Flickr Creative Commons)
Hours: Thursday-Sunday; 12-7 p.m.; Sunday, 12-5 p.m
Price: $10 general admission — and only $5 for Glendale residents
Get ready to burn your eyes’ rods and cones out. Come see the world’s only museum dedicated to that bright light that calls to us by day and especially by night.
The museum has traveled since first opening in 1981, previously setting up shop at Universal CityWalk, Grand Hope Park and the city’s Historic Core. After closing in 2011, it reopened in a new permanent Glendale home in 2016.
Some of the highlights in their collection include neon signs from the Brown Derby and Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. Their current featured exhibitions are “There’s More to Neon Signs Than Liquor, Motels and Live Nude Girls” and “Motel California,” with previous showcases including women in neon, plasma (as seen in those cool globes), and more.
Beyond the museum, they also offer a “Neon Cruise” — a Saturday night bus tour of neon signs, movie marquees and other neon installations throughout Hollywood and Downtown L.A.
VPAM on the campus of East LA College. Photo Credit kid101.com
Hours: Tuesdays through Saturdays from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Price: Free
Vincent Price was most known for his myriad roles in horror cinema, but his side hustle was studying art history and building a formidable art collection (he got an Art History degree from Yale before embarking on his acting career). In the 1950s, he also acquainted himself with East Los Angeles College, eventually recognizing how students of the college could benefit from more opportunities to see art on their campus. In 1957, he donated some of his and his wife’s art collection to kick start the school’s collection.
The museum, which is named after him, has since grown to include a much larger collection and regularly hosts temporary exhibits. Currently, the first comprehensive exhibit of Laura Aguilar’s photography ever mounted is on display. Also, because it is attached to ELAC, it regularly showcases student work as well.
W Magazine: How the Family-Run Underground Museum Became One of L.A.’s Most Vital Cultural Forces. Photo Credit: Deana Lawson
Hours: Wednesdays through Sundays from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Price: Free
The Underground Museum was established in 2012 by the late painter Noah Davis, who dreamed of bringing “museum-quality” art to Arlington Heights, a predominantly working-class neighborhood. The first exhibit was called Imitation of Wealth; in it, Davis re-created famous pieces of art because no museums were willing to lend their work. The exhibit asked questions of artistic hierarchy, class structures, and authenticity, and set the groundwork for a small museum that has grown into one of the most important art spaces in Los Angeles. In 2015, the Underground Museum began collaborating with MOCA, setting up an exchange where Davis would curate exhibits with works from MOCA’s permanent collection. Davis primarily focused on exhibits featuring the black experience in Los Angeles and America; his brother, artist and director Khalil Joseph, installed his video piece m.A.A.d at the Underground Museum before it showed at MOCA under the title Double Conscience. Davis unfortunately passed away at the young age of 32 back in 2015, but his vision and aesthetic are being continued via the new museum director and guest curators. The Underground Museum is also a strong community player in mid-city and South Los Angeles (Black Lives Matter and other groups often use the space to organize).
https://laafa.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/NewLogo52217.png00Lukehttps://laafa.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/NewLogo52217.pngLuke2018-07-02 13:54:212018-07-02 13:54:21Find Your Niche in LA's Museum Scene
Enter your name & email and get LAAFA's newsletter... it's FREE!
The newsletter will come to your inbox with links to awesome goodies only available to newsletter subscribers. Enter your info below and you'll be good to go!
Your information will *never* be shared or sold to a 3rd party.
