The buzz of creation, collaboration and discovery in the air this week is almost palpable as Los Angeles gets set to serve as the epicenter of the contemporary art world with the joint openings of Frieze Los Angeles and Felix Art Fair.
Galleries in Downtown Los Angeles, Hollywood and Santa Monica will open their doors to art lovers and aficionados to provide them with the exclusive opportunity to experience some of the world’s most breathtaking and groundbreaking works and offer them the chance to hear from the artists themselves about the inspiration and intention behind their creations.
Navigating this treasure trove of awe-inspiring artwork sprawling across the Los Angeles landscape can seem overwhelming. I believe in art’s power to inspire and inform, transcend borders, nurture greater cultural understanding and appreciation, and build a more inclusive future for all.
First, you’ll need a quick recap of Frieze Los Angeles and Felix Art Fair. Then, you’ll need to check out these three must-see exhibits that fully embody that spirit of inspiration, innovation and connection.
Frieze Los Angeles
Frieze Los Angeles 2024, held at the Santa Monica Airport from Feb. 29 – Mar. 3, features over 95 of today’s most exciting galleries from around the world and promises to be a dynamic convergence of art, innovation and community. This highly anticipated event showcases the best of contemporary art from around the globe, bringing together a diverse array of established and emerging galleries, artists, and cultural institutions from the East and West and providing them a platform to connect and collaborate. From traditional paintings and sculptures to cutting-edge multimedia installations, Frieze Los Angeles delivers an eclectic mix of artworks that push the boundaries of creativity and challenge conventional norms.
Felix Art Fair
Felix LA runs Feb. 28 – Mar. 3 at the historic Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel and will feature artwork from 66 galleries along with a more relaxed, poolside vibe.
Felix Art Fair is deeply rooted in the local arts scene and is focused on supporting and promoting Los Angeles’ vibrant, diverse and creative artistic community. By showcasing the work of local artists and collaborating with local galleries and cultural institutions, the Felix Art Fair celebrates the region’s continuing artistic evolution.
Felix Art Fair focuses on inclusivity and accessibility and is dedicated to providing a welcoming space where both seasoned collectors and first-time art enthusiasts can explore and engage with the vibrant world of contemporary art.
Photographer: Mason Kuehler Artwork: Eduardo Sarabia, Hollywood Hills
Three Don’t-Miss Exhibits
For me, the spotlight this week will shine brightest on three hidden gems—pop-up exhibits being held alongside the official Frieze Los Angeles and Felix LA exhibits.
Two are amazing pop-ups in our own Beverly Hills backyard from Marc Selwyn Fine Art and Gemini GEL. The third is a remarkable pop-up in neighboring West Hollywood, the Mexican gallery OMR, which is curated by the incomparable Esthella Provas.
Marc Selwyn Fine Art Gallery
Marc Slewen has an incredible booth at Frieze Los Angeles. I am particularly fond of Frank Bowling’s beautiful painting on display there, “Towards Crab Island,” which was recently featured in his Tate retrospective.
In addition to his booth at Frieze, Marc is hosting a pop-up featuring Rodolfo Abularach, one of Latin America’s most distinguished masters best known for his dramatic close-up renditions of human eyes—an image that gripped the artist for two decades—at 427 N. Camden Drive in Beverly Hills.
Also on display will be Lee Bontecou’s “Untitled, 2001,” which depicts an exotic dragon-like animal and was featured in her Museum of Modern Art retrospective, along with a new puzzle work by Allen Ruppersberg, “25 Ways to Start Over (#20 Do a self-portrait)”, which will be featured in the artist’s upcoming show “25 Ways to Start Over” at Marc Selwyn.
Gemini GEL Gallery
The iconic print gallery, Gemini GEL, will feature pop-ups of 27 works at the Beverly Hills Hotel from artists including John Baldessari, Sophie Calle, Tacita Dean, Darryl Pottorf, Robert Rauschenberg and Ed Ruscha.
The Gemini GEL gallery, at 8635 Melrose Ave., will also showcase a special screening of Richard Serra’s “Notebook Drawings,” a series of eight new etchings by the artist, on March 2.
To create this project, Serra referenced a series of eight drawings which he created in an intimate pocket-sized, notebook. These prints suggest the form and radiating heat of massive solid steel sculptures as they emerge from the forging process. All drawings appear spontaneous and likely were executed quickly and simultaneously, and the challenge in making the etchings was to capture that spontaneity and evoke the smudges of the charcoal drawings.
OMR Gallery
OMR’s pop-up, which is being curated by Esthella Provas, is exhibiting provocative works by artists Doug Aitken, Atelier Van Lieshout, Matti Braun, Pia Camil, Claudia Comte, Jose Dávila, Simon Fujiwara, Alicja Kwade, Tony Matelli, Jorge Méndez Blake, Ana Montiel, Gabriel Rico, Eduardo Sarabia, SUPERFLEX and Troika.
This exhibition explores how we relate to and unite with nature, placing it at the core of our experience in this world while also standing apart from it. The works presented reflect on our inherent human nature, which encompasses both the potential for control or destruction, and the capacity to hope and dream amidst unfolding ecological crises.
Comte’s “Celya” evokes the deep-rooted interconnectedness of our natural world; van Lieshout’s sculpture, “The Caretakers,” underscores the emotions that sets humans apart from animals; and Blake’s “In the Silence You Don’t Know, You Must Go on, I Can’t Go on, I’ll Go on”, which pays homage to the ambiguous ending of Samuel Beckett’s novel “The Unnamable” are just three examples of the wonderous work on display.
Now go out and have fun looking at art!
Agnes Lew is East West Bank’s Head of Private Banking, resident art aficionado, and self-described “concierge” for all things artsy and fun. The East West Bank Collection features 79 major contemporary works from 38 artists who bridge gender, culture and ethnic backgrounds.
