Pst....

PST tally so far: 5 exhibits

I haven't been visiting as many PST exhibits as I have wanted to. I plan to rectify that problem very soon. Hopefully this upcoming weekend if the wind doesn't stick around. Or if it does it may help me get places faster. I am usually no match for the wind in very embarrassing ways. One day I'll probably be blown up into the sky like Remedios. (I digress to magical realism, as always, but again has nothing to do with Los Angeles, contemporary art. etc.)

LACMA: (not in the order I saw them in, but in order of their closing)

1) Asco-December 4th
Firstly Asco, (Aah sko) -which is one of my favorite Spanish words, means disgust. Me da asco-You disgust me. You probably already know that, because you live in Califas, but just as always wanted to impart some knowledge, because if you can learn one thing today, it should be how to say the word disgust in another language.

I guess I left not knowing the contributions of Asco on the art scene, mainly I felt it was a photo series of them in Bonnie and Clyde style outfits, staring into the camera as a group. We are here I guess.

I understand taking the stereotypical and making it yours. (Space Lucha Libre) I understand wanting to acknowledge your place in a medium in which you are marginalized. (making an awards ceremony for your own movie because you will never be awarded for your accomplishments as an artist as a Latino/Chicano)

Maybe it was a curatorial problem or maybe because the night before I had spent to much time in Tispangatron, but I just didn't get it. I felt lost in that gallery space. I felt that it came off a little narcissistic. I am not sure if that was supposed to be the point. But isn't art in its nature narcissistic. (chew on that)

Here is what I am loving about this PST movement, is that a lot of these artists are still alive and they can talk and they do talk about their art. A lot of them are talking on the website, in handheld devices in the galleries, talks at the art institutions. I wish that I would have heard Gamboa jr talking about these pieces earlier, than just right now. I would have not been so very perdida.


2) California Design- closes June 3 (My birthday)
It is amazing to see the history of mid-century modern interior design pieces. A personal design era favorite of mine. This movement was so all encompassing, the clothes you wore, the music you listened to, the car you drove, whether you surfed or not. And it is all here in this exhibit the Avanti , the long boards, the shelves, pottery, sterocabinets, textiles.

The highlight of this exhibit of course is the Eames' living room re-created in a class box to get a 360 view. To see where they lived, created entertained.

I love really everything about this exhibit. Especially the thought of throwing a dinner party in these outfits, where I would serve Lobster of course. There is so much to digest, pardon the pun, I need a few more hours to listen to all of the video and sound commentary that comes with this exhibit.

I didn't have time for 5 car stud, I hear it is very polarizing, makes you feel emotionally beat up. It closes January 15th.

(a picture of me at the Getty talking about LACMA, I guess I will have to take a picture of me at LACMA and talk about the Getty exhibits, but for now, I am tired of talking about art.)

Trouble-reprise

Ein Proset

I have a friend who on my birthday every year since we have known each other wishes me a "Happy Soul Return" I like that sentiment, the idea of your soul returning to look at itself a year later. I was reflecting on this at Oktoberfest this year and this bitter little post from last year.

A year later I am in my own space and there is no one who can that can take that away from me except for myself.

I lent the Bavarian beer wench costume to someone else and hoped that it had better luck for her.

And ironically I got sent a photo of a man in a costume that was meant especially for me.

A year can make a lot of difference if you let it.

Happy

soul

return.

Na Zdorovie!

Many months ago I promised to Lauren of thisislalaland a list of more things to do in LA on the cheap, I have been delinquent in posting that list, mainly because lately I am finding that LA ain’t all that cheap. In the past, I have listed museums and other cultural activities, but what I have been trying to do is find something a little more palatable to the people who just don’t like art or culture all that much.

I thought I found my answer with DineLA , but that went so horribly, wonderfully, awry.

A friend wanted to cash in on a rain check for dinner/drinks and suggested a couple places on the dineLA list. It was my first time as a dineLA-er and I was really excited to try some local restaurant amazing-ness at oh so affordable prices. We chose Nic’s, I was leaning a little more toward Tagine due to a part ownership of this person . In the end Nic’s won because of the VODBOX. If that sound like an instrument of torture it is, but more along the lines of pleasureful torture (tispangratron) and I will get that much later.

I perused the mesmerizing martini menu, while I waited for my friend, who was stuck somewhere on the west side.

My bonito jito cost $16

My Maytag repairman cost $16 (the dirtiest martini I have ever had and should have an x rating)

For some reason, that night I wasn't really feeling the Prix Fixe menu, not sure why, that wasn't very dinela of me, but instead chose probably one of the most amazing fish dishes I have ever had. It doesn't look like it is on their menu online, so I won't tempt you with something that is no longer there. That was $28.

After feeling women enough we had our shot at the Vodbox (Tispangratron.)

What the Vodbox is is a room filled with Vodka, and it is cold, like Minnesota cold, so they give you these amazingly warm fur coats and hats, that make you look like stereotypical hot Russian spies in a James Bond film and vodka is poured by these beautiful women and they are funny and nice and complimentary and as we were having a "no, you're pretty off" I realize that I have had 7 shots of vodka and I have spent $40 on vodka, just for myself.

(I think I tried all of the vodkas on that table)

My friend and I hold each other up and get to the table see the bill and I realize that my dinela experience has cost me $120.

So in the end I failed. This was not the LA on the cheap I was hoping for, I just ended up being a rube for Tispangratron.

You paralyze my mind and for that...

I have had the worst writers block lately. I haven't felt this much at a loss for words in almost 20 years. That writer's block lasted 5 years, I hope that this bout is more like five more hours. I think one of the reasons why is that last post is a hard act to follow, I was laughing so hard when I wrote it and I am not sure if I can be that funny again.

bus blog-"you know where you are? You're in the jungle baby"

In all the years I have lived here, almost six in total, I have found that the biggest concentration of crazy is in Westwood. The poor poor parents from Kansas who drop off their child at UCLA and go have that final teary farewell dinner at CPK to only be confronted by Spanish Apocalypse man.

"Y Dios envie un gran terramoto en orden a limpiar el mundo de pecado!!! Arrepentirse ahora!!! Ahora es su ultimo opportunidad, Ahora Ahora Arrenppentirse!!!"

And he says this 6 inches from your face.

There is the guy in dreds that smells like a ferret, that has several plastic bags tied around his ankles, wrists and chest, who is actually a pretty good gangsta rapper.

And a whole other cast of characters that have nothing to do with one of the most awesome homeless person performances that I witnessed while waiting for the 761 last week.

This large woman rolls up her grocery cart to the corner of Lindbrook and Westwood, composes herself for a moment and like she is in her own private flashmob, starts march dancing, pulls out a black and yellow ping pong paddle and with her ping pong paddle arm outstretched she starts mumble singing Gun's and Roses' seminal hit "Welcome to the Jungle"

At first I don't know what it is she is singing exactly. It sounds like:

"Welcome to the HEE-HAW. Sprata brata GAMES. We got everything you huh? We got everything you huh?
(and the ping pong paddle goes shaking upward)

"schmee schmee figging huh"

and skips ahead to the part she knows and says "You know where ya arhh, you in the jungle BABAY, you gonna dieeeee!!"

And it was amazing, that was until a Westwood Community patrol person tells her to move along and she goes after him for 5 minutes straight, talking to him, but talking to the air and she can't let it go, until the approaching bus changes her focus.