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October 18, 2005

The Place to Be? Culver City on Saturday Night

A funny thing occurred last Saturday night. Unusually high levels of curiosity and energy on my part just happened to coincide with a number of gallery openings in CC. I've been to most of the "new" Culver City galleries over the past year but this was the first time I had experienced the tailgate party atmosphere of the La Cieniga strip. The shows were a mixed bag (and I kind of wished that there was more on hand than ice chests filled with Tecate) but all-n-all it was a fun (and free) Saturday night activity.

The high point of the evening was going to Susanne Vielmetter, Los Angeles Projects. Her current group show, "Cut" features work by Laylah Ali, Edgar Arceneaux, Mark Bradford, Amy Sillman and Wangechi Mutu, among others. Taken as a whole the show was, well, a mixed bag but Mutu's video "Cutting"(2004) was a showstopper. Literally.

In her first film, Mutu shows a slow motion sequence of a woman cutting a tree on a hillside at sunset. The piece is beautiful, disturbing and just long enough for me to appreciate it without getting bored...I probably watch too much tv to fully appreciate video art. If it doesn't grab me right away it's hard for me to stick with it. I realize this is my own limitation and I'm trying to see more and to overcome my prejudices but that's another story ... I watched "Cutting" a few more times, focusing on the figure's simple, violent actions. I imagined that the felled tree was a person and shivered. I thought a bit about who I would want to dispatch in this manner and shivered again. Then I focused on various elements; the colors, the woman's curvy silhouette against the sky, the surreal sound of the blade repeatedly hitting the wood. It didn't sound real or was it that it sounded too real? I was mesmerized. Then I got up and walked out to the lovely patio where the drinks were set up (Vielmetter's patio features a unique Japanese-style-file cabinet-fountain that's quite an eye full in itself. Did I mention that I wish this were MY gallery? Anyway). I poured myself a glass of white wine and went back to the video room and just watched people pop their heads in and quickly decide that this video was not for them. The whole thing was quite entertaining.

Anyway, it might be a while before I take in "the openings" again but if you are in town check out Vielmetter and also Seonna Hong at Sixspace (you can miss Anna Helwing and Harvey Levine, IMHO) and tell me what you think.

PS - When Industry Cafe & Jazz (6039 Washington Blvd.) gets their music/poetry program together, I may find myslef in the area on a regular basis.

Posted by lk at October 18, 2005 09:57 AM

Comments

Posted by: NOBILITY ...smooth jazz at February 27, 2006 04:24 PM

Posted by: la.dauphine at October 22, 2005 09:11 PM