The Agenda: PhotoFairs, Art that Responds to Architecture, and a Stylish Oscar Party Package
Author:Lindsey ShookArt Fair
January may be art fair month in San Francisco, but for the second year in a row, this international art fair touches down in the City by the Bay just a few weeks later. Dedicated exclusively to highlighting the best in photography, this year’s show presents cutting-edge work from Asia, Europe, and Latin America, much of which will be available to local collectors for the very first time. The public program will also include “Insights,” a curated exhibition of museum-quality pieces, all available for purchase. The provocative exhibition juxtaposes West Coast artists Erica Deeman, John Chiara, Tammy Rae Carland, and Klea McKenna with photo masters like Ansel Adams, Irving Penn, and Robert Mapplethorpe.
When: Fri. 2/23–Sun. 2/25
Where: Fort Mason Festival Pavilion, 2 Marina Blvd., San Francisco
Exhibits
Albert Oehlen, Peppi Bottrop, and Olafur Eliasson
“Line Packers” explores the use of lines in artwork by two German painters—Peppi Bottrop and Albert Oehlen. Bottrop’s piece takes the form of a wall drawing engraved into slabs of Fermacell, a material that’s quickly replacing sheet rock as a new medium in construction and architecture. Oehlen’s computer paintings, affixed to Bottrop’s walls, look back to the now rudimentary line-drawing technology developed by Texas Instruments computers. When viewed in context, these line studies could even be compared to the modern lines of L.A.’s interstate and highway infrastructure. While you’re at the art foundation, check out Eliasson’s “Reality Projector,” which is also an exploration of lines, in its own way. The site-specific installation uses light to cast shadows against the building’s existing architecture—creating lines and geometries in patterns of darkness and light.
When: Thurs. 3/1–Summer 2018
Where: Marciano Art Foundation, 4357 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles
Courtesy of Hudson Grace
Opening
Hudson Grace’s newest shop opened quietly this winter, but with spring quickly approaching, it’s time to visit the shop and start plotting what you’ll plant in your home garden this year. Here, you’ll find tools, vintage planters, and a curated mix of plants and flowers, all hand-selected by co-founders Gary McNatton and Monelle Totah. While you’re there, pick up some cut balsam fir, boxwood spheres, burlap-wrapped mini trees, amaryllis, and paperwhites to get you through the rest of the chilly weather.
When: Through Sun. 1/28
Where: Marin Country Mart, 2403 Larkspur Landing Circle, Larkspur
Play + Stay
Chances are you’re not one of the lucky ones who will be gracing the red carpet, but that doesn’t mean you can’t watch the Oscars in serious style. To celebrate its grand opening, Route 66 Bar + Lounge at the Hollywood Hotel is hosting a viewing party—just a few miles away from the Dolby Theater—with its very own red-carpet greeting, plus signature Oscar-themed cocktails. Make sure your social skills are up to par—the guest with the most posts to Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram using the hashtag #hollywoodhotel66 will even win a complimentary overnight stay.
When: 5 – 10 p.m., Sun. 3/4
Where: Hollywood Hotel, 1160 Vermont Ave., Hollywood
Exhibit
“Modern Masters from Latin America: The Pérez Simón Collection”
Latin America’s art-world big guns—from Fernando Botero to Diego Rivera—have taken over the San Diego Museum of Art in this major survey drawn from one of the world’s foremost private collections. The show follows a trajectory of work dating back to the late 1800s all the way up to the first decade of this century. You’ll find everything from the landscape paintings that helped define national identities to Symbolism to Surrealism to Abstraction as well as modern depictions of indigenous people and customs. If you’re looking for a crash course in Latin American art history, this is the exhibit to see.
When: Through Sun. 3/11
Where: The San Diego Museum of Art, 1450 El Prado, Balboa Park
