November 7, 2024 The Newspaper Serving LGBT Los Angeles

Realism and Fantasy in Los Angeles and San Francisco

It feels like you couldn’t find two artists more diametrically opposed than Yayoi Kusama and Walker Evans: One, a titan of realism, capturing the Depression-era devastation of the American Midwest, the other a master of whimsy and fantasy, designing immersive works of art that reflect life as it should be, not as it is. But that’s just at first glimpse. Something curious happens when you take a closer look, and then a closer one. Which, of course, is just what The Broad – which commissioned new works (specifically Infinity Rooms) by Kusama for October – and SFMOMA, borrowing heavily from L.A.’s Getty museum to mount a Walker Evans retrospective for September – are asking us to do.

Kusama’s work has had something of a cult audience since the late sixties when she starting bringing her specific brand of protest art to life, and to the street. Her “body festivals” were a psychedelic infusion of polka dots, anti-war protesting, performance art, and good old-fashioned nudity. The artist, now in nearly in her ‘90s, has stayed true to her early aesthetic while popping it out into a full 3D experience. Each Infinity Room (specifically created for the Broad for this exhibit) is a twinkling paradise of lights, stars, shapes, and elongated gourd structures that invite the viewer to play, experience and live within the art, if only for a few moments. That might explain why the Broad usually has a 2+ hour wait just to get in. When it comes to Kusama, everybody and their Instagram account wants a piece of the pie.

Walker Evans, on the other hand, focused on the tragically real – the world as it exists without the relief of fantasy. It was this that made (and still makes) his work so moving. For today’s audience especially, who has little recourse to images of the ‘30s and ‘40s outside of the hyper-glamorized output of Hollywood, Evans’ work presents a picture of the past stripped bare of glitter and pretense. Evans’ contemporary audience wasn’t so different – they didn’t have many chances to see themselves represented as real, living beings, warts and all. Which is perhaps why Evans’ work was as controversial as it was back in the day, starting with his photo series co-written by James Agee, “Let Us Now Praise Famous Men,” which was by turns exalted as brilliant photojournalism and criticized as exploitation. To be fair, it’s always been a bit of both with Evans. Which is how his work ends up having something in common with the fantastical flights of Kusama after all. No matter how “real” reality gets, there’s always the mark of the artist’s brush upon it. Both Walker and Kusama knew this well, even as they traveled on their vastly different paths.

Related Posts

Suspect Pleads Guilty in Scheme to Sell Stolen Warhol Artwork in Beverly Hills Auction House

October 1, 2024

October 1, 2024

The Warhol Print Was Originally Sold by a West Hollywood Gallery  Brian Alec Light, 58, of Hudson, Ohio, is expected...

Santa Monica Artist Dave Quick’s “Return from the Burn” Exhibition to Open at Bergamot’s Lois Lambert Gallery

July 10, 2024

July 10, 2024

Pre-Burning Man Showcase Features Kinetic Art and Sculptures Coated with Playa Dust, Opens July 13 With upwards of 80,000 attendees,...

Film Review: Down Low

July 30, 2023

July 30, 2023

FILM REVIEWDOWN LOWRated R90 MinutesReleased March 11, 2023 By Dolores Quintana “Down Low” is funny. It’s a lean 90 minutes...

Film Review: The People’s Joker

July 23, 2023

July 23, 2023

FILM REVIEWThe People’s JokerUnrated92 MinutesReleased September 13, 2022 (Toronto Film Festival) By Dolores Quintana “The People’s Joker” is a heartfelt...

The Problem with Pride Outfits and How You Can Change It

February 20, 2023

February 20, 2023

Since pride month’s official declaration in 1999, we’re reminded every June of how far America has come following New York...

Happening Now: West Hollywood’s LGBTQ+ Arts Festival

May 23, 2022

May 23, 2022

By Susan Payne Happening now through the end of June, WeHo Pride LGBTQ Arts Festival celebrates the artistic contributions of...

WeHo Premieres the ‘Moving Image Media Art’ Exhibition Series

February 2, 2022

February 2, 2022

The City of West Hollywood announces the premiere of the Moving Image Media Art (MIMA) program and the worldwide debut...

2022 ‘WeHo Reads’ Series Celebrates the ‘Road to Joy’

February 2, 2022

February 2, 2022

The City of West Hollywood invites community members to celebrate literature and local authors with its 2022 WeHo Reads literary...

MJ Rodriguez, 1st Openly Transgender Actress to Win Golden Globe

January 18, 2022

January 18, 2022

Michaela Jae “MJ” Rodriguez has made history by becoming the first openly transgender person to win a Golden Globe.  The...

LACMA Spotlights Queer Black Artists & Subjects

December 7, 2021

December 7, 2021

“The Obama Portraits Tour” and “Black American Portraits” exhibits at LACMA not only celebrate portraiture, but also queer Black artists...

Pride Poets’ Corner: Featuring Corey Saucier & the Dirge for 24 Hour Fitness

December 7, 2021

December 7, 2021

On November 30, 2020, the 24 Hour Fitness location in West Hollywood, which had been in the community for 25...

World’s First LGBTQ Mariachi Band Performs for the Center to Celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month

October 26, 2021

October 26, 2021

Mariachi Arcoiris de Los Angeles—the world’s first LGBTQ mariachi—entertained more than 50 Center clients and staff members with an exuberant...

The Los Angeles LGBT Center & Gochis Galleries Announce Collaboration With Art Division

September 29, 2021

September 29, 2021

The Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Advocate & Gochis Galleries announced a collaboration with Art Division.  Art Division is a community...

QFilms Long Beach Returns

September 15, 2021

September 15, 2021

QFilms Long Beach, Long Beach’s oldest film festival, returns September 30 – October 3 to celebrate the diversity of LGBTQ...

Lady Gaga Announces New Album Dropping In October

August 15, 2021

August 15, 2021

Oscar and Grammy winner Lady Gaga has announced that she will be dropping a new album set to be released...