Our Pick of the Week takes place at Palos Verdes Art Center. Celebrate the sights and sound of old Havana with music and dance, fine food and spirits. This is going to be one heck of an art party!!!  Check out my Huffington Post article about this event!

The event offers amazing entertainment and of course brilliant art exhibitions. Here’s the schedule: From 6 to 9pm, guests will be greeted by the island sounds of Changüí Majadero, Los Angeles’ leading exemplar of the music called “the granddaddy of salsa” as they enjoy a feast day repast and tropical drinks and view the unveiling of HAVANA NOIR, an installation by noted Cuban artist Kadir Lopez and accompanying exhibitions L.A. NOIR by photographer Mark V. Lord and THIS IS NOT A SIGN, neon works by Michael Flechtner.

See image : Kadir López
All photos courtesy Palos Verdes Art Center and the artist.

Renowned artist Kadir López was born in the provincialtown of Las Tunas, Cuba. He was trained at the Escuela Profesional de Artes in Camaguey and the prestigious Instituto Superior de Artes in Havana, commonly known as ISA, graduating in 1995.

His moody, atmospheric works incorporate re-purposed American signage overlaid with applied prints or painted in oil, Kadir’s works relate a personal recollectionof the history of post-1950s Cuba. Recently, he has turned his eye to historic neon signage of he pre-revolutionera. https://www.facebook.com/enpoderpracticasocial

Michael Flechtner said he is happy to be part of this event. “I think my work is a great fit for PVAC and this exhibit because it is work in neon that has all be created in LA and heavily influenced by the art and culture of our fine city!  I am honored to be invited to show and to work with Kadir.  Joe Baker, Gail Phinney and the crew are easy and great to work with and very professional!”

See image: by Michael Flechtner, A – Mazed : Doing Our Level Best! 46” W by 22” H by 4” D  Michael Flechtner (Line drawing using neon as the linear medium); Neon tubing, found plywood, plastic spirit levels and electronic transformers; 2015;

Michael is a masterful neon artist. Probably best known for his Celebrate Forever Stamp currently in circulation through the USPS. You can find his art on the corner of Olympic and Sawtelle. Look up for the neon aquarium over Starbucks. If you are near Hollywood and Highland complex, you can see more of his work. He created the Yucky sign for the Yucky candy store inside Sweet!!! http://www.Flektro.com

Mark V. Lord has always loved Noir. It is evident in his photography and his screenwriting. “As a photographer my deep appreciation for the aesthetics of Noir has undoubtedly been subsumed over the years into my style and images – especially here in Los Angeles, the birthplace of Noir.”

See image: by Mark V. Lord, L.A. NOIR, Untitled, 27 x 36, Ink, acrylic / archival paper

L.A. Noir is an exhibition of Los Angeles-based street photography large-format prints over which –in a handwritten scrawl–  darkly ominous Noir-style vignettes and fleeting moments have been overlaid in acrylic or heavy pencil. The vignettes themselves –all alluding to an atmosphere of illicit sex, betrayal, and violence—were created from or inspired by deeply researched accounts of actual crimes in Los Angeles.
http://www.markvlordphotography.com/

At 9pm, the towering stage in the Atrium will be commanded by Afro-Cuban Salsa masters BombaChante and Kati Hernandez’s Cuban Dancers, who will lead guests on the dance floor between sets celebrating the legendary performing arts of Havana’s Tropicana Club. The night will continue to 11pm, featuring dancing to Latin DJ, and a cigar lounge.

All proceeds benefit Palos Verdes Art Center / Beverly G. Alpay Center for Arts Education exhibition, education and outreach programs, making the visual arts available, accessible and affordable.

See image: Changüí Majadero; 

Highlights include live performances by salsa trio Changüí Majadero and Afro-Cuban ensemble BombaChante; Special guest appearance by the Kati Hernandez Cuban Dancers; Reveal of Havana Noir / Havana Light exhibition by Cuban artist Kadir Lopez; Live auction; Four-courses of Cuban fare by TGIS; Rum by Brugal; Cigars by The V-Cut Cigar Lounge

Tickets: $125 in advance,$150 at the door. All-inclusive, no extra charges for food & drink.

Purchase tickets online – CLICK HERE or call 310.541.2479; For additional info about Palos Verdes Art Center, visit the website at http://www.pvartcenter.org/

What: Havana Noir: The Party!
Where: 5504 West Crestridge Road, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275
Where: 6 – 11pm –  October 1, 2016
Website: http://havananoirtheparty.com/