Art Los Angeles Contemporary 2018, the International Contemporary Art Fair of the West Coast, returned for its ninth edition January 25 – 28, 2018 at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica. Opening night was very exciting – a place to see and be seen, though it was quite overwhelming as there were wall-to-wall people and several local and international galleries. I had a better view of all the work when I went back on Saturday, January 27th and appreciated a more relaxed vibe.
Woodman
Betty Woodman

I got a chance though, on opening night to speak to Kurt Mueller of the David Kordansky Gallery. He told me all about Betty Woodman and her unfortunate passing in January at age 87. Planned with the artist prior to her death, the presentation focused on her wall-based work and highlighted three recent major paintings that featured ceramic elements as well as a selection of works on paper. Betty is recognized in postwar American Art having synthesized sculpture, painting and ceramics. I really enjoyed her large, playful and whimsical pieces.

I also enjoyed going to Marc Selwyn Fine Art and viewing the mixed-media works of Allen Ruppersberg, who combines vibrant colors, photography and other elements to create strong, compelling works on paper.
RuppersbergAllen Ruppersberg

The work of Carmen Argote at the Instituto de Vision from Begota, Columbia was also very interesting. As a multi-disciplinary artist working in installation, Argote explores notions of home and place interacting with architecture to reflect on her personal histories and their own immigrant experience. I loved how she created and used a beautiful dress to make a powerful, cascading staircase. Her interest in the shape of spaces in the layout of the visual language for expression developed in her childhood from looking at her fathers architectural drawings of houses that she wanted to build.

For additional info about Art Los Angeles Contemporary 2018, please visit https://artlosangelesfair.com