Los Angeles Art Weekend 2008

Here in the states, people don't normally talk about being a cosplay fan in public because it usually means they must also admit to attending comic book and/or science … fiction conventions. In Japan, cosplay is more closely linked with the mainstream, and this retail/cafe/art space in Culver City tries to do the same in Los Angeles. The opening exhibit for the art space is "Just Love Me," which explores the complexities of cuteness. It features a number of Japanese artists, as expected, but integrates a variety of international artists as well. [link]

If there is a communist doing something interesting, you know there will be a Frenchman there to take the picture. In the exhibit CCCP (Cosmic Communist Constructions … Photographed), opening on Friday, Frederic Chaubin presents some of the more interesting and remarkable pieces of architecture built in the last twenty years of the Cold War. Of course, if it didn't ask questions about the various political undercurrents surrounding these structures, you wouldn't really be getting any culture. Do: eat at the Brazilian place across the street. Don't: fool yourself into thinking that the women undressing themselves at the strip club next door will be any more attractive than brokedown Warsaw Pact buildings. [link]

Nothing says art festival like a bunch of installation pieces summed up with an earnest attempt at a postmodern pun in the headline, so OCMA brings us … Disorderly Conduct: Recent Art In Tumultuous Times. You may think cultural malaise and surrealist absurdity are not the building blocks of a great weekend, but that's what you get for going to public school. [link]

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Even if you are only pretending to be cultured in this town, you have to know about the Getty Center. Its extensive collection and scenic views make it among the most … popular destinations in town for tourists and locals. The exhibit featured during the LA Art Weekend is California Video, but you may be disappointed if you are expecting David Lee Roth on Venice Beach. Instead, you'll see examples of artistic experimentation in video art from the last 40 years. There are over 50 videos in the exhibition, and you can sample many of them at the Getty web site. [link]

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I've already mentioned how amazing the 626 is for your seafood needs, but if you're hungry for a little culture, you can try the Huntington Library, Art Collections, and … Botanical Gardens in San Marino. The art collection is going through a renovation and will re-open later this year. Until then, visit the La Rose Imperiale exhibit, which celebrates 100 years worth of roses at the Huntington. [link]

Although it is less than twenty years old, the Hammer has become one of the most popular spaces for viewing art, also serving as "the gateway between the city of Los … Angeles and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)," or as we like to say, an easy way to combine your loves of college kids and contemporary art. On Thursday, the Billy Wilder Theater hosts An Evening with Albert Maysles, the pioneer of "direct cinema," featuring clips from films on Orson Welles, Marlon Brando, and Truman Capote, as well as a Q&A session and book signing. [link]

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