About
LA Dreams 3
Light Touch
Los Angeles, predominantly known for its movie stars, eternal sunshine and easy lifestyle, is also the city that once launched the career of Andy Warhol (his legendary soup-can paintings were first shown to the world at the Ferus Gallery, LA, in 1962), spawned Ed Ruscha (often referred to as “the west coast’s Warhol” or “the Gerhard Richter of the Pacific”) and inspired David Hockney enough to make him go and live there. The life of southern California, with its open spaces, rectilinear architecture, sensuous lifestyle, vivid light and bright color had an overwhelming effect on the works Hockney produced in LA during the second half of the 1960s.
Artists have lived and worked in the sun-filled expanse in, and around, Los Angeles for decades, drawing collectors from across the US and overseas, working with dozens of local galleries, and spurring the growth of a number of contemporary art institutions. But the city’s identity as a global arts center has eluded it.
Until now.
No longer an outlier from the busy Europe – New York art corridor, Los Angeles is rapidly becoming a serious contender as a thriving hub on the world art scene. Recent years have seen major milestones that have put Los Angeles on the global stage: mega-collectors such as Eli and Edythe Broad as well as Maurice and Paul Marciano have opened destinations at which to showcase their holdings, courting the likes of Olafur Eliasson and Ai Weiwei to do their first major projects in LA. Major galleries, too, have opened LA outposts to be closer to their blue-chip artists. The pleasant climate, relatively cheap studio spaces and the permissive, creative atmosphere have also attracted artists to the area at an increasing rate over the last 20 years.
Despite all the challenges Los Angeles has faced (pollution, ugly dying strip malls, distances, a fragmented city center, water shortages, fires and crime), it nonetheless seems to be blessed somehow. People talk about it in a very particular way. They mention the heat, the light, and the positive atmosphere. There’s something to it, because if you consider the depth of the art scene – which tends to be a significant measure of the attractiveness of a place – there doesn’t seem to be a city around that measures up to Los Angeles. And the same is true of the quality of the art. After all, the galleries, fairs, and, recently, museums that have sprouted from this dry soil are merely a consequence of the city’s great concentration of gifted artists.
LA Dreams 3: Light Touch represents CFHILL’s third foray into the vibrant art scene of Los Angeles. The exhibition includes nine artists who have all contributed to the art world in unique and significant ways through their various artistic practices. We feel privileged to be collaborating with LA based curator Emilia Yin on this exhibition and selection of works, which possess such outstanding aesthetic and intellectual qualities.
We would also like to extend our thanks to our nine fantastic artists: Jessica Bellamy, Carrie Cook, Erica Mahinay, Yassi Mazandi, Alex McAdoo, Kira Maria Schewfelt, Ilona Szwarc, Yoab Vera and Astra Huimeng Wang.
Michael Elmenbeck
Michael Storåkers
Anna-Karin Pusic
