Ottawa Life Magazine (who graciously featured us in the past!) recently published a new story in their Travel section for Canadian art heads hoping to soak up the Los Angeles scene.
“Art hopping across LA’s vibrant neighbourhoods” features eight creative pockets in Los Angeles that OLM suggests you make a day of checking out.
Two of the items on the list are perfect for taking in the LA graffiti scene. And since there’s about a dozen new Canadian music heads going to the city on a weekly basis, we thought we’d make sure they knew of these two opportunities. And if you’re into art in general – beyond just graffiti culture – the rest of the OLM list is likely gold to you.
The first is Stop 3: Graffiti Tour with LA Art Tours.
The Los Angeles Graffiti and Mural scene – especially in Downtown LA – has been undergoing a renaissance the past few years, fueled by an absolutely amazing cadre of local artists, joined by some of the best from around the globe. Your guides, all local artists themselves, are eager to introduce you to this vibrant world and share the work of their friends and fellow artists. The transient nature of the art hasn’t changed. Some pieces you will see might last only days before being covered. Others have been preserved for decades. You’ll also see many other hidden art treasures, including the rich urban sculpture scene and some local spots of truly curious history.
Visit the LA Art Tours website for more information.
Lil’ Crazy Legs During Shoot for Wild Style, Riverside Park, NY, 1983. (Photo © Martha Cooper)
Beyond The Streets (BTS) is the premier exhibition of graffiti, street art and beyond, celebrating the soaring heights to which the world’s most recognizable modern art movement has risen. BTS is a groundbreaking multimedia showcase of paintings, sculpture, photography, installations and more throughout 40,000+ sq ft of industrial indoor and outdoor space.
Beyond The Streets is curated by Roger Gastman. He is a graffiti historian, urban anthropologist and collector who Forbes says “has made a career of being the cultural connector between street artists and the art world.” BEYOND THE STREETS is Gastman’s dynamic follow-up to Art in the Streets, the U.S.’ first-ever graffiti and street art retrospective which broke MoCA Los Angeles’ attendance record with 220,000 visitors. Known for founding and co-publishing Swindle magazine with Shepard Fairey, Gastman co-authored The History of American Graffiti and co-produced the Oscar Award-nominated Banksy documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop.
Additional curation by Editor-in-Chief of Juxtapoz Magazine Evan Pricco, author and historian Caleb Neelon, and legendary NYC graffiti writer and historian David “Chino” Villorente. Adam Lerner, Director of the MCA Denver serves as a curatorial advisor. The exhibition is produced by Ian Mazie.
The exhibition opens in Los Angeles on May 6, 2018 and you can find tickets now on the BTS website.
Jay Adams with marker in hand, Venice CA, 1988. (Photo: Josh “Bagel” Klassman)
