This week is all set to be a colorful mix of mesmerizing stories finding expression through comprehensive screen, stage, and gallery genres and art forms – civil rights history, intimate contemporary dance, a sci-fi musical film set in the deep future, musical theater featuring queer and trans showings, a documentary portraying exiled political artists, an arts-related musical festival, paintings showing the spirit of nature, celebrations and explorations aimed at true believers of cryptoart, a survey into the best classical photographs the world has seen, art history sculptures, ballroom queer triumphs, dark comedy through readable media, and a lot more.
June 11th
- WTF NFT?, slated to be held at Hammer Museum: This will be a free all-day event exploring NFTs alongside expert panelists, including technologists, scholars, artists, and advocates. It starts off with a primer on the basics of NFTs, covering what they are, the ways they work, and of course, why you should care about them. After that come artists (including Reggie Watts as a keynote speaker) who happen to dabble in the NFT arena, who will discuss their work as well as the distinctive challenges which they deal with in this new area. There will be other panels addressing blockchain technologies, the ways in which collectives as well as individuals are making new communities, and how institutions like museums and others might find their way through the shifting landscape.
- The Power of Photography, to be held at Peter Fetterman Gallery: Over a few decades, photography seller Peter Fetterman has gathered stories and works that feature icons the likes of Paul Fusco, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Sabine Weiss, Ansel Adams, Sarah Moon, Elliott Erwitt, Graciela Iturbide, Weegee, Sebastião Salgado, and Minor White. With some inspiration that came during the lockdown, Fetterman began to share images and memories each daily by email, marshaling a followership the world over. Now, he has put out a book and exhibition looking back at the series.
- Ornamental Illness, Part II, to be held at ROW DTLA: Prominent thanks to his penchant for creating drawings, installations, and paintings of surreal cartoons, pop culture iconography, and psychedelic landscapes, Mark Dean Veca will now be displaying a new range paintings and sculptures, screen printed editions, and other related works from personal archives.
- Crush, to be held at The Hole: An extension of Adam Parker Smith’s stylistic humor sense as well as his longtime investigation into classical from legitimacy, this show symbolizes a huge departure from typical works in terms of scale and material. It’s almost like the whole canon revolving around classical statuary was fed into a trash compactor.
- Superchief Anniversary Show: This event is set on supporting underground artists, as well as bringing up the fringe art community to the level of the global art stage. Superchief marks their 10th anniversary with this Mega Summer Group Show. Photography, paintings, graffiti, street art, and sculpture – not to mention digital NFT art – from over 100 creators will be put on display as a salon.
- Minding the Beasts While Polishing Pearls, to be held at KP Projects: This show from Jennybird Alcantara is a new series by the painter, of which she says, “This new body of paintings was born in a still moment in time, one where the entire world slowed down. Just outside my door, is a garden of beautiful trees, plants and flowers shared with squirrels and crows, song birds, bees and butterflies. At some point during this creative journey…a dialog between interior and exterior began.”
- Six Stories of Trans Heroes Throughout History to be held at Celebration Theater: This is a live original retelling based on true accounts, of transgender stories that have happened throughout history. It spans multiple genres and includes poetry, music, and one-acts. Artists of intersectional experiences bring forward their story interpretations on stage.
June 12th
- Pride Party by House of Balenciaga, to be held at NeueHouse Hollywood: Celebratory and immersive festivities under this include performances galore, by West Coast Ballroom community members, plus a DJ set from nightlife idol Sasha Marie. Your crew can have a total blast here, thanks to the celebration of pride, vitality, and self expression.
- Ben Stiller and Jerry Stahl, at 92Y (Virtual): Stahl’s earnest yet irreverent book NEIN, NEIN, NEIN! speaks of the true tale of a trip he once took in order to plunge himself in despair, as a way to go with his state of mind. Stahl and Stiller talk on the personal as well as political hopelessness which stimulated his journey, and also the things he experienced on the way.
June 14th
- Free To Be Films, to be held at NeueHouse Hollywood: A panel discussion and screening revolving around three documentary shorts about LGBTQ+, which highlight how ballroom culture crosses over into the mainstream. The series draws attention to Jay Jackson/Laganja, DaeBrian O’Berry, Gracie Cartier, and Ash Danielson, each a member of the movement that champions the LQBTQ+ cause.
June 15th
Pride Month Artist Talks, to be held at LA Center of Photography. This is a series of talks that feature six photographers based in LA who have been doing work representative of the LGBTQIA community and queer photography. These interesting and intimate looks into heritage, emotions, and queer histories feature such names as Courtney Coles, Rubén Esparza, Jen Rosentein, John Waiblinger, Reynaldo Rivera, and Coyote Park.