California: Now & Then
Jul
15
to Aug 15

California: Now & Then

The Venice Institute of Contemporary Art (ViCA) in collaboration with the bG Gallery is proud to curate and present "California: Now & Then," an art exhibition celebrating the indelible impact and legacy of California's artists. The exhibit, which runs from July 15 through August 15, 2023, showcases works from artists who have deep historical or current ties to the state.

California has long been a beacon for artists, its diverse landscapes and vibrant communities inspiring generations of creatives. These artists, whether they have lived here, kept a studio here, or sought inspiration from the state's unique spirit, have each left their distinctive mark on the artistic landscape.

This exhibition presents a unique opportunity to engage with and appreciate the artistic evolution that has taken place in California. From early works to recent pieces, the "California: Now & Then" exhibition invites viewers to explore the continuity and transformation in the works of artists who have made California their home or their muse.

Artists include Sam Francis, Charles White, Ulysses Jenkins, Betye Saar, May Sun, Peter Alexander, Gloriane Harris, Edmund Teske, Llyn Foulkes and over 50 others from throughout California art history.

The curators of this exhibition hope that it serves as a testament to the longevity and creativity of these distinguished artists, who, inspired by California's dynamic mix of climate, community, and culture, have thrived and contributed to the state's rich artistic heritage.

This exhibition is a continuation of the curators' mission to preserve and promote the history and culture of one of the most historically important centers of independent artistic expression - California - a place they know and love.

Artists have been drawn to California for its community, its natural beauty, and the freedom it provides. It is this freedom that has made California a fertile ground for artistic innovation and expression, making it a significant contributor to the global art scene. "California: Now & Then" offers an overview of this dynamic and enduring artistic legacy.

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Fine Arts Film Festival 2023
Jun
10
12:00 PM12:00

Fine Arts Film Festival 2023

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The Venice Institute of Contemporary Art (ViCA) presents a selection of the 10th Annual Fine Arts Film Festival (FAFF) Award Winners, on June 10, 2023 at Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center in Venice. The Festival continues from June 15-22 on Vimeo. FAFF – the world’s largest art film festival – presents over 100 films from 32 countries represented across the globe.

The festival is dedicated to presenting the finest new films about how art is made, how artists survive, how they think and work, and what makes creativity our most important skill, and our best hope for mankind.

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Los Angeles: Now & Then
Jan
14
to Mar 4

Los Angeles: Now & Then

“Los Angeles: Now & Then” is a group exhibition focusing on the unique, venerable, boundary-busting history and art of Los Angeles over the past 90 years. The show is curated by Juri Koll, Director of the Venice Institute of Contemporary Art (ViCA). It is part of ViCA’s ongoing programming of exhibitions chronicling the history and practice of art in Southern California. The exhibition opened with a reception at Beyond Baroque/Mike Kelley Gallery on Saturday, January 14, 2023

ViCA’s vision is that Los Angeles, and Southern California in general, has and will continue to provide a legacy to the art world that – in terms of art history – we are only just beginning to understand and appreciate. Working across diverse media, the artists featured in “Los Angeles Now & Then” are: Airom; MB Boissonnault; Fatemeh Burnes; Bob Branaman; Mx Farina; Michael Grecco; Ellen Grobman; Curtis Gutierrez; Gloriane Harris; George Herms ; Juri Koll; Barbara Kolo; Lawrie Margrave; Osceola Refetoff; Ofer Reyhanian; Gay Summer Rick; Catherine Ruane; Michael Stearns; Sonja Schenk; May Sun; William Turtle; Edmund Teske; Elizabeth Waterman.

The show continues through March 4, 2023, and runs concurrent with Frieze Los Angeles 2023. A panel discussion and closing reception for “Los Angeles: Now & Then” will be at 2pm on March 4. To chedule an appointment to view the show: call/text 310-957-7037 or email juri@veniceica.org

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Fine Arts Film Festival
Jun
10
to Jun 19

Fine Arts Film Festival

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The Venice Institute of Contemporary Art (ViCA) presented the 9th Annual Fine Arts Film Festival (FAFF) Award Winners, on June 11 at Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center in Venice. The Festival continues until June 19 on Vimeo. FAFF – the world’s largest art film festival – presents over 100 films from 32 countries represented across the globe. Over half of the films were directed or produced by women, and POC directed almost a third of them.

The festival is dedicated to presenting the finest new films about how art is made, how artists survive, how they think and work, and what makes creativity our most important skill, and our best hope for mankind.

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FAFF at Cinema Beltrade in Milan, Italy
Jun
15
12:30 PM12:30

FAFF at Cinema Beltrade in Milan, Italy

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Three films curated and screened as part of the Fine Arts Film Festival 2021 at Cinema Beltrade in Milan, Italy on June 15, 2021. ViCA is proud to present "A Machine to Live In' (Brazil), "Back In The Island" (Dominican Republic) and "I Lived Once" (Saudi Arabia).

"For Milan we have selected films about people, nature and urban spaces. How we want to coexist feels more urgent than ever. FAFF in Milan celebrates cinema as art and transcends boundaries. We are very proud to be among the first films screened in a theater in Milan in almost 2 years", says project coordinator Teresa Oschmann, who brought FAFF's films to the Cinema Beltrade.

Reviews of the screening are available here.

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Fine Arts Film Festival
Jun
8
to Jun 14

Fine Arts Film Festival

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FAFF – the world’s largest art film festival – presented 100 films from 48 countries represented across the globe. Over half of the films were directed or produced by women, and POC directed or produced over a third of them. The Awards Show on June 14 was hosted by Juri Koll, Director of FAFF and Timothy Cogshell, a Director and renowned Film Critic on KPCC/NPR. FAFF 2021 closed out by screening "A Machine to Live In' (Brazil) and 2 additional films at the Cinema Beltrade in Milan, Italy on June 15.

“We're very proud to have been able to present FAFF to the world during the pandemic. Art and film bring us together. Bravo to all the entries, Official Selections and Award Winners!,” says Juri Koll, Founder and Director of ViCA, which presents FAFF.

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Fine Arts Film Festival
Jun
8
to Jun 14

Fine Arts Film Festival

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The 7th Annual Fine Arts Film Festival (FAFF) presents the finest films in the world about art, photography, collectors and artists of all mediums in and out of their studios, galleries, museums, public art, and alternative art spaces. This includes video art, created as a Film or a Virtual Reality medium and newly created categories - Screenplays.

For more information Click here.

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Apr
10
to Jun 21

Floating Worlds

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Kumiko SuzukiIridescent Clouds, 2019Mixed Media on Yupo Mounted on Board(Quadryptic) 500 x 500 cm each$8500

Kumiko Suzuki

Iridescent Clouds, 2019

Mixed Media on Yupo Mounted on Board

(Quadryptic) 500 x 500 cm each

$8500

MichikoPlay!, 2019Please inquire about size and price

Michiko

Play!, 2019

Please inquire about size and price

Floating Worlds is a survey of new contemporary art from Japan, alongside American artists who have Japanese and Asian roots or have created work that speaks to our theme. While “floating worlds” is a phrase art historically connected to Ukiyo-e art from Japan from around 1630 - the mid 1800s, we are using it here to refer to the major changes happening in the world we live in - the fleeting, floating nature of life - and the way artists depict this challenge. Indeed, the period when this phrase was used in Japan was one of tremendous upheaval, and our exhibition coincides with this fact of life. Whether sublime or active, contemplative or extroverted, this exhibition speaks to our times directly.

Japanese artists in the show - rarely if ever seen in the US - are Yoko Umemoto, Sugimuru, Akira Nakamura, Kumiko Suzuki, and MIchiko. American artists are Barbara Kolo, Michael Stearns, Robert Nelson, Juri Koll, MB Boissonnault.

MB Boissonnault3 Poisons of the Ignorant Mind, 2018Oil on Synthetic Canvas24 x 24 inches$2800

MB Boissonnault

3 Poisons of the Ignorant Mind, 2018

Oil on Synthetic Canvas

24 x 24 inches

$2800

Artists Online Reception: TBA.


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Painted Architecture - Art Palm Springs
Feb
13
to Feb 17

Painted Architecture - Art Palm Springs

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After it’s introduction at the Fahle Gallery in Tallinn, Estonia, “Painted Architecture” traveled to the Venice Institute of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles in Fall of 2019. Now it is coming to Palm Springs in February 2020.

The exhibition brings together a circle of a spiritually like-minded fellowship and presents to the audience the best of Estonian art which is juxtaposed with the architectural paintings of Latvian artists.

The participants of the exhibition are ALEKSEJS NAUMOVS, VILEN KÜNNAPU, ANDRIS VĪTOLIŅŠ, AUGUST KÜNNAPU, MARTIN “QBA” KAARES, LIISA KRUUSMÄGI, MERILIIS “MERU” RINNE.

Vilen Künnapu - Atlantis, 2019 Acrylic on Canvas 120 x 40 cm

This exhibition introduces the works of Estonian and Latvian painters - some of whom are renowned architects - to the American public, and the works of younger generation painters have been added - Meriliis “MERU” Rinne (EST / GBR), Martin “QBA” Kaares (EST), Liisa Kruusamägi (EST). This diverse array of authors in a single exhibition is not a contradiction, in fact they have a striking conformity in their chosen motifs and figures. In addition to a common geographical region, the works of all artists are bound together by an extraordinary sense of energy and the ability to convey it through painting. Irrespective of the language of the paintings of each artist, even the most abstract works carry us directly to the point of depiction.

"In my search and juxtaposition of similar creators, symbols, and harmonies, it has been my desire to make the exhibition tell a coherent and flowing story," commented exhibition curator Meelis Tammemägi.

ART PALM SPRINGS 2020
Over Presidents’ Day Weekend, Art Palm Springs will present nearly 70 galleries from Asia, North and South America, and Europe, that represent more than 400 artists at the Palm Springs Convention Center. The show draws thousands of art collectors and patrons each year from around the globe.

Dates and Hours
Opening Night Preview 

Thursday, February 13 from 5-9pm
VIP Ticket Holders Only

General Admission
Friday,      February 14  | 11am-7pm | All Ticket Holders
Saturday, February 15  | 11am-6pm | All Ticket Holders
Sunday,   February 16  | 11am-6pm | All Ticket Holders
Monday, February 17  | 12Pm-5pm | All Ticket Holders

Location
Palm Springs Convention Center
277 N Avenida Caballeros
Palm Springs CA 92262


Art Palm Springs Tickets

VIP Opening Night Preview + 4 Day Pass & General Admission Tickets - 

Link: https://www.showclix.com/event/art-palm-springs-2020

Code: VICA
 
Looking forward to seeing you at the fair!

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50 Years of Oil & Water - Gloriane Harris - 1969-2020
Feb
8
to Aug 31

50 Years of Oil & Water - Gloriane Harris - 1969-2020

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ViCA's Grand Opening at Bendix Building February 8

On Saturday, February 8, the Venice Institute of Contemporary Art held its Grand Opening celebration in their new space at the Bendix Building in downtown LA with "50 Years of Oil & Water - Gloriane Harris - 1969-2020". 

In the late 60's and early 1970's, because of the relative youth of the art scene in LA, artists were leaving for New York en masse — many felt it was their only choice in order to survive. Others, such as Ed & Nancy Keinholz, Lita Albuquerque, George Herms and Gloriane Harris, elected to live and work in LA, and to make the art that they wanted to make without pressure from the NY art market. Add to that an often chauvinist critical bias in favor of artists — such as the Boys Club that hung out at the Ferus Gallery and the departure of of Artforum from offices above the Ferus to NYC — and you have the picture of the tremendous challenge facing artists who were not white, male, and heterosexual. One of the dealers who focused on LA artists and dealt with this exodus to New York first hand was Ellie Blankfort, who showed artists such as Harris and Albuquerque very early in their careers.

"Her painting was my very first sale. It was a beautiful work. I am looking forward very much to her retrospective." Ellie Blankfort, January 2020

ViCA has chosen to focus its exhibition program for 2020 on overlooked artists, beginning with Gloriane Harris.

"We're proud to present the first retrospective exhibition of Gloriane Harris and her first solo show in 35 years.
Harris has lived and worked on the westside of LA — quite purposely under the radar — for decades. Meanwhile, she was often ahead of her time, such as with her early hard edge work and shaped canvases, which no one has ever seen since she painted them."
Juri Koll, Director/ViCA

"Among other things, Gloriane Harris's half-century output demonstrates that color-saturated painting in southern California owes little to its East Coast equivalent. Rather, it results from a keen attention to nature and, especially, to light. Harris is nothing if not a Light-and-Space artist; she just happens to rely on paint, brushes, and canvas." Peter Frank

VIP/Press Preview: February 8  5-7pm

Opening Reception: February 8  7-10pm

After Party: ArtBarLA on the Westside  11:30pm - 2am

Artist Talk: March 7 3-4:30pm

The exhibition continues through April 19, although at this time it can only be seen virtually.

Gloriane Harris was born in 1947 in Santa Monica, California. She says that "the light of the ocean and the beach in Southern California is like nothing anywhere else", and is the greatest influence on her painting. Gloriane Harris earned her MFA from Otis Art Institute, mentored by, among other notables, Charles White, who is a major influence to countless Los Angeles artists. She worked with Nam June Paik and Charlotte Moorman on the first artists' worldwide satellite broadcast at Documenta 6 in Kassel, Germany in 1977.

Harris has exhibited at museums and galleries across the U.S. and Europe, including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Newport Art Museum, the Museum of Art and History, the Los Angeles Design Center, Ellie Blankfort, Mt. San Antonio College, Foundations Gallery in NYC, the Palais de Beaux Arts in Belgium, and the Fahle Gallery in Estonia. She has been curated into shows by Juri Koll, Peter Frank, John Lees and others, appeared in art publications such as Art in America, and is part of important collections.

In the late 80's, Harris withdrew from the art scene and stopped attending openings while continuing to paint daily. From the beginning of her career, Harris has taught countless artists at Otis Art Institute, El Camino College, Cerritos College, among several other institutions, exhibiting there yearly, and has now re-emerged with ViCA.

Photographs and an archival documentary about Harris will also be presented, rarely seen since the early 1980's.

For inquiries/VIP/Press: juri@veniceica.org or 310-957-7037. Ample street parking or enter parking garage in the building on 12th St. just east of Maple.

ViCA is located in the Bendix Building at 1206 S. Maple Ave. #722, Los Angeles, CA 90015.
ArtBarLA is located at 12071 Venice Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90066.
Wallspace shares space within the gallery.

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FAFF Best of Fest at LA Art Show
Feb
5
to Feb 9

FAFF Best of Fest at LA Art Show

We are pleased to present curated short films from our Fine Arts Film Festival 2019 at the LA Art Show in downtown LA starting beginning with the VIP Opening NIght and continuing throughout the Fair.

Films:

X-Power (United States)

Student Film - 3 minutes

X-Power is a uniquely crafted animated film that questions production and consumption ideologies and the unsated appetite for what is offered, despite the environmental destruction imposed on the earth.

Director: Vivian Vivas

Sing to Me (United States)

Music/Performance  - 7 minutes

This experimental dance film creates an image driven and sound sensitive atmosphere for the original song, “Sing To Me” by Wes Swing. Lyrical and enticing, the performances counteract with the sunlit decay of the surroundings.

Director: Wes Swing

Roots Grow Together (United States)

Short Narrative - 10 minutes

A chance encounter leads throughout the city. Is one to root for the guy - or the girl…or both? Is it real?

Director: Hart Ginsburg

je ne dors plus (Russia)

Experimental/Performance - 5 minutes

Nikita Dmitrievsky brings his Bolshoi ballet and modern dance training to the forefront in this experimental, evocative dance film featuring Dasha Lovtsova. Renowned in Russia and Europe, he was born in Moscow to the family of the Bolshoi Theater ballerina Irina Skroznikova and the operator/film director Vladimir Demetrievsky.

Director: Nikita Dmitrievsky

Be You T. Fool (Australia)

Short Documentary - 6 minutes

After drawing people on the train for years, an anonymous street artist reveals her secret - the practice of pasting portraits on the pillars of Chandler Highway Bridge in Alphington, Melbourne.

Director: Brendan Pinches

Remission (United States)

Experimental - 7 minutes

Vibrant creature costumes and visuals allow three unique creatures to evoke an unknown soldier’s war trauma and his vast, lonely pilgrimage through a purgatory loop. 

Directors: John Charter and artist Paul Kaiser

Looking for Monsters (Norway)

Short Documentary - 10 minutes

We are introduced to textile artist Pia Antonsen Rognes’ tactile, dramatic work through an ominous pink universe. In her quest for an aesthetic expression of internal monsters, inspirations such as Barbie, larvae, horror aesthetics, and even silicone hands become part of the work.

Director: Magnús Elvar Jónsson

The Distraction Towers (United States)

Experimental - 13 minutes

With an overlay of heightened reality and fantasy that is both familiar and  nexpected, this fun and quirky film explores and tickles the limits and folly of understanding.

Director: David Baeumler

Meltdown: Weapons Of  Mass Construction (United States) 

Experimental - 9 minutes

The death toll from gun violence in the U.S. per capita is catastrophic. How do guns affect our society and what is being done - how do we turn swords into plowshares?

Directors: May Sun and Juri Koll

Tickets to the LA Art Show

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Floating Worlds - LAAA Gallery 825
Jan
18
to Jan 31

Floating Worlds - LAAA Gallery 825

While "floating worlds" is a phrase art historically connected to Ukiyo-e art from Japan from around 1630 - the mid 1800s, in the context of this exhibit, this will refer to the major changes happening in the world we live in - the fleeting, floating nature of life - and the way artists depict this challenge. Indeed, the period when this phrase was used in Japan was one of tremendous upheaval, and our exhibition coincides with this fact of life. Whether sublime or active, contemplative or extroverted, this exhibition speaks to our times directly. Floating Worlds is an all media exhibit at Gallery 825 that explores this concept.

The show was juried by ViCA, and features artists Lillian Abel, Julie Ascher, Dori Atlantis, Maria Bjorkdahl, Warren Casey, Fred Chuang, Bibi Davidson, L. Aviva Diamond, Susan Dukow, Laura Fisher, Megan Frances, Richard Gayler, Inga Guzyte, Maureen Haldeman, Steve Hull, Mark Indig, Christine Kline, Faina Kumpan, Brian Mark, Deborah McAfee, Susan Melly, Janet Milhomme, Robert Nelson, Elizabeth Noble, Joe Notaro, Ashton Phillips, Osceola Refetoff, Melissa Reischman, Kuniko Ruch, Seda Saar, Sam Silberstein, Stephanie Sydney, Daena Title, Scott Trimble and Eugene Vishnevsky

Opening Saturday, January 18, 2020 6-9pm

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Jan
4
to Jan 25

Marks on Land & Mind

Marks_on_Land_and_Mind-4X6-front.jpg

Soheila Siadate & Tom Lamb
An exhibition curated by Juri Koll, Venice Institute of Contemporary Art

Opening Reception: Saturday January 4 - 6:00-10:00 pm

Artists Talk: Saturday, January 25 1pm

"Marks on Land & Mind" opens on Saturday January 4, 2020 from 6:00 to 10:00 pm at Orange County Center for Contemporary Art (OCCCA). We are honored to present paintings from Soheila Siadate and photography by Tom Lamb. As Ms. Siadate states, her works are meant to “echo the energy which is streaming beneath the surface”, and this applies to Mr. Lamb's work as well. The exhibition continues through January 25th.

About the exhibition

“The art of the last century or so has been about upending perspective, cutting through the 3rd dimension into the 4th, and creating new worlds for audiences to inhabit.

Soheila Siadate’s work addresses those outward thinking issues and many inward ones as well. As she puts it, her paintings are meant to “echo the energy which is streaming beneath the surface”. In some paintings hard edge paths or stripes appear on top of, from and beneath vibrant and astute color suffused with the vibrational action of her brush. The stripes appear like tracks, altering our viewpoint like directions on a map. In others, gaps appear in the middle of a work, unafraid, pushing the painted elements outward.

In contrast, Tom Lamb’s carefully constructed aerial views are uniquely abstract and unencumbered in this particularly specialized realm of photography. The compositions do not contain themselves in an easy or academic formality as one might expect. His best work pushes the viewer past the edges of the image, allowing for and embracing the unknown, the untraveled. Leaving one to wonder, what’s out there beyond the frame.

Siadate’s work often does something similar while using a vastly different medium. Elements of Hans Burkhardt come to mind with her work. Richard Debenkorn’s Ocean Park Series comes to mind with Lamb’s art. Influences of Ed Moses are apparent in the work of both artists.

Each artist, in their own assured way, makes indelible marks on our minds.”

Juri Koll, October, 2019



Soheila Siadate

Soheila was raised in Iran and received a diploma in business in Tehran. At the age of 25, 4 years after the revolution in Iran, she decided to move to LA, due to unjust social pressure there.
In California she completed a BFA in fiber art from California State University of Long Beach. More recently Soheila has made a transition towards oil painting to include the narrative of her fiber art projects.

Her life as an immigrant in a country so different from Iran has made a great impact on her art. Website: www.soheilazart.com

Tom Lamb

Tom is an aerial, landscape and interpretive photographer based out of Laguna Beach.
He uses photography, as his primary tool, along with pioneering trends in new media. Tom has dedicated his life to not only creating, through the art of storytelling, memorable photographs, but also championing environmental awareness.
Website: ​www.lambstudio.com

Orange County Center for Contemporary Art

Begun by artists in 1980 with exhibitions free to the public, OCCCA, the Orange County Center for Contemporary Art, is a 501(c) 3 non-profit, all-volunteer, artist-run gallery located in the heart of

the Santa Ana Artists Village. OCCCA presents exhibitions of contemporary art, along with concerts, performances, art classes, symposiums, and publications.

About OCCCA​:
www.occca.org
Founded in 1980, located in Santa Ana Artist Village, OCCCA is a non-profit, 501 (3) c corporation, dedicated to the pursuit of professional excellence in the arts, a constantly changing showcase for artists, educators, and community activists. OCCCA recognizes the importance of social engagement, global networking, intellectual exchange, critical dialogue, and the collaborative process. OCCCA presents exhibitions of contemporary art, along with concerts, performances, art classes, symposiums, and publications.

Orange County Center for Contemporary Art (OCCCA)
117 North Sycamore Street, Santa Ana, CA 92701 - Phone: 714 667 1517
Gallery Hours: Thursday to Sunday: noon to 5 pm. Closed on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday.

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LA Open 2020
Dec
17
to Jan 17

LA Open 2020

2020+LA+Open+Name+List.jpg

TAG Gallery is proud to announce the 3rd annual LA Open Exhibition for 2020! This juried exhibition aims to serve as a gateway for a diverse range of artists in the greater Los Angeles area to display their artworks on Museum Row, home to four major Los Angeles museums.

TAG's calendar year commences with this vibrant exhibition of works by local artists. The focus of this exhibition is to illustrate that artists are strong and impactful when they come together to facilitate dialogue amongst varied styles of works. To this end, the viewer and artist alike are encouraged to make unapparent connections between works in an effort to facilitate an intimate and unique experience for each viewer. The exhibition will run from Tuesday, December 17th - Friday, January 17th, 2020 with an open reception on January 4th, 2020.

JUROR: JURI KOLL

As part of the Venice Institute of Contemporary Art (ViCA), Juri Koll presents exhibits in their galleries in Los Angeles, and traveling exhibits at museums, galleries, and alternative spaces in the U.S. and abroad, such as Trans Angeles: Crossover Experimentation (curated by Senior Curatorial Advisor Peter Frank) seen at the Chabot Museum in Rotterdam and the Neuer Kunstverein Aschaffenberg e.V. and Wilhelm Morgner Haus Museum in Germany, among other institutions. Other exhibitions have appeared in venues including the Museum of Art and History, LA Art Show, Photo LA and many others in the US, Germany, the Netherlands, Estonia, and Japan. Koll regularly exhibits his paintings, photographs, and art videos. He serves on the LA Advisory Board for Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center. His documentaries on artists and other art world figures are available in university libraries across the U.S. His films have screened all over the world, in over 70 festivals, including Cannes, the Cork International Film Festival, the Australian International Film Festival, and won many awards.

After graduating from California Institute of the Arts with majors in Fine Art and Film, Mr. Koll produced the first Art/World documentaries from 1990 - 1995. He worked with major curators in their museums and galleries, such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The National Gallery in Washington, D.C., the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Museum of Modern Art in San Francisco. His subjects included world famous and infamous artists and art world figures from the Renaissance period to the present. Recently, Juri’s first documentary, In The Steel: A Portrait of Mark di Suvero, (1991), was accepted into the Archives of American Art at the Smithsonian Institution.

Exhibit:
December 17 - December 21, 2019
January 2 - January 17, 2020

Reception and Awards Ceremony: 
Saturday, January 4, 2020, 5 - 8 p.m.

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Wall to Wall
Nov
17
to Dec 27

Wall to Wall

WalltoWallcard.jpg

In partnership with Machine Art Studio we open "Wall to Wall" a street art exhibition in downtown San Pedro Sunday, November 17 at 2pm at their gallery, featuring MegZany, and Tanner Goldbeck.

In his essay for this show, Curator, Juri Koll writes:

“One of the most unique moments in a street artists life is when she or he exhibits in a gallery. Working on a monumental scale outside, often on a time limit, and with a sometimes skeptical public walking by and watching as they extend their reputation onto their newest big piece, street artists build a special relationship to their environment, a special toughness. It shows in their work as insight into the strength of the human spirit, the fleeting nature of fashion, the insanity of politics, and of the beauty of life itself.

Then they bring the vital energy of the street into a gallery - where the walls are often white, the floors are smooth, detritus free and people tend to arrive clean and civilized.

This presents a challenge for both artist and curator, as we devise together best ways to tell their story most effectively. We have enjoyed this process with these artists and think you will too.”

Price List - Meg Zany

Price List - Tanner Goldbeck

Local Opening: First Thursdays San Pedro, Tnursday, December 5, 6-10pm.

Opening Artists Reception: Sunday, November 17, 2-5pm

Contact us at juri@veniceica.org DM us @veniceica on IG, or call us at 310-957-7037.

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Floating Worlds - BG Gallery
Nov
12
to Nov 26

Floating Worlds - BG Gallery

Floating Worlds is a survey of new contemporary art from Japan, alongside American artists who have Japanese and Asian roots or have created work that speaks to our theme. While “floating worlds” is a phrase art historically connected to Ukiyo-e art from Japan from around 1630 - the mid 1800s, we are using it here to refer to the major changes happening in the world we live in - the fleeting, floating nature of life - and the way artists depict this challenge. Indeed, the period when this phrase was used in Japan was one of tremendous upheaval, and our exhibition coincides with this fact of life. Whether sublime or active, contemplative or extroverted, this exhibition speaks to our times directly.

Japanese artists in the online show - rarely seen in the US - are Yoko Umemoto, Sugimuru, Akira Nakamura, Kumiko Suzuki, and MIchiko. American artists on view at BG Gallery are Sam Francis, Gloriane Harris, Juri Koll, MB Boissonnault, Gay Summer Rick, Barbara Kolo, Vilen Künnapu, William Turtle, and more.

Peter Alexander, Robert Nelson, and many others are on view online on BG's Floating Worlds Artsy page.

In association with BG Gallery, we’ll open with a reception/launch at their gallery from 6-9 on Saturday, November 16 on view through November 26. The online exhibit for Floating Worlds will be viewable on Artsy through February 19, 2020. The premiere online source for discriminating collectors and art audiences.

Artsy Floating Worlds Exhibition

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FAFF Best of the Fest Screening in Joshua Tree
Oct
16
7:30 PM19:30

FAFF Best of the Fest Screening in Joshua Tree

The Fine Arts Film Festival (FAFF), sponsored by the Venice Institute of Contemporary Art, presented their 6th annual festival in Venice in May 2019. FAFF is dedicated to presenting the finest new and rare films about art from around the world. FAFF Director and Founder Juri Koll, and FAFF Program Manager Christy Addis-Gutierrez (now a resident of Joshua Tree), have curated a special one-night "Best of the Fest," comprising 9 short films, the longest just under an hour. The program runs approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes. (Please note the screening time is at 7:30, which is EARLIER THAN USUAL.) GLORIA'S CALL producer Cheryl Bookout, also a local resident, will be present for a brief Q&A following her film.

Find program listings and a brief description of the films at the following link:
https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1JYH7Q8mQUeuuhhZvnnKNQY1K2cq6Nfom

If you have questions about the event, please contact us at:
thefineartfilmfestival@gmail.com

Showtime is 7:30; Doors open 6:30.
[*NOTE: THIS SCREENING WILL BEGIN EARLIER THAN USUAL]
Suggested donation: $10
Parking is limited. Please carpool.
(Graphics courtesy of Christy Addis-Gutierrez; image still from the film JELENA.)

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Painted Architecture
Sep
15
to Oct 26

Painted Architecture

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Vilen Künnapu “Roofs of Santorini” Acrylic on canvas. 120 x 150 cm. 2014

Vilen Künnapu “Roofs of Santorini” Acrylic on canvas. 120 x 150 cm. 2014

“Painted Architecture” brings together a circle of a spiritually like-minded fellowship and presents to the audience the best of Estonian art which is juxtaposed with the architectural paintings of Latvian artists.

The participants of the exhibition are ALEKSEJS NAUMOVS, VILEN KÜNNAPU, ANDRIS VĪTOLIŅŠ, AUGUST KÜNNAPU, MARTIN “QBA” KAARES, LIISA KRUUSMÄGI, MERILIIS “MERU” RINNE.

“Painted Architecture” began with the friendship of painters Aleksejs Naumovs (LAT) and Vilen Künnapu (EST), and their idea of making a joint display; they are also the core of this exhibition. The exposition was first presented in spring 2019 in the over 1,500m2 Fahle and Fahle Park galleries in Tallinn, Estonia. Vilen Künnapu invited curator Meelis Tammemägi from Fahle Gallery to curate the exhibition, who wanted to add more like-minded painters to the original mix. Thus, Andris Vītoliņš (LAT) and August Künnapu (EST) were joined in. In addition to their love for architecture, these artists also share a personal friendship. August Künnapu has worked together with Andris Vītoliņš for 17 years and together they have taken part in a dozen exhibitions in the Nordic countries, the Baltics, Luxembourg, and Baku.

Price List

The exhibition “Painted Architecture” is presented in Los Angeles in collaboration with Bohemian Galleries and the Venice Institute of Contemporary Art. This exhibition introduces the works of Estonian and Latvian painters to the American public, and the works of younger generation painters have been added - Meriliis “MERU” Rinne (EST / GBR), Martin “QBA” Kaares (EST), Liisa Kruusamägi (EST). This diverse array of authors in a single exhibition format is not a contradictions, as they have a striking conformity in their chosen motifs and figures. In addition to a common geographical region, the works of all artists are bound together by an extraordinary sense of energy and the ability to convey it through painting. Thus, irrespective of the language of the paintings of each artist, even the most abstract works carry us directly to the point of depiction. "In my search and juxtaposition of similar creators, symbols, and harmonies, it has been my desire to make the exhibition tell a coherent and flowing story," commented exhibition curator Meelis Tammemägi.

The exhibition will remain open in Los Angeles until the Closing Reception with special guests on Saturday, October 26 from 2-5pm.

The exhibition is compiled and curated by Meelis Tammemägi, co-curators are Juri Koll, Daisy Inslermann and Anna Matskevitš.

For details: juri@veniceica.org

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A History of Venice
Sep
5
to Sep 30

A History of Venice

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The Venice Institute of Contemporary Art and Venice Heritage Museum present ‘A History of Venice’, a People/Place/Art/Word/Sound Exhibition opening September 3 at Beyond Baroque in Venice, CA, and continuing through September 30. The lobby and mezzanine galleries will showcase installations that highlight the diverse and influential histories of Venice through the lens of its inhabitants -- from the indigenous Tongva population, to Abbot Kinney and his wild fantasy come true to create a playground for the Los Angeles elite, to the artists, activists, and renegades who have made their home in Venice and their mark over generations. The displays, interpreted by a diverse array of guest curators, honor a sampling of the many groups that have contributed to the cultural depth of this immensely influential beachside community. In particular, the exhibition seeks to center the Venetians whose influence may be known to insiders but whose legacies are at risk of being forgotten during this time of rapid cultural change.

An accompanying suite of special live evenings of storytelling, media, and performance will kick off on September 5th with a night of behind-the-scenes storytelling about Venice’s complex and fascinating history, told by local residents themselves as well as devoted historians. On September 14th, the official Opening Reception for the exhibition will be held from 2-6 pm. Following, an evening talk will feature Tosh Berman sharing excerpts from his new book about his father, influential Venice artist, Wallace Berman, and readings of works by Venice scribes such as one-time resident, Ray Bradbury, and beloved poet, Wanda Coleman, with other special guests to be announced. A film night will take place on September 19th, which will feature rare archives from the gritty surf and skate culture of Dogtown’s second generation in the 1980s. Films by the youth of Venice Arts will be shown, as well as a selection from noted archivist, Tom Sewell, among other shorts. The final gathering on September 29th will open with an indigenous ceremony and blessing to provide good luck and wishes for the continued cultural evolution of the city of Venice and its residents. The evening will conclude with a variety show in the evening, featuring performances by the many wonderful and talented characters of Venice, both past and present (...who knows, Abbot Kinney himself might appear!). Proposals and ideas for three-minute variety acts will be accepted up through September 4th at ahistoryofvenice@gmail.com. All in all, the program promises to be a moving and entertaining, not-to-be-missed celebration of the cultural legacies of Venice, a city so many lay claim to and yet still defies definition.

“Venice was... (and still is) a last stop-off at the edge of America ...oceans and outlaws. Its setting is a perfect balance for poetry. Beauty and danger. Agony and rapture.”​ -Philomene Long

“Nobody’s out of place in Venice” -​ Ronald Shusett

Venue​: Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center, 681 Venice Blvd, Venice, CA 90291

Dates and Times​:

●  Storytelling Night - Thursday, September 5, 7:00-10:00 pm

●  Opening Reception - Saturday, September 14, 2:00-6:00 pm

●  Literature Night - Saturday, September 14, 7:00-10:00 pm

●  Film Night - Thursday, September 19, 7:00-10:00 pm

●  Closing Ceremony - Sunday, September 29, 6:00-7:00 pm

●  Variety Show - Sunday, September 29, 7:00-10:00 pm

Prices​: $10 per event except Opening Reception.

The ongoing exhibition will be housed in the lobby, mezzanine, and upstairs gallery during regular hours at Beyond Baroque. The onsite bookstore will feature a display devoted to the literary and poetic history of Venice. All evening programs will take place in the Beyond Baroque theater.

Public viewing hours​: Friday 4:00-10:00 pm, Saturday 3:00-10:00 pm, Sunday 2:00-7:00 pm. Exhibition on view from September 3rd-30th.

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For more information about “A History of Venice” at Beyond Baroque, please contact Juri Koll at ahistoryofvenice@gmail.com or 310-957-7037. Visit ​facebook.com/veniceheritage1905​ andfacebook.com/VeniceICA​ for ongoing updates.



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Edge to Edge - Estonia Tour
Jul
22
to Oct 4

Edge to Edge - Estonia Tour

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The Edge to Edge exhibition was on view until June 29 at ViCA with an Art Talk entitled “Playing On The Edge” on June 23. Details and photographs can be found here. Edge to Edge’ is appearing at the following venues:

Fahle Gallery, Tallinn - July 27 extended through September 11 - Opening Reception July 27 6-9pm - Includes works by Andy Warhol & Jean Michel Basquiat

Art Talk & Tour of Edge to Edge at Fahle Gallery August 26 at 6pm.

Tartu Art House - within the framework of the Tartu Graphic Festival - July 25 - August 18

Work from the following artists are traveled to Estonia and appeared in one or more venues on the Edge to Edge tour:

Andy Warhol, Jean Michel Basquiat, Sonja Schenk, Gay Summer Rick, MB Boissonnault, Bradford J. Salamon, Pablo Llana, Juri Koll, Ave PIldas, David Valera, Gloriane Harris, George Koll, Lawrie Margrave, Barbara Kolo, Josh Bagel Klassman, Stu Rapeport, Bob Branaman, Reginald Van Langenhove, Adrian White, Ray Carofano, Jeanne Dunn, Nizaac Vallejo, Michael Arata, Tanner Goldbeck, Paola Pineda, Bryan & Ryan, Antonio Chaurand, Diego Narvaez, Jeffrey Sklan, Gustavo Villegas Solis.

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Edge to Edge 2
Jul
14
to Aug 1

Edge to Edge 2

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As a continuation of our study of the effect of innumerable geographical, political, idealogical and physical borders on various peoples, we present Edge to Edge 2, a survey of art happening now in Mexico and Southern California. Curated by Juri Koll of ViCA and Pablo Llana from Mexico, all of the works from Mexico are exhibiting for the first time here, and most, if not all, of the artists from each respective geographic region have not shown together before.

In order to effect a true conversation, works have been chosen without regard to theme or representation of borders per se. Some may comment on it peripherally, perhaps, but that is not the theme - in an of itself - of this exhibition. Open conversation requires respect, honesty, and due consideration in order to achieve benefit. That’s partly what this exhibition is about.

Artists in this show include César Bernal. Anonymous Boh, MB Boissonnault, Cosimo Cavallaro, Antonio Chaurand, Sulamit Elizondo, Juri Koll, Pablo Llana, Ramiro Martinez Plasencia, Jorge Moedano, Diego Narvaez, Robert Nelson, Paola Pineda, Jorge Pinzon, Ulises Platas, Catherine Ruane, Sonja Schenk, Nizzac Vallejo, Gustavo Villegas, Ádrian White..

Thursday, August 1 from 6-9pm during the San Pedro First Thursdays

Artist’s Opening Reception:

Sunday, July 14, 2019 12-3pm

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Playing On The Edge - An Art Talk
Jun
23
1:00 PM13:00

Playing On The Edge - An Art Talk

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Work by Leohnard Lapin (Estonia) from the “Machine, Man Machine, Woman Machine’ Series ca. 1975

Work by Leohnard Lapin (Estonia) from the “Machine, Man Machine, Woman Machine’ Series ca. 1975

“Playing On The Edge” will be an uncommon Art Talk in which ‘Edge to Edge’ artists in Estonia “talk” to a panel of artists here via video clips - live or otherwise to open the event. Artists in attendance include Sonja Schenk, Bradford J. Salamon and MB Boissonnault, moderated by Artist/Curator Juri Koll. Estonian artists Tönis Laanemaa, Anonymous Boh (Artist/Organizer of the Estonian contingent of ‘Edge to Edge’), Taje Tross, and Leohnard Lapin will be seen/heard in the video clips and become part of the context for discussion.

One topic is how technology affects the work we make, and whether we allow it to serve us or not. Perhaps this Art Talk could be seen as a way to make it work for, instead of against, us.

“The new era employs sensorial, motoric, kinetic, sonic, and verbal means as information in order to embrace all human senses and the central nervous system.” Sirje Lapin (Runge) & Leohnard Lapin 1972/73

Lapin was first to translate the 1927 “The Non-Objective World” by Malevich into Estonian in the 1970’s when he received a Polish translation from a friend. These ideas were banned in Russia at the time. His ideas of machines providing pleasure instead of simply production became the basis of his Machine, Man Machine, Woman Machine series, of which we have several examples in this exhibition.

We will expand the Art Talk to wherever situations, happenings, and tangents take us, but always “Playing On The Edge.”

Refreshments will be served.

As your TV used to say…Stay tuned.

Juri Koll

June 6, 2019

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Fine Arts Film Festival
May
24
to Jun 9

Fine Arts Film Festival

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VR Section - June 8-9 at Creative Technology Center at the Brewery Arts Complex, Los Angeles.

May 24-25 at Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center, Venice, California

May 26 at ViCA/The Loft in San Pedro, California

The 6th Annual Fine Arts Film Festival (FAFF) presents the finest films in the world about art, photography, collectors and artists of all mediums in and out of their studios, galleries, museums, public art, and alternative art spaces. This includes video art, created as a Film or a Virtual Reality medium and newly created categories - Screenplays.

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For tickets and information, go to Fine Arts Film Festival

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Edge to Edge
May
2
to Jun 28

Edge to Edge

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An interdisciplinary exchange of art and ideas from one cutting edge of Western culture to the other - from the Southern California/Los Angeles basin to Estonia and the Baltics.

“The work emphasizes a prescient, mutual place in time and mind, a desire to push boundaries at every edge. Art in all its forms - whether ideas, words or marks, spoken or sun, discarded or disparate elements assembled together into one, molded or forged, projected, built in place or heard, all while listening and speaking to each other. An exhibition of different art works from the very opposite ends of the western world create a coherent voice and experience in time and space, full of contrast, tension, and unanimity.”

Juri Koll, Curator

Peeter Allik - Concrete Solutions, 2013, Photolithograph

Peeter Allik - Concrete Solutions, 2013, Photolithograph

Renowned artists from Southern California and Estonia have been specially selected for the exhibition to begin at ViCA’s galleries in Los Angeles, then travel to Estonia. Cultural figures will participate in talks, tours and workshops - a cultural exchange to promote progress, freedom of speech, activism, and peace - finding common ground, new ways of seeing and expressing their innermost views to the world at large.

Exchanges will happen via painting to sculpture, performance and film, to the written word. A catalog will be published following the exhibition.

This is especially prescient, as Estonia, along with other Baltic states, celebrates it’s 100th anniversary of independence, from their emergence as free, democratic countries in 1918-19.

Artists included in this show are Toomas Kuusing, Anonymous Boh, Taje Tross, Pusa, Tönis Laanemaa, Leonhard Lapin, Terttu Uibopuu, Raul Meel, Peeter Allik, Hillar Tatar, George Koll and Serge Koll. This work will be combined with work from the U.S. and abroad from artists including Bradford J. Salamon, Sonja Schenk, Doug Edge, Gloriane Harris, John Hancock, Sulamit Elizondo, Robbie Conal, Lilli Muller, Catherine Ruane, Pablo Llana, Mb Boissonnault, Juri Koll, Cosimo Cavallaro, Lil’ Mikey Coleman, Lilli Muller, Robert Nelson, William Turtle and others to be announced.

The exhibition is on view until June 29 at ViCA with an Art Talk entitled “Playing On The Edge” on June 23.. Details and photographs can be found here. After closing in Los Angeles on June 29, ’Edge to Edge’ will take place with additional new artists from North America in July at the Tartu Art House within the framework of the Tartu Graphic Festival (July 22 - August 18) and at the Pärnu IN Graphics Festival in Pärnu City Gallery opening on August 10, and simultaneously at the Fahle Gallery in Tallinn from July 27 through August 30.

The Consulate General of Estonia in New York has supported ‘Edge to Edge’ since its inception in 2017, along with the Honorary Consul General of Estonia in Los Angeles, Estonian American Business Alliance, and the Estonian American National Council.


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ViCA: Collection Selections
Mar
7
to Apr 28

ViCA: Collection Selections

A selection of work we’ve collected publicly and privately over the past decades. Many works are on view for the first time.

Featuring renowned artists including Doug Edge, Gloriane Harris, Sulamit Elizondo, Stu Rapeport, Jodi Bonassi, Cosimo Cavallaro, Mb Boissonnault, Peter Alexander, Gay Summer Rick, Megan Frances, Pablo Llana, Robert Nelson, Bryan Ida, Ron Therrio, Saul Koll, George Koll, KuBO, Joost de Jonge, Dick Keltner, Catherine Ruane, George Herms, Bob Branaman, Lil’ Mikey Coleman, William “Billy” Turtle, Peggy Sivert, Mike Street, Nick Bradley, Mark “Funcrime” Munski, Courtney Heather, Edmund Teske, Josh "Bagel" Klassman, Oscar Spierenberg, and Michael Streitley.

Locals Night

Thursday, April 4 from 6-9pm during the San Pedro First Thursdays

Artist’s Closing Reception:

Sunday, April 28, 2019 11am-2pm

On view Sundays 11-2pm and by appointment.

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Artist Talk & Tour - Intangible in Paint - Part 2
Feb
23
1:00 PM13:00

Artist Talk & Tour - Intangible in Paint - Part 2

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Curator Juri Koll will moderate an insightful talk about and/or with Jeanne Dunn, Barbara Kolo, Uschi Lüdemann, Gay Summer Rick, Roxene Rockwell and Jae Hwa Yoo on their work in our show Intangible in Paint.

Panel will begin at approximately 1:15.

LA Weekly Review

Artillery Review

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Out In The Street @ Art Palm Springs
Feb
14
to Feb 18

Out In The Street @ Art Palm Springs

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The Venice Institute of Contemporary Art ViCA  presents a unique fine art photography exhibition "Out In The Street", which focuses on a nearly 200 year tradition in art. This exhibition at Art Palm Springs is a reprise of our well received exhibition of the same name in 2018 at Muzeumm, with a few interesting twists.

Works created with a camera that address urban challenges and solutions in terms of social issues, justice, political protest, demonstrations, geographical, and/or philisophically creative ways of seeing what's out in the street or out of doors - from around the world. This exhibition will include world renowned street photography from historically significant fine art photographers gathered from the original Out In The Street exhibition.

Artists in this exhibition are Edmund Teske, Osceola Refetoff, Jenny Donaire, Ray Carofano, Ave Pildas, David Patrick Valera, Lawrie Margrave, Juri Koll, Debe Arlook, Josh Klassman, Nick Bradley, Asif Ahmed, Stephen Levey and others TBA shortly.

Shana Nys Dambrot previewed the original exhibition in the LA Weekly.

Dates and Hours

Opening Night Preview 
Thursday, February 14 from 5-9pm
VIP Ticket Holders Only
A benefit for the Palm Springs Art Museum

General Admission
Friday, February 15 | 11am-7pm | All Ticket Holders
Saturday, February 16 | 11am-6pm | All Ticket Holders
Sunday, February 17 | 11am-6pm | All Ticket Holders
Monday, February 18 | 12pm-5pm | All Ticket Holders

Location

Palm Springs Convention Center
277 N Avenida Caballeros
Palm Springs CA 92262

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Parking
Parking is $8 per day (includes in/out with proof of event ticket upon return).

Josh “Bagel” Klassman, JH & CK, Pole Jam Bail, 1980z

Josh “Bagel” Klassman, JH & CK, Pole Jam Bail, 1980z

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