Siqueiros' America Tropical
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In 1932, the famous Mexican muralist David Alfaro Siqueiros was exiled from Mexico and came to Los Angeles for six months. While he was here, he painted three murals, including America Tropical, which is on a second floor exterior of the Italian Hall on Olvera Street. The main image depicts a Mayan pyramid, in front of which an Indian peasant is crucified on a double cross. An American eagle sits on top of the cross.
Some found the politically charged image of US imperialism a bit unpalatable - and within a year, the entire mural was whitewashed. Luis Garza, director of the David Siqueiros "Legacy and Legend" symposium, is one of the driving forces behind the restoration of the mural.
An Image Bank for Everyday Revolutionary Life
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While Siqueiros was working in Mexico and abroad, he was always collecting images and sources for his work. Eventually, he put together a library that he hoped other artists would use as image sources for their own work. That archive has been digitized and put online, and two curators have now put it to use, commissioning a group of artists to create work specifically from Siqueiros' image bank.
The result, An Image Bank for Everyday Revolutionary Life, is on display at the REDCAT gallery in downtown Los Angeles until April 2. The artist Ruben Ortiz-Torres, who has a piece in the show, and the artist Gronk checked out the show with Pacific Drift.
Song: "Revolverlution"
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...by the Kleptones from the album From Detroit to J.A.
Ron Haviv
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In September 2001, seven photojournalists formed their own photo agency in order to document the political, social and environmental conflict of these turbulent times. Last year, the VII Photo Agency linked up with Doctors Without Borders to photograph the world's deadliest conflict since World War II. The resulting exhibition, Democratic Republic of the Congo: Forgotten War, is at the Stephen Cohen Gallery until May 6. Ayala Ben-Yehuda met photographer Ron Haviv at the exhibition.
The gallery will hold a benefit reception for Doctors Without Borders on Thursday, April 6.
Stephen Cohen Gallery
7358 Beverly Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90036
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The photographers of the VII agency will hold a photojournalism seminar at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena April 7-9.
1984 at the Actors' Gang
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The Actors' Gang in Culver City has a new theatrical production of George Orwell's 1984 that has just been extended through May 20. Queena Kim met up with Brent Hinkley, who plays Winston and is the associate artistic director of the Actors' Gang, to ask how the book holds up in the information age.
Squirrel Radio Action
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Not all political art has to be serious. The performance/rock group My Barbarian wrote and performed this piece of theater for Pacific Drift last spring. My Barbarian has a new show, Double Future, at REDCAT April 20-22. Until then, tide yourself over with their controversial thriller: Squirrel Radio Action.
Rodney McMillian at MOCA
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At MOCA Grand Avenue, an exhibition called Painting in Tongues features seven international up-and-coming artists who all take painting in new and sometimes fascinating directions. Rodney McMillian is one of two Southern Californians in the show. Rodney's got his own room and his work has a distinctly political bent to it. Not that he's espousing a point of view or trying to get you to vote one way or another, but he's examining the directions that we as a society choose to go. Ayala Ben-Yehuda met up with Rodney McMillian at MOCA.
The Painting in Tongues exhibition is at MOCA until April 17.
Diana Zlotnick
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One of the many reasons Southern California is currently at the forefront of the modern art world is that there is finally a critical mass of art collectors here. Art is seen as a good investment by some; others do it out of love and for the experience a work of art gives them. Diana Zlotnick first bought art from the legendary Ferus Gallery on La Cienega in the 1950s and '60s. Ayala Ben-Yehuda checked out her collection.
Charles Phoenix
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What's the difference between Disneyland and downtown LA? Charles Phoenix will tell you. The purveyor of the glory of all things Americana shows off his collection of other people's slides to Ben Adair.
Charles Phoenix leads his Disneyland Tour of downtown LA on April 2, 9 & 23.
The Other Side
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Jane Cantillon's documentary The Other Side is a love letter to the gay men who survived the AIDS epidemic and the old-fashioned piano bar where they still hang out. The documentary is screening Monday, March 27 as part of the Silverlake Film Festival. Queena Kim met the filmmaker at the bar for a drink and a song.
The Other Side is located at 2538 Hyperion Avenue in Silverlake.
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Want to volunteer at Pacific Drift?
We're looking for volunteers to help with the show a couple of days a week. Send us an email for more information. Thanks!
