We Have a Pulse
Pulse Contemporary Art Fair ran this past weekend in the heart of downtown LA—at LA Live. Or at least we’re told LA Live is the “heart of the vibrant and burgeoning downtown Los Angeles community.” As a native Angeleno, I certainly wouldn’t label LA Live the heart of downtown, nor would I label downtown Los Angeles a “burgeoning community” – because quite frankly, downtown LA has been a thriving and distinctive community for some time. - Ellen Caldwell, LA Contributor (more thoughts on the show and images after the jump!)
Heidi Tullmann and Ben Wolf at Christina Ray
All kitschy descriptives aside though, the fair proved to do as its title claims in tapping into and presenting the pulse of the contemporary art scene. The organizers of Pulse launched the first LA counterpart to their Miami and New York art fairs, that all focus solely on contemporary art. It coincided with the launch of the massive one and a half year-long LA art collaborations “Pacific Standard Time.”
As with most every art fair, there was a mixture of loud over-the-top art, conceptual art, and understated seductive art, while the crowd was of course ever-so-hip. Some of my favorite exhibitors’ overall programs included: Christina Ray, LeBasse Projects, Jonathan Ferrara, Morgan Lehman Gallery, and Fouladi Projects. Some of my favorite projects by single artists were: Katrin Korfmann, Gina Osterloh, William Powhida, and Satoru Koizumi.
Gina Osterloh at LACE (Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions)
Satoru Koizumi at Megumi Ogita Gallery
Katrina Korfmann at 2x2 projects
Katrina Korfmann at 2x2 projects
And then finally, some of my favorite times in the fair occurred when I came quietly around a bend to works of stark contrast– by such artists as Nicholas Metivier Gallery’s James Lahey and Galerie Stefan Ropke’s Edward Burtynzky. And by Mark Moore Gallery’s Kiel Johnson (NAP #49, 67, and 2003 MFA Annual) and Christopher Davison: the former a three-dimensional cityscape and the latter a two-sided, devotional-esque shelved nook of paintings which created two of my most intimate moments of reflection at the fair.
Amze Emmons (NAP #41, 81, and 2002 MFA Annual) at Christina Ray
Sam Messenger at LeBasse Projects
Nate Frizzell at LeBasse Projects
Nate Frizzell at LeBasse Projects
Christopher Davison at Mark Moore Gallery
Christopher Davison at Mark Moore Gallery
James Lahey at Nicholas Metivier Gallery
Ghada Amer at Galerie Stefan Ropke
Graham Gillmore (NAP #37) and Liam Jones (NAP #55) at Fouladi Projects
Gina Phillips at Jonathan Ferrara
Gina Phillips at Jonathan Ferrara
Dan Tague at Jonathan Ferrara
Brian Leo at Christina Ray
Eric Beltz at Morgan Lehman Gallery
Frohawk Two-Feathers (NAP #73) at Morgan Lehman Gallery
Keil Johnson at Mark Moore Gallery
Keil Johnson at Mark Moore Gallery
Keil Johnson at Mark Moore Gallery
---
Ellen C. Caldwell is an LA-based art historian, editor, and writer.