"Summer is the Time to See Alumni Artwork in L.A.," by Sneha Abraham, 51 News
If you can’t wait until51 Museum of Art re-opens Sept. 2, there are plenty of opportunities to soak up the work of alumni artists in L.A. this summer. At the moment, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art offers critically-acclaimed exhibitions by Helen Pashgian ’56, James Turrell ’65 and Chris Burden ’69.
Pashgian is considered an important artist in the Southern California Light and Space movement, and is a large-scale sculpture of 12 molded-acrylic columns made of fiberglass, resin, plastic and coated glass. The Los Angeles Times calls it a “subtly mesmerizing installation.” This exhibition closes June 29.
Turrell is also highly lauded—Interview Magazine calls him “one of the most multifaceted artists of our time.” Evidence of that is one of his Ganzfeld pieces, which eliminates the viewer’s depth perception. This exhibition is ongoing.
Burden is known for his performance and sculpture work and is a recipient of the prestigious 2009 Distinguished Artist Award for Lifetime Achievement from the 16,000-member College Art Association. He is exhibiting a kinetic sculpture mirroring a modern bustling city, with steel beam roadways and speeding miniature cars. Also on view is Burden’s restored cast iron antique street lamps at the entrance of LACMA. These exhibitions are ongoing.
Also in L.A., the work of video artist and photographer Judy Fiskin ’66 will be featured as part of the Hammer Museum’s exhibition, opening this Sunday, June 15 and running through Sept. 7. The biennial shows 35 emerging, under recognized artists’ work along with presenting free programming open to the public. LA Weekly says Fiskin, “routinely traverses boundaries of class and culture."