Today @ Craft and Folk Art Museum
Maximo González recycles materials such as devalued currency, vintage aluminum household items, and plastic kitchen items to create new modes of expression about what we value – and devalue. González’s light, whimsical touch increases the accessibility of his messages without overshadowing their significance. In his hands, everyday objects become exquisite, such as his application of traditional Oaxacan loom weaving techniques to the aforementioned out-of-circulation currency, or creating a striking sculpture out of red plastic house wares. Accompanying the show is Changarrito, a cart based on those commonly used by vendors in Mexico that González exhibited at the Venice Biennale and brings around the world with him to showcase affordably priced work by local artists.
Coming Up
Twin Sister w/ Ava Luna and Talkdemonic
Today @ The Echo & Echoplex
Since forming string-enhanced electronic duo Talkdemonic in 2003, multi-instrumentalists Kevin O'Connor and Lisa Molinaro have become indie staples, touring with such acts as Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and the National. The Portland natives effortlessly combine reflective beats with experimental synths and dissonant string compositions, and they're bringing their demonic talk to the Echo, along with Ava Luna and Twin Sister.
Today @ Cliff's Edge
While Cliff's Edge in Silver Lake is renowned for the excellent food served on its gorgeous terraced patio, the interior, now known as The Bar at Cliff's, is destination worthy in its own right. The striking room features a high ceiling, skylights, Moroccan chandeliers, and a frequently-updated, well-curated cocktail menu. The new winter cocktails include The Cliff's Manhattan and The Bitter Pill. The former, an update on the classic, is enlivened with the addition of black walnut bitters and Ramazzotti to the rye whiskey, while the latter is an enticing concoction of Zaya rum, Fernet Branca, lime juice, brown-sugar syrup, and egg whites. Nightly from 6pm they feature a beer special and a cocktail special from a rotating list of $3 beers and $7 specialty cocktails. It's an elegant but easy place to stop in for a drink or two, with the option of ordering superior bar bites, such as French fries with gorgonzola sauce, a charcuterie plate, or a grilled shrimp brochette.
Today @ Museum of Contemporary Art
Kenneth Anger is usually associated with his scandalous Hollywood Babylon oeuvre, but while the books are legendary, his filmic eye is every bit as impressive. MoCA hosts the first major retrospective of Anger's work in his hometown of Los Angeles, featuring films from his Magick Lantern Cycle, along with personal memorabilia such as photographs, scrapbooks, and other items that give the public a better understanding of a classically complex, but no less compelling, film icon.
Today @ ANN 330 Gallery
ANN 330 Gallery showcases this group photography show delving into the theme of saudade, a deep, melancholic sense of loss or incompleteness. Joey Lehman Morris' portrait of an urban mountain of sand — the aftermath of land leveled for development — stirs a longing for unsullied nature, while a structuralist photograph by April Friges of a weed-covered lot inhabited by an old home being readied for transport evokes wistfulness, in spite of the blatant subversion of modern disposability and consumerism. Also including works by Josh Cho and Dong Hoon Jun, Saudade provokes an uneasy nostalgia.
