Events on Wednesday, May 21

Pacific Division w/ J*DaVeY and The Gray Kid

Music: Hip-Hop

Pacific Division w/ J*DaVeY and The Gray Kid

Wednesday 5/21 @ Key Club

Comprising a rhyme-spitting trio from Palmdale, a soulful electro duo fronted by a gorgeous girl with a mohawk, and an 8-bit... 

The Dresden Dolls w/ Smoosh and Lavender Diamond

Music

The Dresden Dolls

Wednesday 5/21 @ The Wiltern

The Dresden Dolls bring their over-the-top theatrics to the Wiltern tonight for a show full of stage makeup, eclectic costumes, and,... 

Walk Like a Diva

Fashion/Style

Walk Like a Diva

Wednesday 5/21 @ Il Primo Passo

Transform your walk from a toddler wobble into a graceful supermodel strut at art-shoe emporium Il Primo Passo's high-heel walking class,... 

Adam Green w/ Tim Fite

Music

Adam Green

Wednesday 5/21 @ The Troubadour

After unofficially disbanding the Moldy Peaches — a potty-mouthed, fun-time, tantrum band full of spilled Cheerios and poop jokes — Adam... 

Baroque: Adès & Couperin

Music: Classical

Thomas Adès

Wednesday 5/21 @ Disney Concert Hall

Thomas Adès is wildly popular in the UK's postmodern-opera/avant-garde classical scene, and he's still nowhere near 40. Tonight, Adès returns for... 

Ongoing Events

Dave McKenzie: <em>Screen Doors on Submarines</em>

Art

Dave McKenzie

Wednesday 5/21 @ REDCAT

Jamaican-born artist Dave McKenzie's first solo show in Los Angeles is a multimedia affair that asks multifaceted questions about where a... 

Michelle Lopez and Vishal Jugdeo

Art

Michelle Lopez and Vishal Jugdeo

Wednesday 5/21 @ LAXART

Michelle Lopez and Vishal Jugdeo, both making their solo debuts in Los Angeles, meditate on the meaning of objects in human... 

Mark Bradford: <em>Help Us</em>

Art

Mark Bradford

Wednesday 5/21 @ Steve Turner Contemporary

Los Angeles painter, installation artist, and (most recently) video artist Mark Bradford has exhibited in some of the world's most prestigious... 

<em>Menace & Charm: The Nostalgia of Childhood</em>

Art

Menace & Charm

Wednesday 5/21 @ Black Maria Gallery

Not everyone's childhood memories contain happy-go-lucky images of bubblegum chewing and bicycle riding. As the artists in Black Maria Gallery's upcoming... 

Art

It's a Beautiful World

Wednesday 5/21 @ The Scion Installation LA Space

The Scion Installation Space in Culver City has lined its walls with works by the heavyweights of urban romanticism — including... 

Art

Culmination

Wednesday 5/21 @ Morono Kiang Gallery

As Internet galleries and portfolio sites make it increasingly easy to navigate the deep waters of the international emerging art scene,... 

Nicole Cohen: <em>Please Be Seated</em>

Special Event

Nicole Cohen

Wednesday 5/21 @ The Getty Center

Nicole Cohen engineers recombinant layers of still and video imagery, investigating the network of associations that interior spaces contain. Also, she... 

<em>Las Vegas Diaspora: The Emergence of Contemporary Art from the Neon Homeland</em>

Art

Las Vegas Diaspora

Wednesday 5/21 @ Laguna Art Museum

Dave Hickey has one of the most original minds in the contemporary art world. His best-selling collection of critical essays, Air... 

Pavilion of Wings

City Gems

Pavilion of Wings

Wednesday 5/21 @ Natural History Museum

Pavilion of Wings returns to the Natural History Museum for the exhibition's tenth anniversary. Now, anyone jealous of the Shins' experience... 

Anthony Lister: <em>Quit Your Sobbing and Call Me in the Afternoon</em>

Art

Anthony Lister

Wednesday 5/21 @ New Image Art

Anthony Lister's newest installation, strewn with pop-culture tragedies and unfortunate vagabonds, erupts in New Image Art's white-walled gallery space. Hailing from... 

Scott Harrison, Sam Saga, and Thomas Wargin

Art

Scott Harrison, Sam Saga, and Thomas Wargin

Wednesday 5/21 @ La Luz de Jesus

When he's not busy inking clients like Master P and Kiki Smith, internationally known tattoo artist Scott Harrison maintains a sweet... 

<em>Phalanstery Module </em>

Art

Phalanstery Module

Wednesday 5/21 @ Materials & Applications

M&A gallery continues to push the frontiers of architecture and landscape research with Jimenez Lai's installation Phalanstery Module. Zero-gravity design presents... 

Art

Make Art/Stop AIDS

Wednesday 5/21 @ Fowler Museum, UCLA

Before red ribbons became de rigeur accessories at televised awards ceremonies, artists from around the globe inspired and provoked the radical... 

Liat Yossifor and Aaron Sandnes: <em>The War Is Over</em>

Art

Liat Yossifor and Aaron Sandnes

Wednesday 5/21 @ See Line Gallery

In the midst of war, there seems to be no shortage of news on the subject. But though we may often... 

Yoskay Yamamoto: <em>The Upside of Down</em>

Art

Yoskay Yamamoto

Wednesday 5/21 @ project: gallery

In his debut solo show, Japanese-born, California-bred artist Yoskay Yamamoto combines emotional expression with figures of timidity and doubt to illustrate... 

<I>La Vida Lowrider: Cruising the City of Angels</i>

Art

La Vida Lowrider

Wednesday 5/21 @ Petersen Automotive Museum

The lowrider tradition originated in the Chicano barrios of Los Angeles, inspired by a fierce love for classic cars and the... 

Misato Suzuki: <em>Unknown Quantities</em>

Art

Misato Suzuki

Wednesday 5/21 @ Sam Lee Gallery

Misato Suzuki is acutely aware of nature's palette and geometry. With soothing shades of yellow, orange, brown, and blue, she paints... 

Jerome Witkin: <em>Revelations in Drawing</em>

Art

Jerome Witkin

Wednesday 5/21 @ Jack Rutberg Fine Arts

Many art critics and scholars consider Jerome Witkin to be America's greatest living figurative painter. His portraits and landscapes combine an... 

<em>100% Other: Artists and Psycho-Demographic Transitions</em>

Art

100% Other

Wednesday 5/21 @ 18th Street Arts Center

For the next installment of Future of Nations exhibition series 100% Other, curator Tyler Stallings asked artists Matthew Bryant, Cheryl Gilge,... 

<i>My Kid Could Paint That</i>

Film: Documentary

My Kid Could Paint That

Wednesday 5/21 @ Various locations

An abstract-art prodigy for the digital age, four-year-old Marla Olmstead is a rare bird indeed. In My Kid Could Paint That,... 

Deedee Cheriel and Louise Bonnet: <em>New Works</em>

Art

Deedee Cheriel and Louise Bonnet

Wednesday 5/21 @ Subliminal Projects

The newest exhibition to hit Shepard and Amanda Fairey's Subliminal Projects gallery features the work of LA-based artists Deedee Cheriel and... 

Art

Gary Palmer

Wednesday 5/21 @ Tarryn Teresa Gallery

With this series of works, Gary Palmer addresses one of the most ancient concerns in art: the representation of landscapes. Using... 

BritWeek 2008

Festival: Performing Arts

BritWeek 2008

Wednesday 5/21 @ Various locations

The British are coming! But this time there's no need to run for cover, as the Cool Britannia crowd of expats... 

Art

Michael Kalish

Wednesday 5/21 @ MODAA gallery

While Michael Kalish's early work is marked by portraits of iconic figures (Jimi Hendrix, Jesus), his new exhibition at Culver City's... 

<em>Vexing: Female Voices from East LA Punk</em>

Art

Vexing

Wednesday 5/21 @ Claremont Museum of Art

In the early '80s, the Vex was an all-ages music club located in Self Help Graphics and Art, a Chicano landmark... 

<em>DREAM(land)</em>

Art

DREAM(land)

Wednesday 5/21 @ Jail Gallery

The globally diverse artists in JAIL's latest endeavor have one thing in common: their work ignores the ugly cable-news cycle of... 

Gregory Crewdson

Art: Photography

Gregory Crewdson

Wednesday 5/21 @ Gagosian Gallery

For his latest show, Gregory Crewdson churns out a new line of epic photo tableaux. Shot on a blockbuster budget with... 

Kara Walker: <em>My Complement, My Enemy, My Oppressor, My Love</em>

Art

Kara Walker

Wednesday 5/21 @ Hammer Museum

Employing iconic black-paper silhouettes, Kara Walker — who was named one of Time's "100 Most Influential People" in 2007 — sparks... 

<em>Ten Years in Focus: The Artist and the Camera</em>

Art: Photography

Ten Years in Focus

Wednesday 5/21 @ The Getty Center

In celebration of its tenth anniversary, the Getty Center presents Ten Years in Focus: The Artist and the Camera. The exhibition... 

My Brightest Diamond

Music

My Brightest Diamond

Wednesday 5/21 @ The Hotel Café

While up to 19 members have been known to circulate in and out, Shara Worden remains the driving force behind indie-rock... 

<em>Mexican Calendar Girls</em>

Art

Mexican Calendar Girls

Wednesday 5/21 @ California Heritage Museum

Glamor gets deep and classic at the California Heritage Museum's Mexican Calendar Girls, opening with a Cinco de Mayo reception. The... 

<em>Keep Your Pantheon</em> and <em>Duck Variations</em>

Theatre

Keep Your Pantheon and Duck Variations

Wednesday 5/21 @ Kirk Douglas Theatre

Brilliantly contrasting old with new, Center Theatre Group places one of David Mamet's earliest works alongside his latest production. In the... 

<em>Israeli Women: A Portrait in Photographs</em>

Art: Photography

Israeli Women: A Portrait in Photographs

Wednesday 5/21 @ Skirball Cultural Center

Israeli Women: A Portrait in Photographs looks at Israel's female citizenry as a reflection of the state's 60-year history of independence.... 

<em>Blood & Glitter </em>

Art

Blood & Glitter

Wednesday 5/21 @ Bandini Art

Co-curated by Patrick Painter Gallery's Heather Harmon and Bandini's own Ashley McLean Emenegger, Blood & Glitter is a group exhibition about... 

<em>Newer Topographics: Photographs of Digitally Altered Urban Landscapes</em>

Art: Photography

Newer Topographics

Wednesday 5/21 @ California Museum of Photography, UC Riverside

This exhibition juxtaposes the work of idealist photographers Jeremy Kidd and Eric Curry, both of whom use digital manipulation in arresting... 

Mark Hobley: <em>The Visionary</em>

Art

Mark Hobley

Wednesday 5/21 @ Applegate Gallery

Venice-based painter Mark Hobley takes iconic logos, scantily-dressed women, and playing cards (often at the same time) and transforms them into... 

Elizabeth McGrath: <em>The Secret Party</em>

Art

Elizabeth McGrath

Wednesday 5/21 @ Billy Shire Fine Arts

For The Secret Party, Elizabeth McGrath ditches her usual creepy dolls and freaky dioramas and fully embraces her works' intrinsic whimsy... 

Anna Dusi: <em>Da Cosa Nasce Cosa</em>

Art

Anna Dusi

Wednesday 5/21 @ The Loft at Liz's

Long known for fantastic salvage store Liz's Antique Hardware (a favorite with high-end interior designers and industry art directors), Liz Gordon... 

Masami Teraoka

Art

Masami Teraoka

Wednesday 5/21 @ Samuel Freeman

Cheeky artist Masami Teraoka is most famous for his ukiyo-e woodblock paintings, which combine Japanese imagery, themes from American culture, and... 

<em>Bob Dylan's American Journey, 1956-1966</em>

Art

Bob Dylan's American Journey

Wednesday 5/21 @ Skirball Cultural Center

This year's resurgent Dylanmania — from Todd Haynes' byzantine biopic, I'm Not There, to Murray Lerner's performance-driven documentary, The Other Side... 

Performing Arts: Opera

Tosca

Wednesday 5/21 @ Dorothy Chandler Pavilion

Still feeling the love from last month's star-studded tribute to his 40 years in Los Angeles, Plácido Domingo returns to the... 

Amir H. Fallah: <em>Pedestal</em>

Art

Amir H. Fallah

Wednesday 5/21 @ Nathan Larramendy Gallery, Ojai

Installation artist and painter Amir H. Fallah finds intrigue in the ramshackle construction of boyhood clubhouses and other ill-designed, teetering structures.... 

<em>Lush</em>

Art

Lush

Wednesday 5/21 @ Salon Oblique

With Lush, West Side sensation Salon Oblique upholds its growing reputation for intellectually and aesthetically engaging multimedia group exhibitions. As in... 

<em>Good Doll Bad Doll </em>

Art

Good Doll Bad Doll

Wednesday 5/21 @ Armory Center for the Arts

ArtForum critic and independent curator Michael Duncan encourages childish behavior in Good Doll Bad Doll, an exhibition featuring modern and contemporary... 

Art

Don Ed Hardy and Michael McCabe

Wednesday 5/21 @ Track 16 Gallery

If you live in California, you've most likely heard of Don Ed Hardy — or at least of his ubiquitous fashion... 

<em>Marcel Duchamp Redux </em>

Art

Marcel Duchamp Redux

Wednesday 5/21 @ Norton Simon Museum

This year marks the 45th anniversary of By or of Marcel Duchamp or Rrose Sélavy, the famous Marcel Duchamp retrospective at... 

<em>The Color of Life: Polychromy in Sculpture from Antiquity to the Present </em>

Art

The Color of Life

Wednesday 5/21 @ The Getty Villa

Looking at tony museum collections of ancient Greek and Roman statuary, one might think that the whole of antiquity existed only... 

<em>Lights! Camera! Glamour!</em>

Art: Photography

Lights! Camera! Glamour!

Wednesday 5/21 @ California Heritage Museum

George Hurrell shot studio stars as they are remembered today: glamorous, graceful, and a tad theatrical. With his sophisticated black-and-white blowups,... 

Art

Terence Koh

Wednesday 5/21 @ Peres Projects

Anyone who can sell his own bodily fluids for thousands of dollars on the art market has "made it" as an... 

<em>Out of Sight</em>

Theatre

Out of Sight

Wednesday 5/21 @ Skirball Cultural Center

You've heard of the triple-threat actress who can sing, dance, and act. Sara Felder is more like an octuple threat —... 

<em>KC in LA</em>

Art

KC in LA

Wednesday 5/21 @ Milo Gallery

Curator Ashley Emenegger went all the way to the unlikely art capital of Kansas City, Missouri, and brought back a little... 

<em>California Video </em>

Art

California Video

Wednesday 5/21 @ The Getty Center

As video art's growing reach now extends from the stage of the Metropolitan Opera to commuters watching YouTube on their iPhones,...