Two newly opened art exhibitions showcase the work of powerful and influential women who have turned their attention to LA and the film industry. A retrospective of South African artist William Kentridge’s oeuvre will open at The Broad on her November 12th.
Joan Didion: What She Means Hammer Museum, Westwood
Like Joan Didion herself, this new show pays tribute to famous figures Leaning towards Bethlehem Writers is the perfect blend of East Coast and West Coast. curated by her friends and mentees, New Yorker To reflect her interests and inspirations, writer and critic Hilton Als says the show tracks the places Didion lived and visited (Berkeley, Hawaii, Miami, El Salvador). Betye Saar’s work including her 1966 Assemblage The view from the palmist window Ed Ruscha’s 1966 photo series All buildings on the Sunset Strip Participate in photographs and archival materials, including movie posters from the 1976s birth of a starDidion and her husband John Gregory Dunn wrote the screenplay.
Courtesy of Hammer
“She had a very developed sense of cynicism, but she also had practicality,” Alls said of her friend who passed away in 2021.The latter is where she wrote white album, a collection of classic essays on California. “Her advice was perfect for you,” she adds Als. “Information and encouragement were never misguided. She was a very hands-on person.” Joan Didion: What She Means It runs through February 19th at the Hammer Museum at 10899 Wilshire Blvd.
Cindy Sherman: 1977-1982 Hauser & Wirth, DTLA
The complete set of Cindy Sherman untitled movie still It’s an art lover’s dream presented together for the first time since the 2012 MoMA retrospective. Sherman was just a child when she drove with her boyfriend at the time, artist Robert Longo, and dressed in costumes to match the portrayal of women in popular culture. The result was a seminal series that launched her career and changed her relationship between art and camera.
© Cindy Sherman/ Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth
Also at the Hauser & Wirth show, first seen in New York, was Sherman. rear screen projectiona series of similar film stills shot in color in her home studio using projected backgrounds. working alone using the results can also be seen in her 1981 series foldthat’s exactly what it sounds like, but the shaman is fully clothed in a meditative pose. Cindy Sherman: 1977-1982 Hauser & Wirth, 901 E. 3rd St. through January 8th.
William Kentridge: Praise of Shadows Broad, DTLA
This 35-year career survey William Kentridge: Praise of Shadowscontains over 130 works from the practice of renowned South African artists exploring the transition from apartheid to democracy in their home country. Multimedia His artwork includes charcoal drawings, animated films, prints, bronze sculptures, tapestries and theater models.
It also shows a short video. refusal of time, on colonization and the standardization of European time. Supporting the exhibition is a giant breathing apparatus with a rhythmically moving bellows that the artist calls an “elephant.”In addition to a series of films examining early cinema, Kentridge’s 11 projection is displayed.
© William Kentridge/Courtesy of Broad
The exhibition, which runs from November 12th to April 9th at 221 S. Grand Ave., is also the premiere of a performance piece. houseboy, directed by Kentridge, from Johannesburg’s Not-So-Good Idea Center. Based on his 1956 novel by Cameroonian diplomat Ferdinand Oyono, it deals with themes of history and memory and post-colonial identity. It will take place at his REDCAT in downtown Los Angeles, November 17-20.
A version of this story first appeared in the November 2nd issue of The Hollywood Reporter Magazine.Click here to subscribe.
