The 25th annual LA Art Show will be held Feb. 5 to 9 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, South Hall, 1201 S. Figueroa St., Los Angeles.
Hours:
Wednesday, Feb. 5, 6 to 10 p.m. (opening night premiere party)
Thursday, Feb. 6, to Saturday, Feb. 8, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 9, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
LAAS is the most comprehensive international contemporary art show in America. Los Angeles has emerged as a global epicenter of art and culture, with a distinct, interwoven multi-cultural influence unique to the city. Art is most impactful when it includes or transcends all borders. As L.A. rises as the world-class destination for art, LAAS continues to lead the way with innovative programming and one-of-a-kind experiences for an expanding collecting audience.
More than 200,000 square feet of exhibition space is committed to today’s prominent galleries. These domestic and international galleries, beyond their booths, curate special exhibits that are at the forefront of the burgeoning contemporary art movement. The fair offers an extraordinary array of works and experiences in specialized sections.
As the largest art fair on the Pacific Rim, LAAS is dedicated to showcasing the diversity of creative influences from across the ocean.
This year, legendary Chinese fashion designer Sue Wong will be honored in the new fashion programming section of the fair, displaying nearly one dozen of her iconic gowns. Wong’s dresses are astonishing, employing the revered age-old couture techniques implemented by the finest fashion houses in Europe, and evoking the allure and glamour of various eras such as Weimar Berlin, 1930s Shanghai, Precode Hollywood and Manhattan’s gilded Jazz Age.
Her gowns have been worn to Hollywood awards ceremonies by stars such as Anne Hathaway, Kim Kardashian, Jessica Biel, Minnie Driver, Reba McEntire, Tyra Banks and more. Serendipitously, this year, LAAS will be taking place the same weekend as the Oscars.
Each year, LAAS provides the largest amount of presentation space for ink painting of any art fair outside of Asia. The 2020 lineup will be no different. Chinese galleries presenting ink paintings include COSPACE and East Art Center, which will present works by Bian Hong.
Also exhibiting from China will be Tianqing Gallery, East West Culture & Art Foundation, Jaymay Gallery, and Gallery All, presenting innovative sculptures.
Japanese artist Kazu Hiro is famous the world over for his lifelike portrait sculptures that have depicted icons such as Frida Kahlo, Jimi Hendrix, Abraham Lincoln and many others. He will be returning to LAAS once again to premiere a never-before-seen sculpture, as well as exhibit a retrospective of his past Iconoclast works.
As a makeup artist, he is an Academy Award nominee for “Bombshell,” in which Charlize Theron plays Megyn Kelly and John Lithgow plays Roger Ailes, and an Academy Award winner for “Darkest Hour,” in which Gary Oldman played Winston Churchill.
For the first time ever, LAAS is partnering with the Japanese American National Museum for a special showcase by multi-media artist Taiji Terasaki. “Transcendients: Heroes at Borders” is a groundbreaking participatory exhibition that honors heroes from Los Angeles and across the nation who are fighting against discrimination, prejudice, and inequality at our physical and social borders.
These heroes, whether known or unsung, inspire their fellow Americans, their neighborhoods and communities, government policy, and social change. The project is designed to draw parallels between the injustices happening today with the plight of Japanese-Americans who were put in concentration camps during World War II.
A larger version of this exhibit will be on view at JANM from Feb.1 to March 29.
Japanese ink painting artist Sogen Chiba (artwork pictured above), presented by Gallery Kitai, will actually be at LAAS in person to demonstrate the craft of ink painting as part of this year’s featured exhibitions.
The Ukiyo-e Project will also be exhibiting Japanese ukiyo-e prints and showing attendees how they are made. They are a form of woodblock paintings that were popular through the 17th and 19th centuries, but many artists still create these unique works today.
A number of galleries from Japan will also be exhibiting this year, including Fine Art Consultancy London & Tokyo, Mizuma Art Gallery, Gallery Kitai, YOD Gallery, presenting work by Hebime, Zeal House, presenting Japanese contemporary art and antiques, S.E.A. Contemporary, and Toki-no-Wasuremono.
As part of this year’s featured exhibition lineup, SM Fine Art will be presenting a series of paintings by Korean artist Choi Young Wook, devoted to the moon jar that flourished in the Joseon dynasty.
Wook has been painting the moon-jar for quite a number of years. The image of the moon-jar almost fills up the whole canvas, which at a glance, looks as if the painter executed it using a hyper-realistic technique. This is why some viewers or critics are quick to categorize his work as hyperrealism, but this interpretation is wrong. His work is not an objective representation of the image in a hyper realistic style, but is rather, inclined to be subjective. The depiction of the image of the moon-jar is merely dressed in the style of figurative description.
For the first time ever, Gallery Harang will be part of LAAS, exhibiting colorful work by artists like Hyunja Kim, pictured above. Other galleries hailing from South Korea include Art Gangnam.
General admission: $40 per day. For more information, call (310) 822-9145, email info@laartshow.com or visit www.laartshow.com or visit LA Art Show on Facebook.