art: 21 Romance

the LACMA pre-screened the romance segment of the latest season (4) of art:21 art in the twenty-first century set to air on pbs beginning October 28. the series presents various contemporary artists talking about their work, and each segment organizes four artists around a theme. there is not the usual interview format or leading questions. instead we get a glimpse of the artist at work in his or her studio and speaking informally and generally about his or her work and process against the backdrop of the work.

although there were some initial technical difficulties with starting the dvd on the correct segment and then skipping the feature on Laurie Simmons, it was a special treat to watch on a large screen and then have one of the featured artists, painter Lari Pittman, answer questions afterwards. my only experience with Lari's work involved a few paintings in the Eden's Edge show at the Hammer Museum. i found the work to be youthful and contemporary with a bright color palette, so was surprised to find out that he has been around for some time. that seems true of most artists that are well known and makes sense, since it takes time to develop a body of work and a mastery of materials, which is evident in the work.

richly decorated and boldly graphic, Lari Pittman's paintings envelope you in a tableaux of crowded interiors often bisected by playful yet sinister objects suggesting violence. some work prominently feature cacti with sharp points, while others contain medieval instruments of war such as a sword or an axe. meaning shifts as recognizable objects are depicted in unexpected ways juxtaposed with other seemingly unrelated objects. there is a subtle sense of humor evident as Lari mentioned one painting in which a supernatural action appears to happen in the center of a floor that swirls and opens up to reveal a banal living room. i found it interesting that he was not aware that he was grouped in the romance theme and that he only learned of this when the film was completed. some of the artists in earlier segments of the series did not seem to fit very well with the assigned themes, but that is part of the problem with categorizing complex work.

Although Lari Pittman spoke generally about his work and left much to interpretation, he brought some context and background to his work that made it more decipherable. of note, the familiar and accented voice of edward goldman behind me made some interesting comments whilst asking the artist about the elusiveness of the messages in his paintings. for those who are not familiar, edward goldman has an all too brief segment on kcrw called art talk where he speaks insightfully and passionately about art and more around LA and beyond.


Lari Pittman's work is on exhibit at Regen Projects in LA through October 20. Not sure if i will have time to since i will be going out of town that last weekend, but my limited exposure has left me wanting.