5/24/2017 Artist tattoos, 'Teen Angels' and writers in performance: 8 things to see at the 2017 L.A. Art Book Fair LA Times http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/miranda/laetcamlosangelesartbookfairpreview20170222htmlstory.html 1/9 Artist tattoos, 'Teen Angels' and writers in performance: 8 things to see at the 2017 L.A. Art Book Fair By Carolina A. Miranda FEBRUARY 21, 2017, 2:15 PM W hen the LA Art Book Fair landed at the Museum of Contemporary Art’s branch in Little Tokyo in 2013, staff at the museum told organizers to expect 5,000 people over the course of the threeday event. “Well, we got 5,000 people on opening night,” says curator Shannon Cane, who oversees the Los Angeles fair, along with its more established East Coast sibling, the New York Art Book Fair, which are organized by the arts nonprofit Printed Matter. “It was a crazy thing we just didn’t expect.” Fast forward five years and the LA Art Book Fair is bigger than ever. The fair, which kicks off with a special preview bash on Thursday evening at MOCA’s Geffen branch, is expected to draw anywhere from 35,000 to 40,000 attendees to peruse the offerings from 350 exhibitors from 30 countries, including Japan, Mexico and Spain. On display will be the wide range of books that make up art books: sleek monographs, weighty art historical tomes and handmade artist specials. In addition, AA Bronson, the artist who first kicked off the fair in New York more than a decade ago, will be in the house on Saturday evening at 5 to talk about his life in artists’ books. “It’s like a minihomecoming,” says Cane.
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5/24/2017 Artist tattoos, 'Teen Angels' and writers in performance: 8 things to see at the 2017 L.A. Art Book Fair LA Times
Artist tattoos, 'Teen Angels' and writers inperformance: 8 things to see at the 2017 L.A. ArtBook Fair
By Carolina A. Miranda
FEBRUARY 21, 2017, 2:15 PM
W hen the LA Art Book Fair landed at the Museum of ContemporaryArt’s branch in Little Tokyo in 2013, staff at the museum told organizersto expect 5,000 people over the course of the threeday event.
“Well, we got 5,000 people on opening night,” says curator Shannon Cane, whooversees the Los Angeles fair, along with its more established East Coast sibling, theNew York Art Book Fair, which are organized by the arts nonprofit Printed Matter. “Itwas a crazy thing we just didn’t expect.”
Fast forward five years and the LA Art Book Fair is bigger than ever. The fair, whichkicks off with a special preview bash on Thursday evening at MOCA’s Geffen branch, isexpected to draw anywhere from 35,000 to 40,000 attendees to peruse the offeringsfrom 350 exhibitors from 30 countries, including Japan, Mexico and Spain. On displaywill be the wide range of books that make up art books: sleek monographs, weighty arthistorical tomes and handmade artist specials.
In addition, AA Bronson, the artist who first kicked off the fair in New York more than adecade ago, will be in the house on Saturday evening at 5 to talk about his life in artists’books. “It’s like a minihomecoming,” says Cane.
This year, as always, there will be oodles of books, as well as performances,music, readings and all manner of ancillary events. In fact, the fair has even attractedanother fair: The alternative art book fair called “Nah” — the sort of barnaclestyleprogramming that is typical of art fairs, though less common in book circles.
With so much happening over the course of a few days, it can be dizzying to sortthrough the options. Here are eight booths and events that will get the book partystarted:
Everything gets rolling on Thursday evening with a special event featuring musicalperformances by artist and musician Seth Bogart, as well as the inimitable KembraPfahler, the renowned frontwoman of the glampunk band the Voluptuous Horror ofKaren Black. The first 2,000 visitors (either prepaid or at the door) will get a specialedition poster created by artist and filmmaker Mike Mills and the graphic design studioExperimental Jetset that features the tallies of the popular vote in the most recent U.S.
A view of the LA Art Book Fair in 2016. (Casey Winkleman / LAABF)
presidential election. Because we could all use a reminder of that…. Thursday from 6 to9 p.m. Admission $10. LAABF, MOCA Geffen, 152 N. Central Ave., Los Angeles.
The fair features 10 different exhibitions related to books, zines and artists books.Perhaps the most significant will be the show devoted to Teen Angels magazine, the’80sera Chicano magazine produced and distributed by a reclusive artist who went onlyby the nickname “Teen Angel.” The magazine was known for featuring everything frombarrio art to graffiti to photography to the fashions of the era — and for only beingavailable in momandpop shops, since no chain store would carry it.
5/24/2017 Artist tattoos, 'Teen Angels' and writers in performance: 8 things to see at the 2017 L.A. Art Book Fair LA Times
David De Baca, a curator of the exhibition, which is being copresented by LAABF, TeenAngels and the publishing company Kill Your Idols, says that for many years, no oneknew what had become of Teen Angel. “When I started looking around trying to find theguy, there were all of these urban legends,” he recalls. “Some people said he had movedto Mexico. Some said he was locked up. Someone said he was living in San Jose.”
De Baca finally found the man — actually a white artist named David Holland — livingin San Bernardino. De Baca, with Bryan Ray Turcotte of Kill Your Idols, now manageaspects of Holland’s archive (the artist died in 2015) and will be displaying originalcover art, vintage magazines and other ephemera in a display area constructed to looklike Holland’s studio.
On sale will be a new limited edition “Teen Angels” book, which gathers the cover artfrom the first 180 issues. On Friday at 5 p.m., De Baca and Turcotte will gather todiscuss the magazine’s legacy. LAABF, MOCA Geffen, 152 N. Central Ave., Los Angeles,laartbookfair.net.
A decade ago, visual artists Jonn Herschend and Will Rogan launched an artspublication that consisted of “publishing” objects instead of books. For each edition, aguest artist creates something utilitarian — perhaps a shower curtain or a pair ofglasses — which “The Thing,” as their imprint is known, releases to subscribers on aquarterly basis. Well, what once seemed like a curious lark is now marking 10 years ofexistence.
At the fair they will be selling Issue 32 of The Thing, a poncho designed byExperimental Jetset that bears the word “NO” or “ON” — “depending on how you wantto spin your current emotional or political state of being.” On Saturday at 2 p.m., thepublication will also present a discussion with writer Jonathan Lethem and L.A. artistsAmanda RossHo and Ricky Swallow about objects that carry significance for them.LAABF, MOCA Geffen, 152 N. Central Ave., Los Angeles, thethingquarterly.com andlaartbookfair.net.
Separately, they will be celebrating their 10th anniversary with a bash at the StandardHotel with music, ping pong and free beer (for the first hour). Saturday from 6:30 to8:30 p.m., 550 S. Flower St., downtown Los Angeles, thethingquarterly.com.
The L.A. Municipal Art Gallery in Hollywood has a show on view, “Ours is a City ofWriters,” that explores the act of writing through objects and texts. To coincide with theart book fair, they are hosting a series of public events Saturday that explore writing inits myriad forms, including a discussion led by Kim Schoen and Ginny Cook, the artistsbehind the journal Material, and a wild performance by A.L. Steiner that will drawcomparisons between academia and the president. In between, expect DJsets. Saturday from 1 to 5 p.m. at the L.A. Municipal Art Gallery, 4800 HollywoodBlvd., Los Angeles, lamag.org.
The Thing Quarterly will feature this wearable protest piece designed by Experimental Jetset. (AnnaAlexia Basile / The Thing)
Culver City gallerists Blum & Poe are unveiling a number of new goodies at their booththis year, including a specially commissioned artist audio series. The first volumeconsists of a pair of cassette tapes produced by painter Theodora Allen and collage artistLinder (the latter done in collaboration with the artist’s son, Max Sterling). Also on salewill be the new book “Richard Prince: New Portraits,” which is comprised of the artist’scontroversial appropriations of Instagram images. The book is screwbound and comesin a special bubble wrap case. Industrial chic! LAABF, MOCA Geffen, 152 N. CentralAve., Los Angeles.
Because one art book fair isn’t enough, the 2yearold Nah Fair has set up just a blockaway from MOCA Geffen, with an antiauthoritarian selection of zines, performancesand chats with a focus on queer projects and items produced by small presses andpeople of color. There will be talks, too, covering encrypted communications, feminismand gentrification in Boyle Heights. There are also performances organized by theDescontrol punk shop from downtown Los Angeles. The fair runs Friday from 5 to 10p.m. and Saturday from 1 to 9 p.m. 374 E. 2nd St., downtown Los Angeles,www.nah.world.
Painters Raymond Pettibon and Marcel Dzama have teamed up on a limited editionzine that takes on the political situation — and whose proceeds will go to the ACLU. The36page zine, available at the David Zwirner Books booth, features the detailed inkworks for which both artists are known, riffing on Donald Trump et al. in ways that areboth dark and humorous. Zwirner Books will also have copies of their recentlypublished “Donald Judd Writings.” A talk about this new title, with Flavin Judd andartists Caitlin Murray and Matias Viegener, will take place on Friday at 1 p.m. at thefair. MOCA Geffen, 152 N. Central Ave., Los Angeles, davidzwirnerbooks.com.
