Welcome to This Week in Culture, a weekly agenda of show openings and events in major cities across the globe. From galleries to institutions and one-of-a-kind happenings, our ongoing survey highlights the best of contemporary culture, for those willing to make the journey.
“Rastaakhiz” by Elham Fallahi
Hamzianpour & Kia Los Angeles
“Rastaakhiz," a Persian word which translates to “uprising" or "resurrection,” features Iranian artist Elham Fallahi’s selection of works from the last four years, and marks her first solo exhibiton outside her home country. Her ethereal sculptures primarily take inspiration from Iranian mythologies, along with what she refers to as “the savagery of modern humans that began after the industrial revolution.” The artist uses recycled objects and natural materials from the outdoors such as tree branches, horns, and shells to toy with poetic irony, like a bird crafted entirely from plastic, a common cause of their death. “Rastaakhiz” will be on view from February 11 through March 4, 2023 at Hamzianpour & Kia in Los Angeles.
“Frieze Projects: Against the Edge"
Frieze Los Angeles 2023
Curated by Jay Ezra Nayssan from Del Vaz Projects, "Against the Edge” re-examines key historical sites in the Santa Monica area during the 1940s, interrogating common notions of a utopic California through contemporary art. The series features five exhibitions including Kelly Akashi’s “Heirloom” at Villa Aurora, Nicola L’s “Nous Voulons Entendre” at Thomas Mann House, Julie Becker’s “(W)hole” at Del Vaz Projects, MEC’s “Action 3” at the Santa Monica Pier Merry-Go-Round, and Tony Cokes’s "So to Speak" at Beyond Baroque. “Frieze Projects: Against the Edge” will be on view from Feburary 13, 2023 with Del Vaz Projects in Santa Monica.
“Arrhythmia” by Jess Valice
Stems Gallery Paris
Stems Gallery, founded in Brussels in 2015 by siblings Guillaume and Pascaline Smets, aims to highlight the work of emerging artists. This week, the Paris location will be adorned by the above painting of an unclothed woman with an emotionless gaze, barely covered by sheets that tangle with the small dog in her arms. Jess Valice, 26, blends hints of realism into her depictions of modern, surrealist characters. While each figure takes on different aspects of everyday mundanity, their somber looks remain, driving home an aura of loneliness. “Arrhythmia” will be on view from February 11 through March 11, 2023 at Stems Gallery in Paris.
“Chargesheimer The Great”
Galerie/Julian Sander Cologne
Chargesheimer (Karl Heinz Hargesheimer) created a legacy with his eclectic, artistic pursuits, including opera, costume design, painting, and photography. His photographs are characterized by a consistent, close-up view of his subjects. In the gallery’s exhibition notes, he is quoted relaying his desire to “photograph more and more of real life so that I can show and explain to people things they cannot see for themselves.” This latest exhibition highlights the cross-section of his varying artistic interests and demonstrates the diversity and development of his works throughout his career. “Chargesheimer The Great” will be on view from February 10 through April 6, 2023 at Galerie/Julian Sander in Cologne.
“Impossible Failures” by Gordon Matta-Clark and Pope.L
52 Walker New York
Pope.L is known for examining the value and paradoxes of urban life through performance, film, and drawing, among other multimedia formats, as was Gordon Matta-Clark during his lifetime. Here, the artists' work seeks to challenge existing norms in language, architecture, and societal institutions. By finding hope in failure, possible futures are imagined, built upon the dismantling of current structures. “Impossible Failures” will be on view through April 1, 2023 at 52 Walker in New York.
“THE INSTABILITY OF THE REAL”
Galería RGR Mexico City
Jesús Rafael Soto remains one of the most influential figures in Latin American and European art during the 20th century. A revolutionary leader in Kinetic art, Soto was born in 1923 in Ciudad Bolívar, Venezuela and later resided in Paris, France until his death in 2005. This exhibition, running alongside the Zona Maco fair, presents a selection of works that synthesize the artist’s proposal for a new aesthetic rendering of time and space. In the constantly evolving modern era, Soto’s work reminds viewers of these eternal concepts, and the speed at which they move. “THE INSTABILITY OF THE REAL” will be on view from Feburary 10 through April 15, 2023 at Galería RGR in Mexico City.
“Cadence" by Bastiaan Woudt
Fahey Klein Los Angeles
This exhibition marks the inagural solo Los Angeles feature for Dutch photographer Bastiaan Woudt. Known for the sober shades in his emotive portraits and immersive landscape photography, Woudt depicts a monochromatic minimalism, pushing the viewer to see the essence of his subjects. Rather than use shot lists and lighting charts, he relies solely on intuition. “Bastiaan Woudt” will be on view through March 18, 2023 at Fahey Klein in Los Angeles.
