Well, it happens every once in awhile. A gallery show so compelling that I’m not able to be sarcastic or passive aggressive in any way. I’m forced to actually write an article as opposed to recording funny offhand comments, taking shots at boring artwork, or listing non sequiturs.
I found C4 Contemporary quite accidentally as I arrived 10 minutes too early one day to Torung, one of my favorite Thai restaurants in Hollywood. As I was walking around with my stomach rumbling trying to waste some time I noticed the unexpected, a contemporary art gallery nestled between eating establishments in Thai Town. The gallery has been open since October of last year displaying “world class contemporary art”.
Above: moquette of car installation Drawing Machine & weather DM
I came back for their Friday September 18th opening. It was Canadian artist Alan Storey’s first show in Los Angeles, which is surprising considering he’s internationally known and been doing large scale work for over 20 years. He was showing pieces related to his “Drawing Machines”. These are elaborate devices set to record basic or random movements of people, weather, or objects in motion. There was documentation from a ballet where an infrared signaler was placed in a dancer’s hair that controlled a stylus drawing on a large canvas perched above the stage. There were drawings from the inside of a shipping crate as it traveled across Canada generated by the actual movements of the crate itself. There were drawings generated by atmospheric pressure, wind, and humidity taken from a weather vane on top of an installation. There was a model displayed of a gallery building in which a huge installation was constructed. A false floor was built inside the gallery made of canvas. On top was a small “car” randomly driving around with 4 styluses drawing it’s path. The car had light sensors which turned it on with the light of each new day. All this was viewed through a semicircular opening accessed by inner stairways. Brilliant stuff! Amazed, all I could muster was a “Wow, that’s cool” every once in awhile as Alan was detailing all these projects for me.
Above: print of weather Drawing Machine
So, basically, you should go to this show. It’s up through October 24th. And while you’re down there be sure to grab a Duck Noodle soup just a couple store fronts down at Rodded (the worst name for a restaurant that I can think of). Highly recommended by myself…and Huell Howser.
Above: still from ballet performance and results from packing crate DM.
C4 Contemporary Art
5647 Hollywood Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90028
TEL: 323.462.1600
http://www.c4gallery.com