Monday, November 21, 2011

Out & About--William Turner Gallery Party at Santa Monica's Bergamot Station

Santa Monica and Venice have always been integral to the influential Los Angeles art scene, which I am thrilled to say is decidedly on the rise. Often dismissed for some supposed lack of culture, we are finally being recognized as a respected center for the arts. Over the past few years, numerous European museums have been celebrating our contributions to the evolution of art, including a well curated exhibition at the famed Pompidou in Paris. Our museums and galleries are growing in number and prestige, and even New Yorkers have come to terms with this; transplants now head up at least two major museums here. And graduates of the numerous art schools around town, who historically would gravitate to the East Coast, now choose to stay in Los Angeles. That means that the quality and quantity of working artists here is unprecedented and growing exponentially each year. Painters, performance artists, architects, graphic designers, fashion designers, stylists, sculptors, photographers, filmmakers, writers, musicians...you name it and we're all working and living in LA. It has become an incredible place for collaboration even (and perhaps especially) in the midst of our challenged economy. For all of these reasons, the days of mocking Los Angeles are over.

Bergamot Station is one of the reasons that our reputation is on the rise. A collection of art studios and galleries, it was named both for the wildflower that flourished in the area and the site's original 1875 Los Angeles & Independence Railroad station that used to take passengers downtown. The trains were replaced by trolleys until the 1950s and then replaced by nothing at all, which unfortunately made the buildings fall into disrepair. But Santa Monica, always wonderful at preserving history and giving it a new future--such as the Annenberg Community Beach House--transitioned the property into the one that makes up today's Bergamot Station.

On Saturday night, my friend, painter Casper Brindle, celebrated opening night with a talented group of artists at Bergamot's William Turner Gallery. The show's title says it all-- The Gleam in the Young Bastard's Eye: Finish Fetish & the Continuing Fascination with Sensuality of Surface in Contemporary Art. "Finish Fetish" was a label that East Coast critics gave to LA Minimalism in the 1960s due to the often polished and colorful work that seemed inspired by the surface of SoCal hot rods and surfboards. In fact, the movement is much more and often overlaps the "Light & Space" movement as well. Minimalism should never be underestimated; a seemingly simple shape or collection of colors does not mean a limited or lesser experience. Quite the contrary...I often find it's in these works of art that I am drawn in deeper and experience much more. Saturday's gallery was filled with paintings and sculpture that shared a spectacular range of colors and finishes that were so tactile, it was difficult to not reach out and touch them all.

The opening night was actually part of one big cocktail party across Bergamot Station, so I was able to take in other galleries and artists as well. You can get a good sense of it here, but I definitely encourage you to experience it in person for yourself. Don't miss it.

ABOVE: Splash by Greg Miller (William Turner Gallery)