"Every terrible thing always begins in the prettiest weather. Cruelty loves a clear sky. . . . Every war starts on a perfect day. This opening number from Diane Severin Nguyen's War Songs captured the paradox of experiencing extraordinary art and cultural vitality while geopolitical crises unfold, setting the tone for the week's contradictions."
"I feel like we've entered the Weimar Berlin era of our collective slow dive into fascism. Glitter and doom. The author describes running between 25 exhibitions, performances, and parties with desperate energy, falling in love with the city's art workers and their creations while the world came apart—embodying the simultaneous beauty and darkness of contemporary existence."
"Nobody thinks about the fires anymore. It's good we're moving on. Artist Kathryn Andrews reflects on how recent trauma, including the LA fires, has faded from public consciousness and artistic discourse as new crises emerge, suggesting a collective exhaustion with processing successive catastrophes."
During LA Art Week, the author experienced an intense seven-day immersion in Los Angeles's art scene, attending 25 exhibitions, multiple performances, talks, and art fairs while the world faced significant geopolitical turmoil. The experience evoked a Weimar Berlin atmosphere—beauty and cultural vitality coexisting with societal darkness. Artists engaged with recent traumas, including the LA fires, though public discourse had largely moved past them. The work reflected contemporary anxieties about fascism, war, and social upheaval. Despite these heavy themes, the author found renewed love for the city and its art community, experiencing the juxtaposition of perfect weather and clear skies against deteriorating global conditions.
#la-art-week #contemporary-art-and-crisis #geopolitical-conflict #cultural-resilience #artistic-response-to-trauma
Read at Artforum
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]