Top of the Whirled – January 2009

Here’s a list of the top ten shows I saw in January:

10. Beili Liu: Three Thousand Troubled Threads @ Tarryn Teresa Gallery “Lure #1” was the best piece by far.  Numerous red disks of coiled threads hover just above the floor, each hanging from a thin needle and thread. Each coil is paired with a soul-mate by a “red thread of fate.”  The disks slowly float with the air currents as you walk by.

9. What’s the Matter with Mommy? – The Hang-Over @ Phantom Galleries LA at P.E. Lofts Unconventional feminine role models explored through photography, painting, installation, sculpture, video, performance, and spoken word.  Stand-outs were Marion Lane, James Gilbert and Richard Kessler.

8. Julia Meltzler + David Thorne: In Possession of a Picture @ Steve Turner Contemporary Compelling series of photographic diptychs of sites where people have been detained or arrested for photographing them.  This is the way to do social/political commentary.

7. Lisa Adams: The Future of Paradise Past @ Lawrence Asher Gallery Her paintings have gotten so lush.  Repeated motifs of birds, flowers, clinging vines explore countering themes of freedom and needy desperation.  My favorite was “A Cause For Wandering.”

6. Alex Couwenberg: A Little Bit Left of All Right @ William Turner Gallery Delicious, retro geometric abstraction. “Buzz Bomb” & “Evergleam” were the highlights.

5. Russell Crotty: Surf Works @ Shoshana Wayne Gallery Large grid drawings, sketchbooks, fiberglass wall pieces.  I didn’t think I was going to like these, but I did.  The show could have more balance with one more drawing in the big room.

4. Jessica Curtaz @ Bert Green Fine Art Finely-detailed graphite drawings of crumpled plastic bags, clothes, and chain-link fencing on gessoed panels.  I love the patterns.

3. Rolling & Ruling @ Sabina Lee Gallery Sweet.  Featured work from Eric Zammitt, Omar Chacon and Ilhyung Cho.  Zammitt’s sculptures were luminous and my favorites in the show.

2. Richard Wilson: Rises @ Carl Berg Absolutely pristine surfaces and edges with spot-on color combos on stacked canvases.  My favorite piece was “Town to Town.”

1. Kaz Oshiro: False Gestures @ Rosamund Felsen Gallery Illusion done to perfection.  I especially liked the metallic blue panels with “tape.”