The title of this piece is too obscene for print (Photo – Garrett Rowlan)
Going Clear is the title of the show at the opening of ArtCenter’s new satellite gallery on 4th Street in downtown LA.
By Garrett Rowlan
Going Clear works on several levels. Although it is Scientology’s term for spiritual enlightenment, the title of the show seems more likely to refer to the lifting of academic constraints because it consists of works of recent graduates from ArtCenter. Going Clear also gives a nod to the location of the show: skyscrapers rise in slabs of sectional ascent like building blocks in a Jingo game. On this particular evening, the title hinted at meteorological serendipity after a cleansing morning rain.
The show has an eclectic quality that is both sensory and cerebral, pulling the viewer in several directions. One can wonder at the meaning of Alexa Alimany’s portrait of the Kushner brothers in front of a woven, almost pointillist, rendering of JFK, or Valeria Duque’s Spoiled, a drywall construction with a seemingly jaundiced view of white privilege. One can enjoy the retro appeal of Matt Shalit’s Ms. Pac Man loop of conspicuous consumption, or the sensual appeal of Chelsea Cody’s video installation in the upper floor of the two level building.
The varied and interesting gathering of works in the downtown L.A. ArtCenter satellite features artists on the cusp of their careers and proves that good art always travels well.
Time & Date Through Sunday, June 23, 2019 ArtCenter DTLA 114 W. 4th Street Los Angeles, CA 90013
A picture of Duque’s Spoiled (Photo – Garrett Rowlan)
The “Going Clear” exhibit from the outside (Photo – Garrett Rowlan)
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