Photo by Ella Gonzalez
When observed closely, human beings are a jumble of contradictions. Perhaps there are those that like orange juice but hate oranges, the introvert who loves performing, an extrovert who never dares to raise their hand in class, or a vegetarian who hates vegetables. The human condition is unified by the seemingly disparate nature of who the individual is and the actions they perform. There’s a strange harmony in it all.
This week’s culture collection, like all human beings, is a hodgepodge of seemingly disparate things and events that in their singularity somehow work well together.
Eat
Feb. 10 – 11 — Anaheim Convention Center
The food convention gods perfectly spaced out last week’s CoffeeCon with this week’s LA Cookie Con and Sweets Show. Judging from the website alone, while CoffeeCon had an air of academic refinement, LA’s Cookie Con and Sweet Show veers on the side of presenting a more inclusive, non-elitist setting.
LA Cookie Con and Sweets Show prides itself as the biggest baking and pastry convention on the West Coast, and within two seconds on their website, one is already greeted with messages that they have been sold out three years in a row.
There will be celebrity chefs and special guests, classes, and the opportunity to sample a myriad treats ad nauseum until reaching the point of nausea.
See
Jasper Johns: “Something Resembling Truth”
Through May 13 — The Broad
The Broad will unveil more than 120 of artist Jasper Johns’ artworks in his exhibit “Something Resembling Truth” in collaboration with the Royal Academy in London.
Johns has influenced the likes of Andy Warhol and Ed Ruscha, and his exhibit at the Broad will feature works that have never been exhibited in Los Angeles. Thick impasto brushstrokes characterize much of Johns’ works, entreating the viewer to critically look at what he depicts.
Do
Feb. 9, 3 – 4:30 p.m. — Malibu Bluffs Park
There is something kind of hokey about a vision board — it brings to mind sleepover activities and, at the risk of over-generalization, the kind of activity that would be enjoyed by the same ilk that religiously read horoscopes or carry crystals in their pockets.
Cynicism aside, the Vision Board Workshop at Malibu Bluffs Park is also somewhat endearing for its childlike simplicity. Using simple materials like magazines, paints and other art supplies, participants are encouraged to “generate an artistic, big-picture representation of the key aspects of life. “
Slightly saccharine and sentimental? Sure. But there’s no harm in erecting a monument to the important things in life via vision board.
What do LA Cookie Con and Sweets Shows, Jasper Johns’ “Something Resembling Truth” and a Vision Board Workshop have in common? On the surface, nothing at all, but upon closer inspection, these seemingly disparate activities and things to do this week are bound by their dissimilarity — just like all individuals, contradictions and all.
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