Museum of Contemporary Art250 Grand AvenueLos Angeles CA 90012
On view through Sept. 28 “A Changing Ratio: Painting and Sculpture from the Collection” showcases works from MOCA’s own permanent collection from the 1950s and 1960s. These works including some by cartoon-inspired Roy Lichtenstein easel-free Jackson Pollock and the iconic Andy Warhol exemplify the non-representational art of mid-century America.
Running through Nov. 15 “Feathered Edge: A New Installation by Ball-Nogues Studio” is an innovative sculpture exhibition by award-winning Los Angeles artists Benjamin Ball and Gaston Nogues. This site-specific project experiments with more than 21 miles of multicolored strings hung from the gallery ceiling to form curvy three-dimensional shapes.
Sat. Oct. 10 at 11 a.m. writer Noah Blaustein gives a one-day intensive poetry writing workshop. Blaustein has been published in such journals as Barrow Street and The Massachusetts Review. He will reference the current MOCA photography exhibit “The Americans which showcases work by Robert Frank, and connect Frank’s photographs to beat poetry. The workshop has a $100 price tag and includes a tour of the exhibition and poetry exercises. Call (213) 621-1745 to register.
Los Angeles Country Museum of Art5905 Wilshire BoulevardLos Angeles, CA 90036
In cooperation with the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, LACMA presents Your Bright Future: 12 Contemporary Artists from Korea” through Sept. 20. This first major American museum exhibition to focus on the work of contemporary South Korean artists features large-scale site-specific installations as well as video and computer animation.
“Pompeii and the Roman Villa: Art and Culture around the Bay of Naples” is on view through Oct. 4. Organized by the National Gallery in Washington D.C. the exhibit features 120 pieces of sculpture mosaic painting and other artifacts some of which have never before been displayed in the United States. This arrangement of works showcases Classical Greece’s cultural influence on the Bay of Naples home to wealthy Romans with lavish art-laden villas.
BoneSoir a jazz performance group will give a concert Friday Sept. 18 at 6 p.m. The group is comprised of five trombonists and a rhythm section and all members have extensive performance experience. Admission is free.
The first part of the weekend-long film program “Cigarettes & Alcohol: Eight Films by Hong Sang-soo” features the film “Turning Gate” at 7:30 p.m. on Friday Sept. 18. This film is the director’s biggest Korean box-office success and explores the complexities of unstable relationships. The series is presented in conjunction with the Korean Film Council and continues throughout this weekend with another film showing later Friday night and a double-feature on Saturday evening. Admission is $10 for students with an ID.
The Getty Center1200 Getty Center DriveLos Angeles CA 90049
Through Oct. 10 “In Focus: Making a Scene” features photographs spanning the gamut of the Getty’s own collection. The works on display all take cues from the artists’ contemporary mainstream media history and literature. Artists on display include Alice in Wonderland author Lewis Carrol famed Man Ray and the more modern Eileen Cowin among others.
“Walls of Algiers: Narratives of the City” retells the clash between Casbah and European cultures in the North African coastal city of Algiers from the start of the French occupation of the city in 1830 until its liberation in 1962. Photographs maps postcards and literary pieces tells the story from multiple perspectives in various media. The exhibition runs through Oct. 18.
The Getty Villa on Pacific Coast Highway presents a modern adaptation of Aristophanes’ Peace Thursdays Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. through Oct. 3. With praise from Variety Culture Clash a prominent Chicano-Latino acting group take on this classical satire of Athens’ “military-industrial complex.” Tickets are $42; call (310) 440-7300 to reserve seating.