LA><ART IS PLEASED TO ANNOUCE “ON FORGERY: IS ONE THING BETTER THAN ANOTHER?”
Curated by Andrew Berardini and Lesley Moon.
On view May 3 - 14
Opening Reception Friday May 6, 2011 from 7 - 9 PM
Theft, forgery, fakery, authenticity and homage seem to be regularly exploited modalities in how artists and writers conceive of a practice. Picasso’s oft-quoted “Good artists borrow, great artists steal” is one of those dubious chestnuts likely repeated in the halls of art schools enough to be painted over the doors. From May 2nd to the 14th, LA><ART is pleased to host a meditation on the nature of forgery in contemporary art, inviting 38 artists to respond to the notion of forgery, fakery, and the counterfeit. The exhibition hopes to explore what making (or even being) a fake means.
William S. Burroughs’ notion of language as a virus presupposes that nothing or little of what we say is original, everything starts out as a borrowing, a theft. The difference between forgery and appropriation is that, however temporary, there is an element of deception. For this exhibition, artists are encouraged to become forgers, plagiarizers, fakers. Is the titular author of Jorge Luis Borges’ “Pierre Menard, Author of Don Quixote” a forger, a plagiarist, or is his approach, entirely unique and likely impossible, a new form of real?
Practically speaking, there are "real" fakes floating out in the world, and they cause in art scandals and discussions, the most famous case likely being Hans van Meegeren’s fake Vermeer, that was widely admired until of course it was revealed as a forgery. Though Orson Welles’ F is for Fake tells the story another famous forger, Elmyr de Hory, the film touching upon conceits of what is “real” art, and in the process becoming a really beautiful sort of film essay on authorship and authenticity. To respond to the “real” fake, the exhibition will include a number of fakes drawn from the world.
Exhibiting Artists: Katie Aliprando, Kathryn Andrews, Lisa Anne Auerbach, Jennifer Bornstein, Marje C. Cohnck, Tyler Coburn, Fiona Connor, Eduardo Consuegra, Alika Cooper, Cayetano Ferrer, Andrea Fraser, Erik Frydenborg, Liz Glynn, Matthew Greene, Michael Henry Hayden, Is it Art or Fart?, William E. Jones, Dawn Kasper, Brian Kennon, Alex Klein and Mark Owens (Oslo Editions), David Korty, Nick Kramer, Lisa Lapinski, Sergio Sergio, Andrea Longacre-White, Anthony Lepore, Carter Mull, Gina Osterloh, The School of Fish, Davida Nemeroff, Karthik Pandian, Allen Ruppersberg, Robert Russell, Aaron Sandnes, Alexis Smith Emily Steinfeld and Mateo Tannatt.
The opening reception will be held from 7 - 9pm on Friday, May 6th.
ABOUT THE CURATORS
Andrew Berardini was recently appointed Adjunct Curator of LA><ART. As a writer he regularly contributes to numerous publications including frieze, LA Weekly, Artslant, and Mousse. Recent curatorial projects original exhibitions with Bruce Nauman, Dave Muller, and Camilo Ontiveros.
Lesley Moon is an artist in Los Angeles and currently Director of Development at LA><ART. In the fall of 2010 her public project The Golden Veil was installed at the Ernst and Young Plaza in Downtown Los Angeles. She has exhibited at the Frederick Gallery, Pauline, Musee Los Angeles, Five Thirty Three and See Line Gallery in West Hollywood, CA.
ABOUT LA><ART
Having celebrated its 5th Anniversary in 2010, LA><ART is the leading independent nonprofit contemporary art space in Los Angeles, committed to the production of experimental exhibitions and public art initiatives. Responding to Los Angeles' cultural climate, LA><ART produces and presents new work for all audiences and offers the public access to the next generation of artists and curators. LA><ART supports challenging work, reflecting the diversity of the city and stimulates conversations on contemporary art in Los Angeles, fostering dynamic relationships between art, artists and their audiences. LA><ART has produced and commissioned over 100 projects in five years.
LA><ART’s programs are made possible with the generous support of the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Danielson Foundation, Depart Foundation, Fred Fisher and Partner Architects, the G.L. Waldorf Family Fund, City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, Eve Steele and Peter Gelles.
LA><ART is located at 2640 S. La Cienega Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90034 T.310.559.0166 F.310.559.0167 www.laxart.org LA><ART is open Tuesday through Saturday 11 - 6 PM
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