Where can you find three exhibitions in one place? This gallery has something for everyone
Beyoncé has blessed our ears once again with a new song. And yes, I did blast it in my car to and from my trip to the theater to see the “Renaissance” movie. It was like I was reliving the concert all over again. I’m Steven Vargas, your L.A. Goes Out host, and here are the top events for the upcoming weekend recommended by the crew (sign up here for the newsletter):
Weekly Countdown
1. Haas Brothers, Peter Shire and Sonya Sombreuil at Jeffrey Deitch
Jeffrey Deitch in Hollywood recently opened a new trio of exhibitions. “Sonya Sombreuil, Come Tees: Turn Magic Wheel” showcases the artist’s curatorial project Dream Child, which includes painted clothing and flyers inspired by her musician and designer friends. “Haas Brothers: Sunset People” combines traditional crafts with technological exploration. In the exhibition by the sibling duo of Nikolai and Simon Haas, “Endless Paintings” consists of digitally designed landscapes with a KidPix aesthetic while “Emergent Sculptures” brings computer-coded works to life with sculptural craft. “Peter Shire: Rumpus Room” takes up the back of the gallery space with exuberant ceramics, metal sculptures and other playful works inspired by the Los Angeles landscape. The exhibitions are free to view until Jan. 13. Jeffrey Deitch is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and more details can be found online.
2. ‘Samara Joy: A Joyful Holiday’
Get in the holiday spirit with Samara Joy at the Soraya at California State, Northridge. The Grammy-winning jazz artist returns to the venue for “A Joyful Holiday” where she’ll perform timeless seasonal tunes with members of her musically-gifted family. Together with the McLendons, Joy will provide a soulful evening holiday concert dedicated to her family roots in gospel, Motown and jazz. The multi-generational act will perform at 8 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday. Tickets range from $39 to $89, and more details can be found on the Soraya’s website.
3. ‘This Emancipation Thing’
This REDCAT NOW Festival alum is bringing a newly developed version of their theater piece “This Emancipation Thing” back to the downtown L.A. venue. Sara Lyons’ show re-performs documents of second-wave feminism, recontextualizing the narratives of the ’60s and ’70s for today’s audience. The piece invites listeners to interact and share their own perspectives in the process. As a result, the texts that span from reproductive rights to abortion rights allow the audience’s relationship with the words to change. “This Emancipation Thing” runs for about an hour and performances are at 4:30, 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. Saturday. Tickets cost $30, and more details can be found on REDCAT’s website.
4. ‘Star Feliz: In the Belly of the Serpent’
Star Feliz’s sculptural work “In the Belly of the Serpent,” at the Los Angeles State Historic Park in Chinatown, is closing with a bang. The piece is a large serpent representing the Great Mother in Taino culture with an engorged stomach. The mound represents obstructed opportunities brought on by economic exploitation. To facilitate rebirth, the closing ceremony involves a cleansing ritual that begins with a musical performance by Priestusssy and requires you to bring a hammer. The free ceremony is from 2 to 4 p.m. Friday, and more information can be found on Los Angeles Nomadic Division’s website.
5. Congress IX
Congress, the salon-style evening of dance, is back with a new crew of performers. Each session opens the floor to a wide variety of artists to share new work and works-in-progress in an intimate setting. This round of performers includes the Seaweed Sisters, Ryan Spencer, Ztato, MOTUS the Company, HEAVY BOOTS, Rhapsody James, Robert Green and Jeremiah “Supaman” Haynes. The shows at L.A. Dance Project in downtown L.A. begin with a cocktail hour at 6:30 p.m., and the performance starts at 8:30 p.m. from Friday to Sunday. Tickets range from $45 to $75, and more details can be found on Congress’ website.
Bonus round: ‘Our Shared Future’
The Smithsonian’s “Our Shared Future: Reckoning with Our Racial Past” initiative heads to three downtown L.A. museums: the Chinese American Museum, the Japanese American National Museum and LA Plaza de Culturas y Artes. Each of the institutions will offer panel discussions, film screenings and family activities that explore the history of race and racism in the U.S. Topics range from cross-cultural cuisine to the struggles and achievements of Latinos in Hollywood. Programs run until Dec. 17 and most activities are free to attend. For more details of all there is to explore, check out JANM’s event calendar.
On My Mind
Last week, I went to BodyTraffic’s “Perpetual Pursuits” program at Skirball Cultural Center in Brentwood. The evening performance included usual pieces of the company’s repertory, but also a newer work I looked forward to seeing. “Bloquea’o” by Joan Rodriguez, who is also one of the company dancers, is a piece that documents a personal narrative of exile amid the 1962 Cuban missile crisis.
Rodriguez initially didn’t want to create something about the crisis, but while collaborating with Pedro Osuna on the original music, he found it perfectly fit the story of immigration he wanted to tell. Rodriguez is originally from La Habana, Cuba, and relocated to the U.S. in 2017 as a political refugee. His dance career soon led him to BodyTraffic and a desire to tell his story.
“We felt as a team that it was necessary to tell a story that we feel people need to hear or be reminded of or hear once again,” Rodriguez said.
The piece was told through Yoruba chants, Afro-Cuban and Latin dance moves, historical broadcasts and an essence of the streets of La Habana.
“We wanted to build an environment and a scene that made it feel like Cuba, and that energy of joy and happiness and dance, but different from what people expect or assume that Cuban music and dance is.”
Rodriguez and the rest of the BodyTraffic crew collaborated with Osuna to refine the soundscape of the work, both on the audio track and onstage, that saw Latin styles mixed with acrobatic contemporary turns, lifts and tumbles. A sense of urgency punctuated the moments of fast footwork and rocking shoulders, documenting the struggle to leave home and fight for human rights. Dancers expressed a guttural shout over the music and chanted as the movement grew more grounded and urgent. He said the narrative and mix of movement is seldom shown with authenticity on stage.
“I always want to put as much as I can without making it overwhelming when creating something,” he said. “I want to really give people a chance to understand where I’m coming from, or what it feels to be there as if you were there with me when all this was happening.”
Dance transcends language barriers. The process of creating “Bloquea’o” allowed him to create something that felt like home.
“I always feel that dance is the medium that literally saved my life,” he said.
Go out speed round
Go out before it closes: USC Fisher Museum of Art in University Park presents “Kara Walker: Cut to the Quick, From the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation.” The exhibition presents a series of works that investigate histories of slavery, sexism, violence and imperialism. The museum is open from noon to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday. The free exhibition closes Saturday, and more details can be found on USC Fisher’s website.
Go out for free: The Holocaust Museum L.A. in Fairfax is hosting a free screening of “The Anne Frank Gift Shop,” a dark comedy that follows a high-end design firm challenged with reimagining the gift shop at the Anne Frank House. The result is a debate about antisemitism and tote bags. The screening and conversation co-presented by 3G@HMLA and Reboot Studios is from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. Tuesday, and more information can be found on the museum’s website.
Go out and craft: Make your holiday presents special with Craft Contemporary’s upcoming workshop dedicated to designing your own unique gift wrapping paper. The workshop will guide participants through block printing and basic stamping techniques, and by the end of the session, you’ll leave with a sheet of your printed creations. Tickets cost $12, and the workshop in Mid-Wilshire is from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday. More information can be found on Craft Contemporary’s website.
Go out with the kids: Barnes & Noble at the Grove will be hosting a special storytime event for the kids for the holidays. Mo Willems will be reading and chatting about his latest picture book “Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Sleigh!” The story follows a pigeon dedicated to navigating a sleigh, no matter how much mayhem it may cause. Tickets cost $20.79 and include admission and one pre-signed copy of the book. The event is at 3 p.m. Sunday, and more details can be found on the Barnes & Noble website.
Go out on a date: Take your date out to the Wallis in Beverly Hills for an evening with Our Lady J. The screenwriter best known for writing on shows like “Pose” and “Transparent” takes the stage as part of the Sorting Room, an intimate nightclub series filled with comedy, music and more. Our Lady J’s performance is no different as she shares comedic tales and heartfelt songs about her life. The show is at 7 p.m. Thursday, and tickets range from $45 to $65. More information can be found on the Wallis’ website.
Go out all day: NewFilmmakers L.A. is partnering with the Arab Film and Media Institute for this month’s film festival “InFocus: Middle Eastern & Arab Cinema” in downtown L.A. The festival is an all-afternoon event with screenings from 3:30 to 10:30 p.m. Saturday. Tickets range from $10 to $30, and more details can be found on NFMLA’s website.
Go out all night: Seth Rudetsky, the voice behind Sirius/XM Satelite Radio’s “On Broadway,” is also heading to the Wallis for a slot in the Sorting Room series. “Seth Rudetsky’s Big Fat Broadway Show” delves into the radio star’s reflections on the best of Broadway, from the top performances to bizarre happenings. The remaining tickets are available for the show at 9:30 p.m. Saturday, and tickets range from $35 to $55. More information can be found on the Wallis website.
Go out and wander: Fair Trade L.A. presents its second annual Winter Holiday Bazaar at Gasolina in Woodland Hills. Wander through all the handmade gifts and find the perfect presents for your loved ones. The day-long event also includes crafting workshops for the kiddos, henna art, live jazz and hot cocoa. The bazaar is from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday and is free to attend. More information can be found on Eventbrite.
Go out and celebrate Hanukkah: Hanukkah starts Thursday and the Skirball Cultural Center in Brentwood has you covered with a celebration of the Jewish holiday. The center is hosting a festival from noon to 5:30 p.m. Sunday with live performances, food, art making, a photo booth and a community candle lighting. Tickets range from free to $18 and more details can be found on Skirball’s website.
Go out and celebrate Christmas: L.A. Master Chorale’s “Navidad Nuestra” (Our Christmas) is a musical evening of Christmas carols from Argentina, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Cuba and the U.S. The performance gets even sweeter with the world premiere of “Navidad Iluviosa” by Ernesto Herrera. “Navidad Nuestra” is at 7 p.m. Sunday, and tickets range from $55 to $169. More information can be found on L.A. Master Chorale’s website.
More from the crew here
Make it a movie date night at one of these 27 best movie theaters in Los Angeles.
“Oooo” and “ahhhh” at 30 dazzling holiday light displays.
Got a green thumb and don’t know how to use it? Try one of these 18 ways to learn about plants while volunteering around L.A.
Holiday shopping takes a lot of energy. Here are the best places to eat and recharge while scavenging for the best gift.
I’m all ears
That’s all I’ve got for this week. Follow our feed of recommendations and itineraries on Instagram and Twitter, and if you have recs of your own, send them to steven.vargas@latimes.com.
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