Art Talk
<i>12 Assholes</i> but only One Exhibition Worth Driving For
As a welcomed distraction from the controversies and scandals plaguing our museum world here in L.A., I hit the road---not too far---just an hour's drive south, down the 405 freeway...
By Edward Goldman • • 4m Listen12 Assholes but only One Exhibition Worth Driving for
As a welcomed distraction from the controversies and scandals plaguing our museum world here in L.A., I hit the road---not too far---just an hour's drive south, down the 405 freeway.
I wanted to check out the exhibition by the bad boy of independent cinema, John Waters, whose photographic and sculptural works went on display at the Orange County Museum of Art in Newport Beach. From the man who gave us Pink Flamingos and Hairspray, one would expect a healthy dose of irrelevance, a good dollop or two of bad taste, and plenty of reasons to choke with embarrassing laughter. Twelve Assholes and a Dirty Foot presenting precisely what the title promises, doesn't knock you off your feet---just the tiresome work of an aging prankster, who should keep his daytime job.
Going further South I hit the dreamy shores of Laguna Beach, where last year I saw an uneven but interesting and edgy exhibition: 100 Artists See God. The current exhibition at the Laguna Art Museum has a promising title as well: A Broken Beauty, but unfortunately it also carries a pseudo-academic subtitle Figuration, Narrative and the Transcendent in North American Art.
Starry Night with its celestial drama. This is an exhibition worth driving for.