Coming up: See art take over the Lovell House; celebrate the people and spaces of old Hollywood Park; help save the very un-Soviet styled Melnikov House; hear about "crazy creative" Asian Americans; and see the "lairs" occupied by extremely bad guys.
While the Lovell House owners figure out what's next for the Richard Neutra-designed icon, they are opening up the house to initiatives such as a pop-up exhibition by artist Eva Claessens. The Belgian-born, Uruguay-based contemporary artist will display sculpture and unframed painting and prints, exploring the human body, throughout the 4800 square feet house. Photographer Yoshihiro Makino and filmmaker Romain Dussaulx will capture her living gallery.
When: Sunday, February 23; from 1pm to 4pm, by appointment only.
Where: Address supplied when you RSVP.
Tickets: Free, by appointment only. Email giuliettagarzon@gmail.com or call 323-804-6885
2) Clubhouse Turn: The Twilight of Hollywood Park Race Track
Before the famed Hollywood Park closed its doors in 2013, photographer Michele Asselin spent every day at Hollywood Park in the last two weeks, photographing the buildings, the patrons and the employees, from the jockeys to the gamblers to the security guards. Her images have been turned into a book, "Clubhouse Turn: The Twilight of Hollywood Park Race Track", published by Santa Monica-based Angel City Press. As the Rams Stadium now takes shape on the site of the 75-year old park, Asselin’s photographs, say the publishers, "depict a world that has been completely erased but not forgotten." Meet the author and see the book Tuesday at Chevalier's Books in Larchmont.
When: Tuesday, February 25; 7 pm.
Where: Chevalier's Books, 126 N Larchmont Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90004
Tickets: Free. Click here for more information.
3) Hollyhock House presents Melnikov House: Saving an Avant-Garde Icon
From one icon to another: the Hollyhock House will host Pavel Kuznetsov, deputy director of the Schusev State Museum of Architecture in Moscow, for a discussion about the history and preservation of the Melnikov House, an icon of the Russian architectural avant-garde, designed by architect Konstantin Melnikov for himself and his family. Melnikov believed that the essence of his experimental cylindrical structure lay in the balance and equivalence of weight, light, air, and heat. Kuznetsov will share the architectural, engineering, and philosophical ideas behind Melnikov’s ambitious architectural manifesto in 1920s Soviet Russia.
When: Monday, Feb 24, 7 - 8 pm (Note: Hollyhock House will be open for a self-guided tour from 6 - 7 pm)
Where: Hollyhock House at Barnsdall Art Park, 4800 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles 90027
Tickets: Free; click here for tickets.
4) Crazy Creative Asians
Celebrating the diverse and dynamic creative energy of the Chinese-American community in Los Angeles, Crazy Creative Asians gathers a wide range of artists and designers working in the fields of architecture, design, fashion, film, jewelry, publishing and photography. Expect cocktails and fast-paced, Pecha Kucha style stories from these makers and the entrepreneurs. Hosted by the Chinese Chamber of Commerce Los Angeles, presenters include: Mina Chow, Katherin Gao, Alvin Huang, J. Glenn Kay, Nicolas Lam, Jennifer 8 Lee, Daniel Lee Postaer, Jenny Wu, Trina Yin.
When: Tuesday, Feb 25, 6 - 9 pm
Where: Sake Dojo, 333 East 1st Street, Los Angeles 90012
Tickets: Free; get more information here.
5) Chad Oppenheim, author of LAIR: Radical Homes, Hideouts and Cars of Movie Villains
While Chad Oppenheim probably never wanted to grow up to be a super villain, he sure thought they had the coolest homes and hideouts or, as he calls them, "lairs". Oppenheim became an architect and has edited a book, LAIR: Radical Homes, Hideouts and Cars of Movie Villains, about the sets for very bad guys that inspired him, typically "stunning, sophisticated, envy-inducing expression of the warped drives and desires of its occupant." Think the private island residence of Scaramanga in “The Man with the Golden Gun”; the war room designed by Ken Adam in Dr Strangelove; Ernst Stavro Blofeld's lair in “Diamonds Are Forever” (the Elrod House by John Lautner); and the cool, hyper-minimalist hideaway of Nathan Bateman in "Ex Machina". DnA's Frances Anderton will interview Oppenheim Wednesday at Mass Beverly; and he will join a panel Thursday at Petersen Automotive Museum. Catch Frances talking with him on this DnA.
When: Wednesday, Feb 26, 6 - 8 pm
Where: Mass Beverly, 900 Beverly Blvd, West Hollywood 90048
Tickets: Free; RSVP by emailing andrea@andreaburnett.com or call 650-207-0917