Angela Hanley

I had a great time in LA, despite the heat wave, and must thank the organizers of the trip (you know who you are) for a truly impressive and enjoyable program. I'm not gonna share any of that here (it was a private venture), but wanted to acknowledge all the hard work and generosity of those involved.

I came down with a sinus infection while there (might have been the heat, or allergies, or whatever) though, and when the plane descended into JFK, something in my left ear popped and I still can't hear out of it, so I'm a bit disoriented (and my voice sounds like a bullfrog, which has poor Bambino alarmed). So bear with me if this rambles a bit.

I didnt' get to do even a quarter of the things on my own that I thought I might in LA (I did learn that the distance from point A to point B in LA is always 15 to 20 minutes when you ask, but invariably 45 to 60 minutes when you drive it), and I apologize to several folks who were kind enough to send invitations that I was unable to get there. I'll know how to plan better next time.

I did get to a few places that I really liked though. First was Champion Bar (not sure if that's the real name or not) on La Cienega. Drew Heitzler, the owner (and brains behind the highly acclaimed Champion galleries that ran consecutively for a year in Williamsburg and then a year in Los Angeles, and who, an artist himself, had the striking New York surfers film out at PS1 for their Summer Warm Up party) could not have been more inviting, and the scene was very laid back. One room will have art installations when they officially open in September, Drew says, and there's a nice patio out the back (it reminds me of Supreme Trading in W'burg).

The other place was Angela Hanley. No relation to Jack Hanley gallery in Chinatown, Angela Hanley is the brainchild of Allyson Spellacy, former director of one of Williamsburg's most adventurous galleries, Parker's Box. That spirit of adventure is apparent in buckets in the model Allyson's using to run the space. Inspired by the legendary Ferus Gallery, Angela Hanley (which is Allyson's mother's name) opened its first exhibition with 10 LA and 10 NY artists. Each exhibition since has paired East and West Coast artists.

The space is located on the ground floor in the architecturally gorgeous 1960s American Cement Building at 2404 Wilshire and open by appointment only (other than the packed opening and closing receptions). The program is an irresistible blend of conceptual rigor and rock-n-roll raucousness (the second exhibition included a dunking booth in the gallery). The exhibition I saw, the gallery's third, includes work by Cathy Begien (from San Francisco) & Jeffrey Hatfield (from Brooklyn). Full disclosure: I was so blown away by the work of Cathy Begien, who identifies as a filmmaker more than a fine artists (despite the fact that the J. Paul Getty Museum and the Yeruba Buena Center of the Arts, San Francisco, both disagree enough to exhibit her work in their spaces), that I bought one of her videos.

It's not near the clusters of other galleries in Los Angeles, but if you're there, I highly encourage you check it out.

More tomorrow, if my head doesn't explode first.