Step out to the LA River tonight and you will see 16 art installations displayed for countless viewers; each presenting a new perspective on a salient issue affecting Los Angeles, neighboring cities, and global cities.
This summer, July 16 through August 14, 2016, CURRENT:LA Public Art Biennial focuses its attention on the significance of water, choosing it as a platform for the exchange of ideas from global citizens. This expression of human creativity and imagination is free to the public as it brings to inspire civic discourse. Presented by Mayor Eric Garcetti and City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Public Art Division, CURRENT:LA aims to democratize the way we access art by featuring temporary art projects and public programs at outdoor locations. “Los Angeles is the creative capital of the world, a place where we appreciate how art inspires us to see the world through new eyes,” says Mayor Eric Garcetti.
Visit the LA River and enjoy this opportunity of experiencing art out the museum environment and into LA’s diverse neighborhoods!
Here are some of the art Installations and descriptions:
- UnderLA, by Refik Anadol & Peggy Weil, projected on the concrete sides of the L.A. River, showing the hidden water and empowering visual stories.
- A prodigious 20-foot open-air geodesic dome built by the Los Angeles Department of Weather Modification, purposed to host events as well as a locus for artists, urbanists, etc. to explore ideas about water & weather modification.
- Exquisite Corpse, a 51 minute long documentary by Kerry Tribe, exploring the 51 miles of LA River.
Find site-specific artwork and public programming by international & LA artists in partnership with CURRENT:LA:
Provided by KCET Artbound
For all artists and more information, visit http://www.currentla.org/artists.
Art presented within communities has been explored to prove its economic, social, and cultural impact. Private and public agencies often seek to strengthen and improve the communities through this and as a result, prove to change perspectives of countless individuals. The issue chosen, water, is relevant and timely for Los Angeles, given that California’s current drought is one of the most severe ever recorded. The challenges are similar to those faced by cities and regions around the world, with ever-increasing local and global demands for water resources to meet human, commercial, and agricultural needs. To better encourage discussion, CURRENT:LAWATER presents large-scale art commissions next to bodies of water, both manmade and natural, with a long-term goal of creating the River as a rehabilitated public corridor for art, culture, and community engagement.
CURRENT:LA is Los Angeles’ first citywide Public Art Biennial taking place this summer, as it will be putting a new spin on the traditional international biennial. It is for all residents and visitors of Los Angeles, giving everyone direct access to cultural experiences. In addition, creative public programming and additional gatherings will be hosted for the duration of the biennial. This month-long event aims to connect the over 4 million people living in communities throughout Los Angeles to inspire social action through the imaginative power of art.
How can you volunteer with Current:LA?
Visit http://www.laworks.com and find the first opportunity to sign up for and get involved.
For questions about CURRENT:LA, please contact DCA’s Public Art Division at dca.publicart@lacity.org or 213-202-5544 or visit the website.