Mise-en-Scene: New LA Sculpture

Mise-en-Scene: New LA Sculpture, an exhibition of works by six emerging Los Angeles artists is a fun, lighthearted show that teases viewers with its playful irony and surprisingly low-tech sensibility. The exhibition title refers to the theatrical and cinematic term mise en scene, meaning a directorial arrangement of materials – lighting, sets, props, actors – to create a setting. Although the title is fitting in terms of the possibility of Hollywood as an influence on these young artists, this was not my initial impression. After my first walk-through, I thought instead that I had entered a time-lapse into the seventies and had come upon the creative shop/laboratory of a group of brilliant kids. I was reminded of the cultural icons from my youth and the era's emphasis on craft. Liz Craft's large-scale sculpture, “Lazy Daze” is a hybrid of seventies pop. Comprised of three separate pieces made from wood, metal, and enamel paint, the largest resembles a cross between an abacus and a giant candy necklace of blues and purples that spells out “Lazy Daze;” my favorite is the very cute, very happy half Pac Man, half mouse (though it could be a rabbit) made of wood and standing about three feet high. Jeff Ono's work could be an homage to the planet's friendly genius, Buckminster Fuller who among other things, created the geodesic dome and coined the term “Spaceship Earth.” Using common materials such as straws and paper towels, both “(everybody i know can be found here)” and “Map Ref./Seeing Other People/Unknown” are polyhedral designs that might easily have been the early architectural models for that new age structure of better living, The Dome. Atop a four-foot high pedestal Torbjorn Vejvi's yellow turtleneck collar sits alone, begging viewers to come closer and take a peek inside. The image is both humorous and alluring, not unlike the overall spirit of this show.

Logan Galleries, California College of Arts and Crafts
1111, Eighth Street (at 16 th and Wisconsin streets) San Francisco
MWThFSa 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Tu 11:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.
(415) 551-9210, www.ccac-art.edu/institute (Megan Wilson)