LA Story #6: MOCA. Monumental Words.


The theme for today’s Life This Week is a little different.  It’s the first run of ‘Share Your Snaps’ and as luck would have it, I have snaps to share.  Many, many snaps in fact.
Today’s photos from LA are art themed.  I know, I’m pretty impressed with myself as well.  This hardcore shopper and sometime foodie and part-time fitness junkie went to actual art galleries and open-air art installations while I was downtown.  Who knew that art and culture could be so enjoyable?
‘Airplane Parts’ by Mark Thompson in the grounds of MOCA.  I could walk out the back door of my hotel straight into the landing where this sculpture resides.
Full disclosure though.  I practically had no choice in the matter because my hotel was on the doorstep of some of LA’s major art galleries.  As a first time traveler to Los Angeles, the breadth and depth of the art scene here was completely unexpected and greatly appreciated.  I touched down a week ago with nothing but shopping, clean eating and hopes to see some of the natural beauty of the local area.  What I have left with is is so much more.  
Beneath the seemingly all-consuming worship of the superficial and the airbrushed to perfection exterior that Los Angeles seems to project as its abiding image to the rest of the country and to the world lies a healthily pumping heart of philanthropy.  I was lucky enough to visit two galleries on this trip and both owe much to the generosity and foresight of some very wealthy but also altruistic individuals.
Today’s photos are from MOCA, specifically its main branch on Grand Avenue, downtown.  The Museum of Contemporary Art was first conceptualized in the late seventies when a number of LA’s prominent philanthropists were seated at the same table at a fundraiser.  They go to talking about their passion for art and then they got to fundraising and MOCA was born.  Much of the work in the gallery’s collection are generous bequests or else they were sold to it at bargain basement, interest-free prices.  

Entry to MOCA is $15 USD but entry is free after 6pm on Thursdays.  The gallery is closed on Mondays.

Unfortunately, I visited on a day when half the gallery was closed as an exhibition had just been taken down.  I was given a free pass to return again another day which I passed on to a local who would probably be able to get more use of it than I could.

Argh.  This post is meant to be about the photos so I will stop writing now and let you take in these photos of some of my favourites from MOCA.

These are photos of ‘Toilet Ventilators’ by Gabriel Orozco.  That really is toilet paper being whirled around by the fans it is suspended from.

‘I will not make any more boring art’…..

Two works by Andy Warhol, ‘Telephone’ and ‘Flowers’.

Just before I got in the taxi for LAX, I stumbled upon ‘Monumental Words’ by Laura Kimpton.  The outdoor public art installation is located on the upper level of Figat7th (more, much more about this fabulous food and shopping destination in DTLA in my next LA post) and is lit up at night.

The titles of the installations are exactly what you read as you look at them,

Art in public spaces makes for some pretty special snaps and I’m so happy to have been able to share mine with you through ‘Life This Week’.


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