Vexed Vista / Adam Linder copyright R. Etienne
The Hammer Biennial is back for its third iteration showcasing some of the most exciting artists and collectives working in Los Angeles. Entitled “a, the, though, only”, this year’s edition, curated by Aram Moshayedi and Hamza Walker, features 26 artists from the fields of dance, fashion, literature, music, film, and performance. We’ve selected the six participants you should keep on your radar.
Martine Syms at the ICA, photography Hendrik Schneider
Martine Syms
In her work, the archive of African American culture is visible, present and relevant rather than something that belongs to the past. LA-born Martine Syms addresses the history of black radicalism by turning the sitcom into art and video into verse. Having already lectured at Yale, CalArts and MoMA at the age of 28, Sims’ European solo show recently debuted at the ICA London and you can read all about it in the current issue of Sleek.
Adam Linder portrait (right) by David Maestre Gomez
Adam Linder
Linder who spends his time between LA and Berlin calls himself primarily a choreographer yet his practice has shifted from classical dance into the visual arts. He has performed his time-based choreographies that comment on real-time economic principles that support creative labour in events including Frieze Projects in London. We first featured Linder in Sleek 46.
Eckhaus Latta, photography by Franziska Sinn
Eckhaus Latta
The LA and NYC-based duo of designers almost don’t need introductions. We featured them in Sleek 46 when they were on a steady rise and since then they’ve remained unstoppable. Focused on their conceptual art and fashion crossover, their collections often include unisex clothes shown on non-traditional models. For the Hammer Biennial they even created a limited edition celebratory polo shirt, available exclusively at the museum’s gift shop for $45. For the rest of their collection you can visit the newly opened LA store.
Guthrie Lonergan
Described as “our Bruce Nauman” by Cory Arcangel, Guthrie Lonergan is an influential internet artist who’s graced the cover of the November 2014 issue of Artforum, with his an image from his 2005 series “Lonely Los Angeles”. Additionally, Lonergan was included in the 2009 New Museum Triennial and has had work in the 2009 Venice Biennale; MOCA Geffen, Los Angeles; and 319 Scholes, New York.
Gala Porras-Kim
Gala Porras-Kim
Porras-Kim is a Colombian born artist who studied art and Latin American studies who often works with archaeology. She has researched extensively the languages and writing systems of indigenous cultures and draws on this study for inspiration. For instance Porras-Kim has conducted an examination of whistling in the Oaxaca dialect as means of carrying hidden transcripts and as a strategy of dissent.
Margaret Honda
Margaret Honda
San Diego-born artist and filmmaker Margaret Honda, started off with sculpture, performance and photography in the 80s before turning into film. She has developed a practice that explores the sculptural qualities of art and in which historicity of objects, auto-biography and process all play equal roles as working materials. For instance, Margaret Honda has once melted down existing sculptures while highlighting specific modes of cultural production throughout history. She currently has a solo exhibition at the Künstlerhaus Bremen.
“Made in L.A. 2016: a, the, though, only” runs at Hammer Museum in LA until 28 August 2016