Exploring Culture and Nature Through Art: Latest Exhibitions in Los Angeles
This article highlights notable exhibitions in Los Angeles featuring Charles Gaines, Carolina Miranda, and artist Crosthwaite, emphasizing themes of culture and nature through diverse artistic expressions. Gaines presents baobab tree images at Hauser & Wirth, while spiritual deities are portrayed at David Zwirner. Crosthwaite explores border culture at Luis de Jesus gallery, inviting reflections on identity and connection.
Multimedia artist Charles Gaines has significantly impacted the Los Angeles art scene, having served as a faculty member at CalArts for over 30 years, guiding many Black artists towards their Master of Fine Arts degrees. With notable works displayed in esteemed global museums, including Tate and MOMA, he currently holds the artist-in-residence position at Hauser & Wirth gallery in West Hollywood, where his captivating representations of African baobab trees are showcased.
The exhibition titled “Charles Gaines: Numbers and Trees, The Tanzania Baobabs” runs from February 19 to May 24, 2025, at Hauser & Wirth. Gaines has incorporated tree motifs into his artwork since the 1970s, using a distinctive method of numbered and colored grids on plexiglass. According to Carolina Miranda, an independent culture critic, his approach is reflective and mathematical. The gallery features nine new works inspired by images of baobab trees he captured in Tanzania in 2023, providing a grand entrance akin to stepping into a forest.
Miranda elaborates that the artwork explores the intricate systems underlying natural representations. Gaines aims to make visible the microscopic units and larger systems, such as the roots and branches that contribute to the tree’s structure. Each artwork, therefore, holds deeper meanings about the natural world’s interconnectedness and complexity.
In another exhibition at David Zwirner gallery in Hollywood from February 13 to March 29, 2025, Canadian-Jamaican artist creates five towering figures surrounding a circular tapestry. The figures are composed of various found materials, with an accompanying Spotify playlist enhancing the experience. Miranda describes entering the gallery as akin to participating in a spiritual ceremony, highlighting the water-themed deities that echo Afro-Caribbean spiritual traditions through their artistic representation.
Lastly, Luis de Jesus gallery in Downtown Los Angeles will showcase works by artist Crosthwaite from March 1 to April 5, 2025, whose experience growing up in Tijuana informs his art. His pieces envision the U.S.-Mexico border as a confluence of cultures instead of a mere division, blending elements from Tijuana with iconic American symbols.
Miranda notes how Crosthwaite’s works incorporate Mexican religious art and, upon closer inspection, reveal fantastical elements emerging from urban scenes. His transition to painting in color, inspired by his long-standing affinity for comic books, has resulted in astonishing displays that invite viewers into vibrant narratives of his heritage.
In conclusion, the exhibitions of Charles Gaines, represented at Hauser & Wirth, and the works showcased by contemporary artists at David Zwirner and Luis de Jesus galleries, present an enriching exploration of cultural and spiritual themes. Gaines’s focus on the mathematical representation of nature invites reflection on the systems that underpin our understanding of the world, while Crosthwaite’s mixed-media art celebrates the vibrant confluence of border cultures, creating a dynamic tapestry of narrative and tradition.
Original Source: www.kcrw.com
