Carmen Argote’s Filtration System for a Process-based Practice at MCASD, Downtown PHOTO: BY RIYO STUDIOS FOR MCASD
This season, explore the latest exhibits by SoCal artists at San Diego’s top art museums.
Alexis Smith: The American Wayat Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego
The first retrospective of the California artist’s work in over 30 years, The American Way will be on display at MCASD’s newly reopened La Jolla location from Sept. 15 to Feb. 5, 2023. Los Angeles-born artist Smith is famous for her mixed-media collages inspired by conceptual and pop art, as well as the feminist movement of the 1970s. Through 50 works from each stage of Smith’s career— from wall paintings to room-sized installations—The American Way presents a journey of self-realization and self-transformation examining the myth of the American dream. Smith’s pieces, produced from the 1970s to the 2010s, explore themes of gender, identity and class, and draw from her exposure to Hollywood, literature, media and pop culture. mcasd.org
Lisa-E Fine Art’s “Groovin’ on the Green” from Pop Smoke: A Veteran Art Exhibition at Oceanside Museum of Art. PHOTO COURTESY OF LISA-E FINE ART
Carmen Argote: Filtration System for a Process-based Practiceat MCASD, Downtown
Following a major acquisition of her work, the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego Downtown’s new solo exhibition by Carmen Argote runs through Oct. 23. The L.A.-based artist takes an anthropological approach to creating sculptures, drawings and voice recordings by walking through and interacting with the spaces she inhabits. Featuring work primarily created during the pandemic, this exhibition features six interwoven series inspired by Lincoln Park in East Los Angeles. Complementing this presentation are two collection-based exhibits: The Reason for the Neutron Bomb, a series of timely works by Chris Burden and Byron Kim; and Figurative Vocabularies: Selections from the Collection, the museum’s newly acquired paintings depicting human subjects, architectural spaces and natural landscapes. mcasd.org
Pablo Picasso, “Head of a Woman” (Jan. 21, 1962, linocut on wove paper) PHOTO COURTESY OF © 2022 ESTATE OF PABLO PICASSO/ARTISTS RIGHTS SOCIETY (ARS), NEW YORK
Gail Roberts: Color Field and Pop Smoke: A Veteran Art Exhibitionat Oceanside Museum of Art
OMA’s two new exhibitions emphasize color, whether found in nature or pieced together as pop art. Open through Nov. 27, Gail Roberts: Color Field presents 130 equally scaled oil paintings of singular flowers, created over five years and arranged in a spectrum of hues. By showcasing the beauty of all that blooms—from flowers to weeds to vegetables, across six continents—San Diego-based artist Roberts stresses the importance of nature in an effort to protect it. Running through Jan. 15, 2023, Pop Smoke: A Veteran Art Exhibition spotlights veterans who used their experiences as ammunition for artistic genius. Titled after a military slang term, this exhibit highlights the use of bright colors, geometric shapes and repetitive means of production in creations. oma-online.org
Alexis Smith, “Men Seldom Make Passes at Girls Who Wear Glasses” (1985, wall painting with two framed mixed-media collages, panels) PHOTO COURTESY OF MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART SAN DIEGO, MUSEUM PURCHASE WITH PARTIAL FUNDSFROM ANSLEY I. GRAHAM TRUST, LOS ANGELES, 1995.9.1-2. BY PHILIPP SCHOLZ RITTERMANN. © ALEXIS SMITH 1985
Picasso: Drawings and Printsat The San Diego Museum of Art
A pioneer of Cubism in the early 1900s, Pablo Ruiz Picasso altered perspective with intersecting planes of space to create a new abstract art form. The Spanish painter, sculptor and printmaker, who moved to Paris and worked alongside artists like Henri Matisse and Georges Braque, is credited as a leader of modern art, known for honoring his roots while putting a spin on Western tradition. On display at SDMA through Jan. 29, 2023, Picasso: Drawings and Prints features 17 works on paper and one ceramic piece by Picasso, and one ink drawing by Matisse—all from the museum’s permanent collection. sdmart.org
BalDor Puppets, “Multifunctional Puppet Theatre” (wood, paper, watercolor). PHOTO BY PABLO MASON
The Smallest Show on Earth: Paper Theaters Exploredat La Jolla Historical Society
Opening Sept. 23 and running through Jan. 22, 2023, this dramatic exhibit honors the unique art form of paper theaters that were originally used to promote productions in Victorian-era London. Sold as kits at the concession stands of opera houses and vaudeville theaters, these paperboard sheets depict aspects of the set design and representations of the actors shown in costume from the production. While these theaters declined in popularity during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, on account of new interest from puppeteers, historians and filmmakers, the La Jolla Historical Society is reintroducing this playful craft to a new audience—alongside theater-themed programs. lajollahistory.org
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