In the early 1990s a generation of artists in the United States were using exhibitions to draw attention to real-world crises: by the time Bill Clinton was inaugurated in January 1993, AIDS was officially the #1 cause of death for men aged 25 – 44 in the country; the Los Angeles uprising had been declared the most destructive period of local unrest in US history; and the Culture Wars were in full force, after the Robert Mapplethorpe ‘obscenity’ hearing marked the nation’s first criminal trial over content in an exhibition. Terms such as multiculturalism, identity politics and marginalization signified spaces of contestation, while in art, the market had collapsed following a global recession, causing an unprecedented number of galleries to shutter.
It was in this context that artist Charles Gaines developed the exhibition ‘The Theater of Refusal: Black Art and Mainstream Criticism’ for the University Art Gallery at the University of California, Irvine, in close collaboration with the gallery’s director, Catherine Lord. Presenting works by Jean-Michel Basquiat, Renée Green, David Hammons, Ben Patterson, Adrian Piper, Sandra Rowe, Gary Simmons, Lorna Simpson, Carrie Mae Weems, Pat Ward Williams and Fred Wilson—all little known artists at that time—‘The Theater of Refusal’ intended to ‘reveal the strategies of marginalization and to propose an alternative,’ as Gaines described his approach then. Integral to the show was a reading room, for which Gaines accumulated articles and reviews about the participating artists that he highlighted to reveal limitations in the discourse of marginality and its instrumentalization by mainstream criticism.
On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of ‘The Theater of Refusal’—in a social and political context that bears many similarities—this exhibition in downtown LA looks back at that seminal project and continues the theoretical investigation to understand its resonances today. Co-curator Homi K. Bhabha has called this process ‘retroaction.’
He suggests, ‘A conventional retrospective looks back from the summit of the present to synthesize the past by giving it a culminating shape. In contrast, ‘RETROaction’ brings forth the legacies of ‘The Theater of Refusal’ in the early 1990s to interact with the lessons and lesions of art today. It takes a view of the present in all its decolonizing tumult—racial violence, pandemics, climate catastrophe, migration and displacement—pinpointing a critical moment of transition in the ‘90s from which to move forward.’
‘RETROaction’ presents works from the early 1990s by Charles Gaines, Lorna Simpson and Gary Simmons, who all participated in the original ‘The Theater of Refusal: Black Art and Mainstream Criticism,’ as well as a new iteration of the exhibition, this time subtitled ‘Black Art and Reconstitution,’ presenting the work of ten artists who all embrace abstraction and materiality in their practice, selected by art historian, Ellen Tani, together with Gaines.
‘We speak less now of marginalization and refusal than of the world systems—historic and ongoing—that undergird those processes: capitalism, colonialism, racism. We consider Bhabha’s description of the way we can think of past work and its relation to the present moment through an investigation of strategies of marginalization from the ‘90s and how it has transitioned into a critical space—30 years later—now dominated by the issues of decoloniality, which in turn gives representation to those suppressed ideas of the ‘90s,’ says Gaines. ‘We chose to undertake an investigation of abstract art produced by Black artists to show that the controversies around representation—a significant context for the marginalization of their practices—continues today. Like the original project, ‘Theater of Refusal: Black Art and Reconstitution’ rethinks structures of artistic knowledge and the critical discourse that surrounds it.’
About RETROaction and the New York presentation:
RETROaction is a project initiated at Hauser & Wirth with the prominent Harvard academic, Homi K. Bhabha, to explore the ‘nowness’ of art and critical concepts from the recent past in dialogue with artists who work with the gallery: it posits that our current time is one for retroaction more than retrospection. The first iteration of the project created a smaller presentation of the ‘The Theater of Refusal: Black Art and Reconstitution’ and also explored the Whitney Biennial in 1993—a show that has subsequently been recognized as establishing many terms that underpin our current cultural debates. Artists included: Ida Applebroog, Charles Gaines, Mike Kelley, Zoe Leonard, Glenn Ligon, Cindy Sherman, Gary Simmons and Lorna Simpson with Kevin Beasley, Torkwase Dyson, Leslie Hewitt and Rashid Johnson.
About the curators
Homi K. Bhabha is the Anne F. Rothenberg Professor of the Humanities in the English Department and Comparative Literature Department at Harvard University. He is the author of numerous works exploring postcolonial theory, cultural change and power, contemporary art and cosmopolitanism. His works include ‘The Location of Culture,’ which was reprinted as a Routledge Classic, and the edited volume ‘Nation and Narration.’ Bhabha has also written articles on contemporary art for Artforum and essays on the work of William Kentridge, Anish Kapoor, Taryn Simon and Matthew Barney, amongst others. With the support of the Volkswagen and Mellon Foundations, Bhabha has led a research project on the Global Humanities. He is a Corresponding Fellow at The British Academy, Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and Critic-in-Residence at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. He holds honorary degrees from Université Paris 8, University College London, Freie Universität Berlin and Stellenbosch University.
Charles Gaines is a pivotal figure in the field of conceptual art. His body of work engages formulas and systems that interrogate relationships between the objective and the subjective realms. The concept of identity politics has played a central role within Gaines’ oeuvre, and the radical approach he employs addresses issues of race in ways that transcend the limits of representation. Using a generative approach to create series of works in a variety of mediums, he has built a bridge between the early conceptual artists of the 1960s and 1970s and subsequent generations of artists pushing the limits of conceptualism today. Gaines is also exhibiting as an artist in ‘RETROaction.’
Ellen Tani is an art historian and curator based in Rochester NY, where she is Assistant Professor of Art History at Rochester Institute of Technology. She has held postdoctoral fellowships at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts, and her museum career includes curatorial roles at the ICA Boston, Whitney Museum and Bowdoin College Museum of Art. As a specialist in contemporary art’s intersection with critical race studies, with a particular focus on conceptual- and performance-oriented practices, Dr. Tani uses methods from the arts and humanities to explore questions of power, gender, race and ethnicity from the 20th Century to the global present. Her writing has been published in Art Journal, Panorama, American Quarterly, Art in America and other outlets.
Kate Fowle is curatorial senior director at Hauser & Wirth. Prior to joining the gallery in 2023, she was director of MoMA PS1; chief curator at Garage Museum in Moscow; and executive director of Independent Curators International (ICI) in New York. She was also the first international curator of UCCA in Beijing and co-founder of the first Masters Program in Curatorial Practice on the West Coast. Fowle started her museum career in the UK, where she initially trained as an artist. She has curated more than 50 exhibitions internationally and initiated numerous institutional programs to support artistic research and collective practices.
Publication
In summer 2024, a new edition of the 1993 publication ‘The Theater of Refusal: Black Art and Mainstream Criticism’ will be released by Dancing Foxes Press with Künstlerhaus Stuttgart and LAXART, marking the 30th anniversary of Charles Gaines’ and Catherine Lord’s exhibition and publication ‘The Theater of Refusal.’ Coedited by Rhea Anastas, Charles Gaines, Jamillah James and Eric Golo Stone, this publication reprints in facsimile the eponymous 1993 publication that documented the show, which contained essays by Maurice Berger, Gaines and Lord, as well as the transcript of a roundtable that included a range of artists and writers. Reproducing images of the exhibition for the first time in color, the new edition augments the original publication with an essay by poet and scholar Fred Moten; recent conversations between Lord and Gaines and between Moten and Gaines; a roundtable discussion that echoes the first, moderated and edited by Thomas (T.) Jean Lax and Jamillah James; and an afterword by Rhea Anastas. Supporters include Hauser & Wirth, Galerie Max Hetzler, the Rennie Collection and a Teiger Foundation Director’s Award.

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The Peninsula Beverly Hills

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caroline0108

Having visited Universal Studios in Osaka, Beijing, and Singapore, I&#39;d say Universal California is a bit dated and too small, lacking the immersive experience of Universal Studios Osaka. The themed areas are too close together, making it easy to get lost in the crowd. A 2-day pass isn&#39;t necessary outside of peak season. There are practically no lines, the longest being 5-10 minutes. With the buy-one-get-one-free tickets, I only got in around noon each day, making it a bit of a waste to spend an extra night at Universal Studios. Also, although I went during Halloween, Halloween tickets had to be bought separately, and without them, you had to leave the park by 6 PM. Next time, I&#39;ll try Universal Orlando.

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I was a bit disappointed that I need to make an appointment for the fast line which is not really worth the money because at the end of the day we still need to wait for the available booking time

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The hotel was excellent; the rooms were spacious and clean. The shuttle to Disneyland was very convenient. I had booked five nights through another platform. Originally, I planned to switch hotels after Disneyland and then Universal Studios, but the experience was quite good, and since Universal Studios isn&#39;t far, I booked four more nights through Ctrip.

There are many hotels near the resort, and the shuttle to the park is shared. This hotel&#39;s advantage in terms of park shuttles is that it&#39;s near the front of the pick-up line, ensuring a seat. This is very convenient, as the pick-up point is right outside the hotel.

The hotel breakfast, while basic and with limited variety, was served in a large, clean, and buffet-style restaurant with disposable plates and utensils. Very convenient.

The rooms don&#39;t offer bottled water, but there&#39;s a small area downstairs where you can buy food and drinks. Prices are similar to those in the park; you can pay by credit card or have it added to your room bill.

The laundry room is next to the gym on the first floor. Credit cards are accepted. Laundry is $3.50 each, and drying is $3.50. There are vending machines nearby for laundry balls and detergent. If you&#39;re planning a trip here, I recommend bringing your own laundry pods, as they&#39;re more economical 😂. A small box of laundry detergent, enough for one wash, costs about $2. Just for reference.

The hotel is not far from two nearby outlet malls via Uber, and there&#39;s also a Walmart nearby. I haven&#39;t tried walking, but although the distance seems short, it&#39;s right next to a main road, so you&#39;d probably have to take a detour.

Attached is a shuttle bus timetable for December 🚌, for your reference.

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Griffith Observatory: The Eye of Wisdom in Los Angeles, a Must-Visit Free Landmark
Griffith Observatory is no ordinary attraction. It is a spiritual symbol of Los Angeles, where science and romance interweave. Whether you are an astronomy enthusiast or not, it is definitely worth a visit, and admission is free (except for certain exhibitions and performances). Its charm lies in its unique integration, with distinct and profound highlights:

Core Highlights:

1. Unparalleled panoramic view of the city:
Located on the top of the Hollywood Hills, the observatory itself is the best viewing platform overlooking Los Angeles. During the day, the city texture is in full view; at dusk, witness the &quot;City of Angels&quot; covered with golden rays of light, the lights are on, until the lights of thousands of homes under the bright stars, and the Hollywood sign is within reach - this is the most iconic postcard perspective of Los Angeles, a holy place for photography enthusiasts.

2. Immersive astronomy science hall:
Samuel Oschin Planetarium: The world&#39;s top dome theater, with advanced laser projection system and surround sound effects. Its programs (tickets required) such as &quot;Dark Night Stars&quot; and &quot;Center of the Universe&quot; are not simple popular science, but a soul-stirring journey of cosmic art, taking you through time and space to feel the vastness and mystery of the universe.
Free exhibition hall The content is easy to understand and highly interactive. Must-see:
Foucault pendulum: a classic device that intuitively demonstrates the rotation of the earth.
Planetary models and astronomical maps: Exquisite display of solar system and cosmic knowledge.
Giant Tesla coil demonstration: (at a specific time) watch the spectacular sight of artificial lightning, full of scientific sense.
The historical building itself: The Art Deco style incorporates Greek revival elements, and the dome and murals are full of astronomical symbols, which is itself a work of art.

3. A window to experience the stars:
Free public telescope observation: This is the most precious tradition of the observatory! Open at night when the weather is fine (see the official website for details), you can witness the lunar craters, Jupiter stripes, Saturn rings, and even distant nebulae with your own eyes through powerful Zeiss refracting telescopes and other equipment. Professional volunteers explain on the spot, making the universe within reach. This real stargazing experience cannot be replaced by any screen.

Is it worth going? Conclusion:

Highly recommended to:
Visitors who are visiting Los Angeles for the first time: This is a great starting point to understand the city&#39;s geography and temperament.
Photography enthusiasts: Capture the classic camera position of Los Angeles panorama and Hollywood sign.
People who are curious about astronomy and science: Free and high-quality science feast.

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We arrive around 12:00noon so the main parking area is already full. They told us to park in the science center building which you need to walk around 5-10mins which is not a problem for us. Its a 3 floor building and we really enjoyed checking each artifacts.

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Time:	Feb 27–May 5, 2024 (UTC-8) ENDED
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