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You are here: Home / LACE / 2005-2009 / Against The Grain

Against The Grain

AGAINST_THE_GRAIN

 

 

June 12, 2008 – September 21, 2008

Featuring Tom Allen, Brian Bress, Robert Fontenot, Wendell Gladstone, Matt Greene, Julian Hoeber, Brian Kennon, John Knuth, Amy Sarkisian, Ryan Taber, Ami Tallman, Kelly Sears, Anna Sew Hoy, and Cheyenne Weaver. Curated by Christopher Russell.

LACE is pleased to present Against the Grain, curated by Los Angeles-based artist Christopher Russell, as part of LACE’s thirtieth-anniversary celebration. Russell looks back on a seminal exhibition from LACE’s history, Against Nature: A Group Show of Work by Homosexual Men (1988), curated by Dennis Cooper and Richard Hawkins.

Cooper and Hawkins’ original show looked at decadent seclusion and syphilitic deterioration as modes of social rebellion and was informed by J.K. Huysmans’ novel À Rebours. This exhibition exposed the margins of the already marginalized world of gay men. The curators translated Huysmans through the lens of AIDS in a politically and socially conservative era, and displayed rich, decadent and inherently morbid work. They reacted against aesthetics that seemed polemically overwrought, privileging activism over the individual.

Now, Russell looks at the influence of this lineage. Beyond the Fin de Siecle, beyond AIDS activism, he asks after the influence of radicality among a new generation of artists. Using Against Nature as a point of departure, Russell has selected 14 local artists that seek a similarly critical position in our social climate today and undertake themes of decadence within a present-day context.

There has been a lot of talk around the gothic and the decadent in contemporary art. However much of the current generation exploring these ideas have not made the historical connections that seem common among artists of the 1980s. This show attempts to draw a tighter line between varied approaches to the gothic and the decadent, pointing out recent, local connections but also establishing a lineage: Huysman’s novel, A Rebours, translates not just to Against Nature, but also to Against the Grain.

Against the Grain Salon Events:

21 June 2008: Masked Ball
3 August 2008, 3pm: Artist Discussion with Tom Allen, Julian Hoeber, Brian Kennn and Kelly Sears. Moderator: John Knuth
9 August 2008 3pm: Artist Walkthrough with Brian Bess, Robert Fontenot and Ami Tallman

Against the Grain is an ArtForum.com critics pick…

Full color catalog available ($25). LACE members receive a 10% discount.

This exhibition has been made possible through the generous support of The Pasadena Art Alliance and The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. Additional support for LACE and its programs comes from the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, The Getty Foundation, The James Irvine Foundation, Jockey Hollow Foundation, Los Angeles County Arts Commission, Morris Family Foundation, Stone Brewing Co., and the members of LACE.

Download Against the Grain press release.

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Against The Grain Press Release

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Filed Under: 2005-2009, Exhibition, LACE Tagged With: 2008, Against Nature, Against Nature: A Group Show of Work by Homosexual Men (1988), Against The Grain, Ami Tallman, Amy Sarkisian, Anna Sew Hoy and Cheyenne Weaver, Brian Bress, Brian Kennon, Christopher Russell, Exhibition, John Knuth, Julian Hoeber, Kelly Sears, Matt Greene, Robert Fontenot, Ryan Taber, Tom Allen, Wendell Gladstone

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LACE (Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions)

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We're excited to work with two new Getty Marrow Un We're excited to work with two new Getty Marrow Undergraduate Interns this summer! 

💫 Becca Choe, LACE's Curatorial Intern, is a student at Pomona College studying Art and Politics. She is interested in exploring themes of immigration, home, industrialization, and South Korean political movements with her work as both a student and artist.

💫 Jada Wong, LACE's Communications and Media Intern, is an illustrator, printmaker, and educator who creates whimsical characters and stories to make sense of the world around her. Jada merges her love for the absurd and humor with themes of identity, community, and social justice in her work. 

Join us in welcoming them to the LACE team!
We’re grateful to everyone who joined us at “T We’re grateful to everyone who joined us at “This Home, Forever,” curated by 2025 LACE Emerging Curator Nahui Garcia. The two-day event featured performances by: @0ll668 @perras.bravas @lapovertydepartment  @michelelorusso @pacoimatechno @jakioeoeo

These performances took place during a fraught weekend for Los Angeles, with sirens and helicopters heard across downtown Los Angeles. On Sunday, @perras.bravas performed “Borderland Feelings,” a piece that seeks to shed light on and gather testimonies about the experiences, emotions, and demands that emerge when crossing the border. Participants were invited to share their border-crossing experiences by writing or illustrating them on a butterfly. These butterflies were later read aloud during the performance and placed on a body, symbolizing how the border becomes a scar that marks those who cross it.

This performance, along with the rest of the program, felt especially significant on that day. LACE remains committed to presenting socially-engaged projects and was founded as an experimental artistic space for freedom of expression and art that is socially and politically engaging. 

We’re glad to have shared space with LACE friends, collaborators, and colleagues, as well as new friends. 

Photos by Angel Origgi. (@angeloriggi)
Please join us in welcoming two new members to the Please join us in welcoming two new members to the LACE team! 

 🌟 LACE’s new Communications + Event Coordinator, Ida Tongkumvong is a Los Angeles-based arts administrator and marketing professional with a passion for expanding access to the arts and fostering inclusivity within creative spaces. She holds a B.A. in Communications from UCLA. Her previous roles with Sounding Point, the LA Phil, and CAP UCLA deepened her commitment to broadening arts access through strategic partnerships, inclusive programming, and dynamic storytelling. With a keen interest in public art and community-based initiatives, Ida brings a thoughtful and collaborative approach to audience development and creative event planning within L.A.’s contemporary arts landscape. Outside of work, you’ll often find her at a flea market or estate sale, always on the hunt for a one-of-a-kind find.

 🌟 LACE’s new Production + Operations Coordinator, Johnny Young began making his mark on the Los Angeles arts scene as Gallery and Programming Manager for the Juicy Beats Artist Exchange Lounge in 2000. He has worked with the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), where he played a key role in production and management for their First Fridays program; he was also selected for the prestigious Diversity Apprenticeship Program (DAP) at The Broad, a competitive initiative aimed at training the next generation of museum and gallery professionals from underrepresented communities. Johnny brings a sharp eye for detail, a commitment to equity in the arts, and a dedication to amplifying voices that challenge the boundaries of convention.
Did you get your tickets for “This Home, Forever Did you get your tickets for “This Home, Forever” happening this weekend? “This Home, Forever” is a stage, a forum, and a dynamic workshop nurtured by a group of artists and activists devoted to and inspired by Los Angeles. Learn more and get your tickets at the link in our bio. 

Held on the rooftop of the historic Bendix Building, performances will be presented with a 180 degree view of downtown Los Angeles. See performances by: @0ll668, @perras.bravas, @lapovertydepartment, @michelelorusso, @pacoimatechno, @jakioeoeo. 

Behind-the-scenes photos by @andreuuua  @selene__preciado and @abwyman
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