The LA Art Show, the most comprehensive international contemporary art show in America, officially kick-off the city’s 2020 art season at the Los Angeles Convention Center on February 5, 2020. LA’s largest and longest-running art fair makes a triumphant return after its landmark 25th anniversary. LA Art Show is the unparalleled international art experience with 123 galleries, museums, and non-profit arts organizations from around the world exhibiting painting, sculpture, works on paper, installation, photography, design, video and performance.

As LA’s largest and longest-running art fair, this year marks a milestone both for the LA Art Show and the entire LA art community. As the LA Art Show celebrates its 25th Anniversary, Los Angeles was gearing up for the largest lineup of art and cultural programming in the city’s history, rivaling New York, the reigning arts capital of the US.

Drawing from the angle of displaying the culturally-rich composition of Los Angeles, the LA Art Show host its 25th exhibition by celebrating the influence of Latin American and Asian art in all of its multifaceted forms. Radiant presentations are brought to life by a variety of galleries molding the Los Angeles artistic sphere as a completely accessible space for expression. The tradition and prestige of LA Art Show are already fully consolidated in the city and its surroundings, , makes it one of the main American contemporary art fairs.

Galleries from more than 20 countries participated in the 2020 edition, presenting cultural offers that were surprising due to their high quality. The respect that the United States has for European art, meant that, for the first time this year, the fair dedicated a special space to it, through the so-called “European Pavilion”, where galleries from the old continent met, to facilitate its location to the American public.

Walker Fine Art allow the audience to glimpse into a world completely etched by M.C. Escher. The M.C. Escher Experience feature the artist’s custom furniture to a photo booth installation that allows the onlooker themself to become a pinnacle in M.C. Escher’s self-portrait. A collaborative effort between Taiji Terasaki, DIVERSEartLA, and the Japanese American National Museum extends the thematic journey with the installation, TRANSCENDIENTS: Heroes at Borders, that spotlight the impactful figures that actively fight against discrimination. Exhibitors and emerging talent from all around the globe use the LA Art Show as the epicenter for the profound, art ecosystem.

Performance piece, ‘Diversity Walks and Talks’ curated by Miss Artworld have participants explain the importance of diversity and a reel of their answers accompany the runway. Miss Artworld is reframing the high-intensity glitz and glamour that closely follows the paradigm of a stereotypical Los Angeles and contextualizing it to honor its diverse roots.

Los Angeles has emerged as a global epicenter of art & culture, with a distinct, interwoven multi-cultural influence unique to the city. Diversity is our strength and art is most impactful when it includes or transcends all borders. As LA rises as the world-class destination for art, the LA Art Show continues to lead the way with innovative programming and one-of-a-kind experiences for an expanding collecting audience.

The LA Art Show creates one of the largest international art fairs in the United States, providing an exciting, immersive, insider art experience to sponsors, their select guests and VIP clients. The show attracts an elite roster of national and international galleries, acclaimed artists, highly regarded curators, architects, design professionals, along with discerning collectors.

More than 180,000 square feet of exhibition space is committed to today’s prominent galleries. These domestic and international galleries, beyond their booths, curate special exhibits that are at the forefront of the burgeoning contemporary art movement. The fair offers an extraordinary array of works and experiences in specialized sections.

LA Art Show 2020
The LA Art Show 2020 creates one of the largest international art fairs in the United States, providing an exciting, immersive, insider art experience to sponsors, their select guests and VIP clients. The show attracts an elite roster of national and international galleries, acclaimed artists, highly regarded curators, architects, design professionals, along with discerning collectors.

This innovative, exceptional cultural environment attracts executives and board members of Southern California businesses, state, county, and municipal government representatives, as well as leaders of the region’s cultural institutions. Attendees are trendsetters, influencers and alpha consumers, who seek and demand the newest and the best in all areas of their lives—art, design, food, technology and travel being specific passion points.

For 2020, LA Art Show honored to partner with cultural institutions such as The Broad, LACMA, UCLA Chicano Studies, MOLAA, Danubiana Museum (Bratislava, Slovakia), Arte Al Limite (Chile), La Neomudejar Museum (Madrid, Spain), PSJM Collective (Canary Islands), and Art Museum of the Americas (Washington D.C.).

Modern + Contemporary – The largest section of programming at the LA Art Show, Modern + Contemporary exhibits the vast spectrum of contemporary painting, illustration, sculpture and more from galleries in Los Angeles, the Pacific Rim, and countries all around the world.

Core – Core is a curated space for gallerises recognized around the globe as leading the way in contemporary art. The galleries showcased here continually educate, inspire, and enthrall the world’s avid collectors with the most sought-after voices in the market.

European Pavilion – For the first time in our history, we are excited to feature a new pavilion dedicated to European galleries. The all-new European Pavilion showcase curated exhibits highlighting various movements and stylistic developments.

Roots – Honoring the voices and movements that came before, ROOTS is a dedicated exhibition space for galleries that showcase historical works and contemporary artists following in those traditions.

Works On Paper – Works on Paper is a dedicated exhibition space for showcasing photographs and other works not on traditional canvas.

Project Space – Hailing from around the world, the exhibitors in Project Space showcase a broad array of ideas and talents in the form of solo exhibitions, presented by participating galleries.

Design LA Art – Design LA Art serves as a curated space to showcase prominent international design galleries. Design LA Art provide an art market for collectible contemporary design and functional art, showcasing the best in objects of design, art, jewelry, architecture and furnishings presented adjacent to today’s leading global modern and contemporary galleries.

DIVERSEartLA – Capitalizing on the city’s position on the Pacific Rim, DIVERSEartLA is a special programming section devoted to nurturing the creative energy of international collectors, artists, curators, museums and non-profits by connecting them directly with audiences in Los Angeles. Diversity and inclusion continue to be our key mandates as we reflect and rejoice. Capitalizing on the city’s position on the Pacific Rim, DIVERSEartLA is a special programming section dedicating over 35,000 sqft devoted to nurturing the creative energy of international collectors, artists, curators, museums and non-profits by connectiong them directly with audiences in Los angeles.

Featured Exhibitions – Expanding beyond the confines of booth spaces, Featured Exhibitions create immersive experiences to engage audiences through thought-provoking artworks, performances and other exhibitions offered by participating galleries, highlighting works that was talked about for years to come.

Ink – The 2020 LA art show was showcasing a diverse and comprehensive array of Pan-Asian ink paintings throughout the fair, featuring artists from Japan and China, which is rarely seen on this scale outside of Asia. Ink painting originated in East Asia as the tradition of using Carbon-base black ink and calligraphic brush painting techniques. Ink is as synonymous with painting in the East as oil is with painting in the West.

Exhibitions

The Works of M.C. Escher
Exploring the intersection of art, mathematics, science and poetry, Escher’s work has fascinated and astounded generations of artists, architects, mathematicians, musicians and designers alike. Over 40 years, Walker Fine Art has assembled the largest collection of Escher works in the world, and showcase the “rarest of the rare” at the 25th Annual LA Art Show.

The M.C. Escher experience runs the span of his entire career, and include rarely seen lithographs, wood cuts, engravings, and mezzotints, as well as the artist’s iconic custom furniture. Many of these was shown in California for the first time ever. In addition to seeing the artist’s work up close, LA Art Show attendees have the opportunity to become Escher. A special photo-booth recreate his iconic sphere self portrait with you in the reflection.

For years, Rock J. Walker has advocated for the work of famed Dutch printmaker M. C. Escher at art fairs and exhibitions around the United States and globally. As the owner of one of the largest collections of Escher’s intricate graphics in the world — a collection that brims with surprises for even the most enthusiastic Escher fan — Walker has striven not just to keep the artist popular among the general public, but to demonstrate the substance and profundity of the work in the eyes of the art world.

Iconoclasts: Kazu Hiro
KAZU HIRO is a contemporary hyperrealist sculptor living and working in Los Angeles. After working 25 years as a special effects makeup artist in Hollywood, Kazu decisively shifted focus in 2012, dedicating himself semi-full time to fine art sculpture. Kazu Hiro won an Oscar for Best Makeup and Hairstyling in Los Angeles this year for his work on the film, Bombshell.

Using resin, platinum silicone, and many other materials, Kazu constructs three-dimensional portraits in a scale two times life size. Kazu has received numerous accolades throughout his career including an Academy Awards Oscar in 2018 for his work in the film “Darkest Hour” helping good friend, actor, Gary Oldman to portray Winston Churchill.Kazu Hiro’s newest Hyperreal Portrait Sculpture was unveiled at the LA Art Show in Copro Gallery’s booth. At the entrance to the show, Kazu is exhibiting a retrospective of several of his past works. There also be an opportunity for collectors to take photos with each piece – Kazu was present at scheduled times.

3.11 Requiem and Revival: Sogen Chiba
Sogen Chiba’s 3.11 Requiem and Revival work transcribes newspaper reports of the Great East Japan Earthquake. Chiba created a new work in this series for the current exhibition. Given we are now seven years on from 3/11 our memories of the event are fading. We seek to record the memories of unimaginable disaster, and consider how we can move beyond them. Chiba himself is from the disaster-hit Ishinomaki district, and has used his indomitable spirit to move beyond misfortune and challenge himself to create works and imagery that can only be expressed in calligraphy.

Nine years have passed since The Great East Japan Earthquake and Related Disasters, and while recovery and revitalization continues in the disaster zones, there is also evidence of weathering in these areas. Amidst such circumstances, these works confront face on the question, what can only be expressed through contemporary calligraphy. Chiba himself is a survivor of the disaster, and incorporates strong messages for the people of the disaster zone in these works. His hope is that this exhibition allow an even wider audience to see, know and feel these works. Chiba’s new work is included here. One direction being taken in avant-garde calligraphy, as seen in this work, is the shedding of the character nature of each character, making each viewer consider the definition of the work itself.

Taylor Camp: Edge of Paradise
John Wehrheim’s 1970s photographs reveal a community that created order without rules and rejected materialism for the healing power of nature. In 1969, thirteen Hippies-refugees from campus riots, war protests and police brutality-fled to the remote Hawaiian island of Kauai. Before long this little tribe of men, women and children were arrested and sentenced to ninety days hard labor for having no money and no home. Island resident Howard Taylor, brother of actress Elizabeth, bailed out the group and invited them to camp on his vacant ocean front land-then left them on their own, without any restrictions, regulations or supervision.

Soon waves of hippies, surfers and troubled Vietnam vets found their way to this clothing-optional, pot-friendly tree house village at the end of the road on the Island’s North Shore. In 1977, the government condemned the village to make way for a State park. Within a few years the jungle reclaimed Taylor Camp, leaving little but ashes and memories of “the best days of our lives.”

Karma: The Image of the Moon-Jar as the Epitome of Life: Choi Young Wook
Choi Young Wook has been painting the Chosun’s moon-jar for quite a number of years. The image of the moon-jar almost fills up the whole canvas, which at a glance, looks as if the painter executed it using a hyperrealistic technique. This is why some viewers or critics are quick to categorize his work as hyperrealism, but this interpretation is wrong. His work is not an objective representation of the image in a hyperrealistic style, but is rather, inclined to be subjective. The depiction of the image of the moon-jar is merely dressed in the style of figurative description. The only critical criterion that is summoned to interpreting his work as hyperrealistic is the reference to the description of the surface cracks on the pot, and this stems from the misunderstanding that the image of hairline cracks on the glazed porcelain surface represents the real fissure on the surface.

Of Aesthetics & The Vernacular: Baua Devi (Master Artist of Mithila Painting)
This exhibition showcase works by Baua Devi, a master artist of the Mithila or Madhubani style of painting in India. The Madhubani painting tradition played a key role in environmental conservation efforts in India in 2012, where there was frequent deforestation in the state of Bihar. Local trees were being cut down in the name of development.

The main reason for the conservation effort was that the trees are traditionally adorned with the forms of gods and other religious and spiritual images. This recognition of the cultural and aesthetic significance of the trees saved them from being cut down. Madhubani paintings mostly depict people and their association with nature as well as scenes and deities from the ancient epics. Generally, no space is left empty; the gaps are filled by paintings of flowers, animals, birds, and even geometric designs.

The Maize Project: Eric Johnson
The “Maize Project” abstractly represents a lodge pole-like structure. In the Native American culture, the lodge pole is a gathering place and the title and shape of the sculpture reference a section of an ear of maize corn. For Johnson, this alludes to his Native American heritage and also is a call to raise awareness to issues of global hunger, alternative fuel, and corn’s complicated relationship to our food supply.

The piece is assembled from more than 300 individually cast polyester resin units, “kernels”, as he calls them. The kernels were made in Johnson’s studio with various artists, friends and community members in assistance. The communal project took several years to complete. Participants were invited to select resin colors, sequencing of pours, and encase small objects or messages into the kernels. Customization ranges from the light hearted (candy corn) to the profound (baby teeth of a lost child).

ALPHACUBE: Lorenzo Marini
ALPHACUBE is the new art project from Lorenzo Marini curated by Sabino Maria Frassà. With ALPHACUBE, the artist literally upends the contemporary art paradigm of the white cube as the best form for conveying its use and comprehension. Lorenzo Marini turns that paradigm on its head and makes the “white cube” the housing, the outside of the artwork. The work is contained completely inside the cube, delineating a new, immersive space animated by artistic brilliance.

ALPHACUBE rises in space like something alien, as much in form as in content: while it is obvious that the artist has a certain fascination for Dadaism and Futurism, which he reinterprets and actualizes, it also cannot be denied that the focus of the installation is not an aesthetic satisfaction but a social and cultural stimulus. The formal result is therefore a fascinating and – we might as well admit it – extremely attractive and seductive installation, which literally hides “inside it” a criticism of how we communicate and interact today: too-much-information that sweeps away communication, for which language itself was born.

Happening: Ryan Schude
A special exhibit booth of photographs by Ryan Schude. Schude is known for his large-scale, single-frame tableaux that are packed with sophisticated action – mingling surrealism and Americana with a touch of contemporary humor. In this latest body of work, Schude’s subjects intermingle with monumental exterior environments. Often viewed from a heightened perspective, forces of nature become part of each character’s open narrative.

Schude has been featured internationally and nationally in exhibits and publications including the cover of the Smithonian magazine’s Norman Rockwell edition. Recently he collaborated with Laura Miner on a Tableau Vivant for the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art which highlighted the employees and their artwork created outside the museum as the subjects of the narrative. This project is part of a larger series involving photographs of individuals in institutions as a documentation of a ‘Happening’ in the photographic process.

Programs

DIVERSEartLA
DIVERSEartLA is dedicated to bringing together some of the most important local and international art institutions, museums and non-profit organizations for an elevated and thoughtful dialogue. For 2020, Marisa Caichiolo’s curatorial focus for DIVERSEartLA was expanded to embrace and celebrate those art institutions and art collectors who support LA’s blossoming art community.

DIVERSEartLA was expanded to embrace and celebrate those art institutions and art collectors who support LA’s newest and largest iteration of art community, as well as to create a strong conversation around a variety of events and programs. Thus serving as a platform and resource for diversity best practices and leadership, including ALL of Los Angeles’s communities.

The communities of Los Angeles reflect an impressive variety of ethnic backgrounds, and it’s iconic natural environs are equally varied and vast. To honor this unique biodiversity we are focusing on the representation of contemporary artists from around the world as a part of each institution. The importance of this year’s curatorial focus should remain committed to fostering and learning about the organizations supporting inclusion and diversity.

This year, we are thrilled to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the LA Art Show with a magnificent event that reflect LA’s expansive natural habitats and cultural diversity, as well as DIVERSEartLA as an essential part of making museums and cultural institutions models for pluralistic communities. There is nothing more important than inclusion in a moment where U.S. political and social culture is defined by division.

Pyramids by Gronk
For his new work called “Pyramids,” L.A. artist Gronk was re-imaging the opera stage he originally designed and painted in 2013 for Peter Sellar’s adaptation of Purcell’s semi-opera “The Indian Queen (1695). That work connected Purcell’s fanciful notions of the Conquest with current issues of immigration and authoritarianism. During the run of the LA Art Show, Gronk was painting on a full-size mock-up of a theatrical stage, providing visitors with a behind-the-curtain view of his artistic practice as well as of the set making involved in performance and media culture. Unlike a theatrical performance, the set design was completed only after the exhibition closes and the audience is gone. Rather than see a finished work, visitors was able to interact with the artist, participating in the process of making a “political theater” for our contemporary moment. Programs include a dialogue between Gronk and Peter Sellars, and an impromptu performance, both using the theatrical space created by “Pyramids.”

I See You, I Am Seen: On the Impact of the Diversity
Taking its title from a speech by educator and former Black Panther party member Ericka Huggins to the American Alliance of Museums, this space features immersive photography and video which highlight the first-hand experiences of DAP participants as they build museum careers..

In recent years, initiatives to diversify art museum staff have accrued considerable currency. Although more work is still needed, the calls for greater diversity have rippled through the art world. In Los Angeles, The Broad has been a leading institution in this work through its innovative Diversity Apprenticeship Program (DAP). A full time, paid apprenticeship in art handling and preparations for those underrepresented on museum staffs, the DAP is shifting demographics and changing the landscape of equity in the museum field.

The Birth of the Niemand
The Birth of the Niemand consists of monumental large sculptures. They represent a whole range of negative emotions that people try to hide in their lives, such as maliciousness, inferiority complex, and unhealthy self-confidence. The artist studied in Bratislava at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava and in Prague at the Academy of Fine Arts. Frešo belongs to the most remarkable figures of the contemporary art in the region of the former Czechoslovakia, Europe. His work and overall approach to art is rather untypical but at the same time they reflect the situation in the society and culture.

The artist creates sophisticated concepts and projects presenting them as seemingly simple closed “Pieces of Art”. He is often critical in his works and aggressively expresses his contempt of the art scene itself and its processes but with a light, humorous and playful undertone. One of the most fascinating elements of his creation is the seeming counterpoint of emphasis on huge, grandiose EGO connected with a Gesture in combination with disarming self-ironic humility. His ability to reveal dark sides of his soul, or stumbles and throws them to the world regardless of consequences, shifts the author ́s concepts to broader possibilities of perception of the reasons of his work. Viktor Frešo is interested in direct, efficient, visual tools. He creates a certain space between action- reaction and the conditions of quick recognition of relations between the expressing of me and the indication of others.

From The South
The artist presents black-and-white portraits from two cities in the south of Chile. Like in the Charles Dickens novel A Tale of Two Cities, one city (London) is described as law-abiding and orderly, analogous to how the artist presents Punta Arenas, and is contrasted with a largely politically agitated city (Paris), which is how González sees Valparaíso. As the artist describes: “The city is violent to me at first sight, perhaps with the character of who has made himself. It grows every day like the jungle that penetrates its streams in all the hills that make it up to reach the sea. It is not planned, it only occupies the spaces left by nature, like plants in an abandoned garden.”

In González’s Liceo series, he celebrates the individual achievements of each student, while seeing the fruits of hard work of families, teachers, and friends. They have been suspended in a time defining adolescence and hope. These students’ portraits in school uniforms, in long Liceo hallways and in workshops wearing trade uniforms, is reminiscent of a hopeful past. It is as if González were evoking the ancestors who arrived to these shores to fulfill dreams and prosper. As Alfred Doblin wrote on August Sanders’ portraits of German people: they are a maximized expression of the combined efforts of a social class, where the greatest achievement is the taming of individuality. He adds that it was their desire to succeed that brought them to this point, and that belonging to this place ultimately held them back as people.

Dactiloscopia Rosa: Video Art and QUEER Constructions
The exhibition was from the archive materials, documentations and teachings from the transfeminist/Queer archive of the Museum, didactic materials from the constructions of social movements that managed to pass the social perspective that existed on the LGTBQ community in the 70s, 80s and 90s in Spain under Franco Dictatorship, the audiovisual material is a compilation of demonstrations, celebrations and activisms, vintage posters. The first version of this installation outside of the Museum La Neomudejar was in 2018 at the Matadero Space in Madrid, parallel to the world pride celebration in the city.

Celebrating Diversity
In order to commemorate local and international LGBTQ+ communities around the world, the Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA) is presenting a special installation about diversity and pride in collaboration with world-known Argentinian artistic duo, Leo Chiachio & Daniel Giannone. The presentation includes the 120 ft. long textile flag, MOLAA’s new acquisition “Californian Family in Six Colors 1” and a recorded interview about their creative process. These artworks were created by the artists at MOLAA where more than 3,000 members of the Long Beach and Los Angeles community collaborated in the creation of the flag.

The creation of this work of art took place during the artists’ MOLAA residency between March and June, 2019. Visitors and community members were invited to contribute with the construction of the work of art by adding their own messages about the meaning of diversity and acceptance. The banner was carried by over 100 volunteers at the Long Beach Pride Parade and exhibited at the event Pride at The Port in San Pedro, CA. The Museum highlights underrepresented voices of Latin Americans and Latinos in the US and around the world. This installation represents the commitment of MOLAA towards the values of diversity and inclusion for all through the arts.

The True Love of Collecting
AAL Magazine from Chile bring an exhibition that explores the Subjectivity of Collecting in the contemporary art world today. It reveal the mystery behind the passion of collecting, and focusing on the question about what exactly makes them fall in love with an art piece. Collectors recognize the value that artists bring to communities, and bring them to the light of other art professionals and art institutions.

It’s no mystery that many of our museum experiences are led by visionary collectors who have either made significant donations or opened new museums to exhibit their extensive art collections. Art Collectors shape the international contemporary art scene because of the unique decisions and thoughtful connections with other art enthusiasts and art market players.

Art Collector: Homeira Goldstein
A descendent of the Qajar Royal Dynasty in Middle East, a multitalented force dedicated to creativity and arts, and an avid contemporary art collector, Homeira Goldstein has built an unrivaled reputation championing national and international artists promoting art and culture in Greater Los Angeles. As the Chairman of the Board of TIME4ART, she has been instrumental in creating opportunities for artists to reach public audiences using traditional and innovative venues, such as art centers, pop-up venues, open spaces, and private homes.

The inspiration for Timothy Tompkins’s work is the reflection of both physically and metaphorically a relational narrative which dissolves into form and color. This effect endeavors to mimic the layers of codes and semiotics of an image while simultaneously asking the viewer to participate in an expanded dialogue of contemplation and connotation of content. Additionally, the paintings attempt to reflect the influences of contemporary society, such as consumerism, mass media, and digital culture. Tompkins’s interest in both the language of painting and contemporary theories of visual culture attract him to the images produced by various media, as a loose visual connection to painting’s history and the medium’s influence as a visual communicator.

I going to..
Adriana Ramirez is a conceptual artist from Colombia. Her work was part of biennials, exhibitions in different parts of the world inviting the collective to participate in most of her installations. This platform has an axis: Everyone’s capacity to decide and become the creator of his or her own destiny, and therefore the responsibility of the community’s future. It is based on two premises: the first, is that we do not come to this world only to know ourselves, but also we come to it with the possibility of creating ourselves; and the second, is that every individual is surrounded by a social group and coexists thanks to language.

In order of that, this platform invites people to experience the language`s power to built future realities by declaring: when one AFFIRMS something, language is used to describe reality; it means that words depend on the world which already exists; for instance “Today is raining”. On the other hand, when one DECLARES something, language is used to define reality, therefore our world depend on the words pronounced; for example, “Today, I am going to listen before speaking”.

There Could Be A Monster Inside You
PSJM present at the LA ART SHOW 2020 the same performance they created for the 58th Venice Biennale context, one of its corporate performances in which uniformed hostesses interact with the public in order to cause startle and reflection. Combining marketing and totalitarianism, using the strategy of “overidentification” theorized by Zizek, the collective presents itself aesthetically appropriating the strategies and modes of seduction of the capitalist system in an authoritarian way.

PSJM is a team of creation, theory and management formed by Cynthia Viera (Las Palmas G.C., 1973) and Pablo San José (Mieres, 1969). PSJM present themselves as an «art brand», thus appropriating the procedures and strategies of advanced capitalism to subvert their symbolic structures. PSJM acts as an trademark of happening art addressing issues of the artwork in the market, communication with consumers, or function as an artistic quality, using communication resources borrowed from capitalism of the spectacle to underscore the paradoxes produced by its unbridled development.

Diversity Walks and Talks
The “Diversity Walks and Talks” performance invites individual proclaimers of LA’s culture to strut the runway in celebration of their uniqueness, showcasing LA’s diversity. A variety of participants was pre-selected and interviewed about what diversity represents to them. Their interviews play during the runway either in video or audio format. Spectators also be recruited live to walk the runway. A photographer at the end of the runway document all individuals and their photos was instantly displayed on a runway wall. This performance, like LA’s fashion and celebrity culture, is high energy, fast paced, and confident.

Transcendients: Heroes At Borders
TRANSCENDIENTS is a unique collaboration between artist Taiji Terasaki and JANM that honors HEROES AT BORDERS: individuals that advocate and fight for those who face discrimination, prejudice and inequity at borders both physical and conceptual. These heroes, whether known or unsung, inspire their fellow Americans, their neighborhoods and communities, government policy, and social change. By illuminating their stories, we hope to educate museumgoers about their work and inspire a spirit of unity and action in support of democracy and justice for all.

This exhibition spotlights important figures working to overcome and transcend borders that reinforce discrimination, inequity, and intolerance. Whether it be those fighting to rectify human rights injustices and to counter anti-immigrant sentiments and actions, members of the LGBTQ+ community seeking equal rights, women pressing for equal pay, or religious adherents who want to worship in safety, these heroes use their personal experiences to build bridges of understanding that connect us at the core of our collective humanity. It is imperative that those who believe in freedom, fairness, and social justice are emboldened to unite and support the forces of democracy and human decency.

Fine Arts Film Festival
The Fine Arts Film Festival (FAFF) is dedicated to showing the finest films in the world about art, photography, collectors and artists of all mediums in and out of their studios, galleries, museums, public art, and alternative art spaces. Featuring exceptionally creative and important films about art, atists, and the art world from countries around the world.

Venue
The LA Art Show is strategically situated at the city’s dynamic epicenter, The LA Convention Center is Southern California’s most technologically advanced green venue, featuring soaring ceilings and ample space. Here is home to the Grammy Awards, The Grammy Museum, and an impressive entertainment complex that includes the Nokia Theatre, the Staples Center Arena, top restaurants, and The Ritz Carlton Hotel and Residences. Patrons of the arts gladly drive to Downtown L.A. for the best in Classical Music (Disney Hall), Theater (Mark Taper and Ahmanson), and Contemporary Art (MOCA, Art District).