If you’ve seen In Wonderland: The Surrealist Adventures of Women Artists in Mexico and the United States, you know that the exhibition opens with a film by the Maya Deren, the great avant-garde filmmaker. Friday night in the Bing Theater we will be dedicated to Deren. Starting at 7:30 we will screen all of her completed shorts, including Meshes of the Afternoon (shot in Los Angeles) and The Very Eye of Night, as well as The Witch’s Cradle, an unfinished collaboration with Marcel Duchamp. These will be followed by the 2002 documentary In the Mirror of Maya Deren, which includes outtakes from her films, interviews with her peers, and archival footage of Deren herself discussing her life and work.
You may as well get comfortable in the Bing, because starting Saturday at noon we will once again screen Christian Marclay’s The Clock for its full twenty-four hours. The screening is free from noon Saturday to noon Sunday, first come first served. (A word of warning: the late night hours tend to be popular, so expect a full house leading up to midnight and plan your visit accordingly.) If you’re hungry, Ray’s will be open late on Saturday night to accommodate all you Clock-watchers—’til 2 am. (Our new neighbors, For Your Art, will also have donuts.)
Christian Marclay, still from The Clock, 2010, gift of the 2011 Collectors Committee, © Christian Marclay, photo courtesy Paula Cooper Gallery, New York
Outside of the Bing, we’ve got plenty of exhibitions to see, starting with the aforementioned In Wonderland, as well as exhibitions on Ellsworth Kelly and Robert Adams, among others. The latter two are both in BCAM. This weekend also marks your last chance to see the works on view on the top floor of that building, including Jeff Koons' Balloon Dog and Cracked Egg (Red). Those works have been on view since BCAM's opening in 2008, and we are deinstalling the gallery to put some new works on display later this summer.
Gallery view Broad Contemporary Art Museum, Jeff Koons, Balloon Dog (Blue) and Cracked Egg (Red), The Broad Art Foundation, Santa Monica, © Jeff Koons
Sunday as always is a great time to bring the kids for Andell Family Sunday art-making activities. Learn about quilt-making and textile art and check out the small exhibition Common Places: Printing, Embroidery, and the Art of Global Mapping.
Mrs. Charles Elwell, Bed Cover, "Cigarette Silks," 1906-09, purchased with funds provided by RJR Nabsico, Inc.
Finally, close out the weekend—where else?—in the Bing Theater with a free concert by countertenor Slava Kagan-Paley.
Scott Tennent