Luna Luna

A new exhibit to the Arts District in Los Angeles

I bookmark an exhibit every time I see one come across in an ad or on my socials. I can’t draw or paint. As much as I love visuals, I don’t have the ability to sketch out anything I have in my mind. I can talk to you for hours about how I picture a scene or something I’m writing, but I can’t make it come to life myself other than to describe it to you. That’s why I have to go to exhibits. I’ll always be moved by artists that bring the picture to life.

When I hear in conversation that celebrities have purchased art, my pessimistic mind goes to money laundering and other hijinks. It’s jealousy because if I had the means there would definitely be a Hockney hanging in my bathroom. Drake purchased an entire amusement park with a Ferris wheel that was created by Basquiat and an original Dali that he worked on before he died? Sure. Wait, he did and it’s downtown in the Arts District right now? Hockney has an enchanted tree there?

I’ve loved Hockney’s work since my teens. About a decade ago, I watched Turandot at SF Opera House because he had designed the sets. That entire year, his understated fiery backdrops framed my social media accounts. Learning that he had an enchanted tree half an hour away from me got me into the car and headed there on a work night.

Imagine standing within a work of art designed by David Hockney. It’s dimly lit and standing in the center, everything around you disappears. The walls are painted to resemble trees and then one of Strauss’ waltzes starts blasting through the speakers. I spun in a circle in that video and I was definitely dizzy when I walked out, but it was worth it. Like his paintings and Turandot, his pieces are understated. It was the most subtle piece of art in the entire exhibit, but to me it spoke the loudest. The other pieces existed within this carnival that was created for whimsical dreams, but when you step into the tree. nothing else around you exists.

I stood at the swings for a while and talked to the actors. They wanted a word that connotated the ride and I wanted to say zephyristic but I wasn’t sure if I had made it up or not. There’s a documentary on the creation of the park in Germany in the 80’s. When you read through the artists bios, a lot of them had passed away in the late 80’s/ early 90’s. It took me a minute for reality to hit and realize what had happened to them and it made you just that much more appreciative that their were work was being showcased.

Then I walked into Dali’s mirror dome. I’ll be honest, I almost fell walking out. The mirrors make up geometric patterns that allow you to see yourself from different angles all at once, or not at all. When you spin around with a camera phone to catch it all in a video, what you learn is that it takes the mind a second to catch up with what the body has just done. Did I mention the step up into the room has nothing to indicate where the floor starts? I enjoyed what Dali intended and walked forward to what I could only assume would be a concussion. The attendant grabbed my hand and I was again safely back from whatever planet Dali had sent me to.

This exhibit needs to be seen in person. I understand that once they’re finished preserving the existing works, they’re going to travel with it. I love that Drake did this. That he put together an exhibit that would have taken over a decade for a museum to put together. If every pop star just picked a genre of art and bankrolled an exhibit, the Arts District would be packed with so much to see. It’ll be interesting to see how this exhibit travels, because if it does well, MoMA what are we doing?