I had a chance to visit the new Annenberg Space for Photography today. My wife and I made the 40 mile trip across LA, well... it's 40 miles if you count getting lost in Beverly Hills and North Hollywood. The gallery is located at 2000 Avenue of the Stars in Century City. It is on the former site of the Shubert theater (I saw Cats there way back in the day). The gallery is a little difficult to find as there is no signage, so look for the two towers, it is located at their base.
The Gallery is free, they even discount parking. My trip cost $1. The gallery space is not large. Our visit was all of a lingering hour, which included viewing several multi-media presentations. I enjoyed the visit. The place is an unpretentious exhibit space for lovingly displayed photography. I’m proud to have it in my city.
The inaugural exhibit celebrates contemporary photography through the works of eight local photographers of considerable talent. Photographers Douglas Kirkland, Greg Gorman, Lauren Greenfield, Carolyn Cole, Lawrence Ho, Kirk McKoy, Genaro Molina, Catherine Opie, and artist John Baldessari all contribute works to the exhibit.
I know the work of Catherine Opie. I’ve followed her for years. I’ve had her on my list of people to meet for years. I love what she does with her images. But photography can be a source of repulsion too. Today I saw a photo that moved Opie to my list of people to keep at a distance. It’s her self portrait called cutting. the photo and the words that accompanied it in the Annenberg’s IRIS digital Gallery, gave me the shivers. I said to myself, “Well, that’s a little to real for me.”
The Annenberg Space for Photography is on my list for a visit each time the exhibits changes. As a free art venue in Los Angeles, It is worth an hour of my day and should be worth an hour of your day too. Plus, North Hollywood, with all its great food, is just down the road.
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