Galleries

Reviews by Holly Myers (H.M.), David Pagel (D.P.) and Leah Ollman (L.O.). Compiled by Grace Krilanovich.

Openings

Jamison Carter An exhibition of hand-woven wire “networks.” Haus, 517 S. Sierra Madre Blvd., Pasadena. Opens Thu. Thu.-Sat., noon-5 p.m.; ends May 31. (626) 356-2408.

Chris McCaw: Sunburns McCaw’s astonishingly beautiful body of work is fueled by the twinned energy sources of light and heat. The Bay Area photographer makes his pictures in cameras he’s built himself, placing photographic paper where film would normally go. The results are unique paper negatives that read as positives, stunning prints that are slashed through or singed by the lens-focused rays of the sun (L.O.). Duncan Miller Gallery, 10959 Venice Blvd., L.A.; ends May 24. (310) 838-2440.

Dennis Hollingsworth Los Angeles has an unfortunate history of neglecting its mid-career artists, whether by ignoring them altogether in the glare of each year’s graduating class, or by failing to provide the opportunities (and respect) they receive from institutions in Europe and elsewhere. This exhilaratingly seductive exhibition – only the seventh of Hollingsworth’s 35 solo shows to be held in L.A. – is a prime example of what the city stands to lose in such a bargain: artists of proven commitment and consummate skill, whose work shapes the identity of L.A. art for much of the rest of the world (H.M.). Michael Kohn Gallery, 8071 Beverly Blvd., L.A. Tue.-Fri., 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sat., 11 a.m.-6 p.m.; ends May 31. (323) 658-8088.

Jared Pankin: Bonsai Pankin’s third solo show at Carl Berg Gallery is a testament to the evolution, in his work, of a formidably sophisticated formal intelligence, as well as to the maturation – or at least potential for maturation – of the scrap lumber school of young L.A. sculpture (H.M.). Carl Berg Gallery, 6018 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. Tue.-Sat., 11 a.m.-6 p.m.; ends May 17. (323) 931-6060.

Group Show: Pavement Paradise: American Parking Space This matter-of-fact exhibition transforms a simple subject – and one most folks ignore – into a thought-provoking meditation on what it means to live in an increasingly crowded world. Although there is not a single work of art on display, “Pavement Paradise” does art’s job efficiently and with significantly less to-do than usual (D.P.). The Center for Land Use Interpretation, 9331 Venice Blvd., Culver City. Today-next Sun.; indefinitely. (310) 839-5722.

Steven Bankhead: Battery If you ever wonder what happened to the kid in high school who was roundly revered by his male peers for the flawless manner in which he copied the logos of punk bands onto the covers of notebooks, he might, if he kept at it, have followed in the footsteps of Bankhead, whose solo debut at Circus Gallery combines an impressive knack for graphic reproduction with an ethos of punk rock collage to explore the ramifications of life in an image-saturated society (H.M.). Circus Gallery, 7065 Lexington Ave., L.A. Tue.-Sat., 11 a.m.-6 p.m.; ends Sat. (323) 962-8506.

André Ethier: Vancouver Before Christ and Cathy Akers: Hertopia: An Illustrated History of the New World These two shows present whimsical but vaguely sinister alternative realities: Ethier’s is a sort of sad-sack, post-hippie, dystopic fantasy world, redolent of James Ensor, Odilon Redon and William Blake, difficult to make sense of entirely, but equally difficult to tear one’s eyes away from; Akers’ a prelapsarian utopia populated solely by tiny, nude, Plasticine women who cavort with abandon in pastoral wooded landscapes (H.M.). Honor Fraser, 2622 S. La Cienega Blvd., L.A. Wed.-Sat., 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; ends May 17. (310) 401-0191.

Michel François: Domestic Every sculpture and installation in this show could be juiced for meaning, but the effort would require pretense and a fair amount of verbal theatrics. François’ work is unremarkable, but the show itself is remarkable for the vast discrepancy between its walk and its laughable artspeak talk (L.O.). MC, 6086 Comey Ave., L.A. Tue.-Sat., 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; ends Sat. (323) 939-3777.

Salomón Huerta: Mask Huerta’s new paintings and sculptures of Mexican wrestlers and their masks revolve around his familiar themes of intimacy and restraint, revelation and concealment. The sculptures are the most emotionally saturated pieces, technically extraordinary and seeping with the pathos of the exhausted and perhaps defeated – the unmasked (L.O.). Patrick Painter – East Gallery, 2525 Michigan Ave., Unit A8, Santa Monica. Tue.-Sat., 11 a.m.-6 p.m.; ends Sat. (310) 264-5988.