Venice Art Crawl Presents Music Connects Us: Photography & Art Show

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The Venice Art Crawl, a music fundraiser organized by an all-volunteer non-profit organization that is part of the Venice Chamber of Commerce, took place outside of Venice for the first time. Now in its seventh year, the art crawl has moved to Runway at Playa Vista, not too far from the beach. The 3800 square foot installation space is connected to Hal’s Bar & Grill, which used to be located in Abbott Kinney. Funds raised will go to preserving the arts of Venice and keeping it alive within the community. Over 70 artists had their work displayed, and DJs Arabian Prince and Betty Nguyen spun their jams in the background.

The moment I walked into the Runway at Playa Vista, I naturally gravitated to Neely Shearer, an author and curator who was welcoming to guests. She showed me the ropes around this event. I saw several pieces of art displayed I found interesting. Local and international artists, in addition to street artists, were represented. 

The first one that struck me was the large painting of Tupac Shakur—very timely since the movie All Eyez On Me will be coming out this June. The artist, Unfuckyourself captured his image and the eyes are truly captivating when it draws you in.

 

 

 

 

The paintings by Oliana Afano were instantly striking because the artists look so vibrant. It shows them in their element. From right to left: Amy Winehouse, a magnetic force of energy who was seen as having deep vocals; to Stevie Wonder, known for his dynamic powerful voice and optimistic presence; then you have the soulful but complicated Billie Holiday.

My favorite piece is the political statement, Trump’s Endowment for The Arts. Plastic Jesus is known for his political artwork, so I knew he’d have something for us in this political climate. It’s a piano that is sinking into the ground, there is a music sheet of the “Star Spangled Banner” on the music desk. As a supporter of the arts, this one hit close to home for me. 

Kasey McMahon, a multimedia artist from Florence, Italy, had designed a woman figure called “Connected,” which looks similar to the “Kapotasana” pose. This life-sized multimedia sculpture is made of CAT5 and data cables. Kasey embraces science and technology, which you can see in this creation.

Art is about interpretation and how we decide how it makes us feel. It’s a way for us to understand statements that are being made or just to reflect on the image or product. Art evolves and makes us learn. Coming to the Venice Art Crawl opens one’s eyes and you realize the dedication and passion that comes from these talented artists is truly inspiring. 

Christine Beligan

I was born in the Philippines and came to live in Los Angeles with my family when I was 3 years old. I grew up mostly eating Filipino Food, Asian Cuisines, and some American comfort foods. I remember us hosting so many parties when I was kid because my Mom was a well known cook amongst our family and friends. Plus, she is from a province in the Philippines called Tarlac and they are known to be great cooks. I started learning how to cook Filipino food in my 20’s, and creating my own versions of adobo, pancit, lumpia, turon, and pineapple chicken. Then I started to create dishes in my mind and cook from there. It wasn’t until my teens that I developed a palate for Italian cuisine, which is my favorite. I began to taste any Italian restaurant that was recommended to me. In the last few years, I have developed a love of going out to dine, and trying new places. It keeps it interesting. I met fellow foodies in the last year who have helped me to develop my palate. I would have never tried Octopus on my own, but there is this one restaurant that turned me on to Grilled Spanish Octopus, Citizen Kitchen by Chef Zach Geerson. I think by attending his wine pairing dinners that I have gone to, it has helped me to enjoy wonderful flavors that I may not have thought would go together. It’s those types of dining experiences that made me hunger for more. It has created this passion inside me to be more bold and daring to accept what is not the norm. With that said I am looking forward to future encounters with Chefs that will blow my mind with their work of art and vision.

2 Comments

  1. Claudia

    December 12, 2018

    Hi, I am trying to get in contact with the unfuckyourself
    Artist to purchase that Tupac art. Do you have any contact information on him? I’ve been searching everywhere but can’t find anything.

    • Julianne

      December 12, 2018

      Hi Claudia,

      I’m so sorry but I don’t have any contact for him.

      – Julianne

Comments are closed.

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