Paradox Maintenance Technicians: Opening

Paradox Maintenance Technicians opened at the Torrance Art Museum on January 19, 2013.

Here at Torrance Art Museum, we're starting off our yearly rotation with a painting exhibition, Paradox Maintenance Technicians, in Gallery One. Showcasing the works of twenty-seven artists, we're continuing our exploration of emerging trends that can be found within the Los Angeles art scene, with a special focus upon new approaches towards abstractions. From the expressive to the minimalist, from the geometric to the organic, there are so many styles and ideas percolating through the realm of the contemporary abstract.

Well, the show opened this past weekend to a large and enthusiastic crowd. Along with Theatrical Dynamics in Gallery Two, Karen Cope's One Gross Face in the Presentation Hall, and McLean Fahnestock's In The Offing in the Darkroom, we've got a very full set of works on view.

So, here are a few photos of Opening Night.

Facing the Patio, with works by Matthew Choberka and Heather Gwen Martin

The Eastern Wall with works by Helen Garber and Tyler Vlahovich

Along the Southern Wall with works by Lisa Sanditz and Summer Wheat

And it is only proper to start the new year off with some performance art, courtesy of Hannah Schwadron as part of Theatrical Dynamics, curated by David Leapman.

Hannah Schwadron performs among the works of Theatrical Dynamics in Gallery Two

We had a great time at the show. We thank all the artists who came out to support the opening, the TAM's staff for all their hard work, and all you art enthusiasts who joined us to celebrate the beginning of yet another fine year down here in the South Bay.

The show runs until March 9, 2013. So, come check it out and help us maintain the Paradox. ;-)

Paradox Maintenance Technicians in on exhibit at the TAM until March 9, 2013.

One Gross Face by Karen Cope

Along the North Wall with works by Tom LaDuke and Esmeralda Montes

We're looking forward to seeing you all at the TAM!!!

View towards the West Wall, featuring works by Sarah Awad and Juan Carlos Quintana

The Darkroom Presents: Yoshie Sakai

Image from Come One Eat All (2007) by Yoshie Sakai


The Torrance Art Museum has long been a proponent of video art, but displaying it has always been complicated. In setting up an exhibition space, should the videos be intermingled with the paintings, photos, sculptures, and installations? If so, should there be seating and headphones? Alternatively, should the videos be separated into their own video space, with dedicated seating and sound system. Each of these approaches and all the others in between have their advantages.

However, the TAM has decided to open up a new space, The Darkroom, dedicated to exhibiting video art. Yes, our other exhibitions will still continue to include videos, but there is now an exhibition area purely for the showcasing of videos. In our first exhibit, we are featuring the works of Yoshie Sakai.

Humorous, witty, and socially relevant, Yoshie Sakai puts a critical eye to topics as diverse as body image, familial expectations, and mass media concepts of beauty. Combining these satirical critiques with influences from Japanese aesthetics, her videos are engaging, provocative, and entertaining.

Here's one of the works on view in the exhibit:

Come One Eat All

We're looking forward to seeing you at the TAM!!!