An Impressionist Painting

The Absolut-L.A. International/Biennial Art Invitational 

Stephanie J. Gaines
Mirror contributing writer

The inaugural party for the Absolut-L.A. International Biennial Art Invitation Tuesday evening, June 29, was itself a 'moving portrait'.
   The Swedish Consulate's residence in Santa Monica served as the venue where stylized pairs sipped vodka-based drinks to the chimes of a four-piece orchestra ensemble and topical shop talk.
   The event marked the commencement of a six-week collaborative adventure in which approximately 60 L.A. contemporary galleries turn over their space to more than 200 international artists from 30 countries. 
   And this, merely the start for ARTS/LA, the City of Los Angeles' two-year Millennium celebration designed to highlight Los Angeles art and culture. European history recounts such renaissance celebrations of cultural life as occurring every number of years. L.A., ever quick, has brought it down to two.
   The intention behind the International Biennial is to expose L.A.’s art scene in a way that runs counter to convention, according to co-chair William Turner, owner of the William Turner Gallery in Venice. “Rather than promoting our city’s galleries and artists by exporting them, we’re bringing the international scene to us.
   “The event has picked up where the Los Angeles Art Fair left off,” said Turner, Rather than housing art within the L.A., Convention Center’s halls for just a few days, Los Angeles’s gallery spaces have been opened up to create a free-floating canvas for the community to enjoy at length and leisure.
   And as the sun set on Adelaide Street, lending light to the lawn gathering of art gurus, aficionados, press and some posers, the talk was mostly local.
   Robert Berman, co-chair of the Absolut-L.A. International and director of the Robert Berman Gallery in Bergamot Station, believes our town has it all over the Other Coast. "More artists are making their way to Los Angeles, bypassing Paris and New York City, and finding they can live, work and make a name for themselves here."
   Indeed, attention for the sake of accessibility seems to be the theme behind the design. Since its inception in 1993, the Absolut-L.A. International has grown in participation and sponsorship, with principal backing from Absolut Vodka and the Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department.
   The 60-some galleries will join forces with a handful of Los Angeles' art museums and institutions (including The J. Paul Getty Museum, the Los Angeles County Museum, the UCLA Hammer Museum of Art, MOCA, The Santa Monica Museum, The Skirball Museum and others) to create a dialogue between the community and artists, curators and collectors alike., offering lectures, discussions and special events.
   Despite this development arc, according to Turner, "We're only at a tenth of where we could and should be."
   But as the doors to this event closed and the crowd bled to another spot, the conversation quickly turned to food, wine, love and family, which is, after all, what good art is about.
   The web site (www.LAin99.org) will feature a virtual catalog, an overview of events and a guide to transportation throughout the Absolut-L.A. International and the Los Angeles Millennium Celebration.

Click here for Schedule of Events.