L.A. Art World Goes Global Next Week For Fifth Absolut L.A. International

   Absolut L.A. Biennial Art International is set to unfurl its fifth edition, this time with as many as 65 galleries across Los Angeles County hosting some 200 international artists from 30 countries for the four week exhibit. 
   Navigating through the sprawling exhibits this year will be made easier with the cooperation of the website ARTS/LA (www.artsla.org), which was developed in cooperation with the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, and will feature detailed information of each gallery exhibit, an interactive catalog and virtual exhibitions, as well as a guide to transportation to the various locales.
   Next Wednesday, July 18, Santa Monica’s own Bergamot Station, site of many of Absolut L.A.’s participating galleries, will host an opening night reception between 5 and 8 p.m. with drinks and hors d’oeuvres, followed by an outdoor screening of the 1926 Fritz Lang film “Metropolis.” Kevin Saunders Hayes will perform the score live.
   The following day, Thursday, July 19, galleries in West Hollywood, Westwood and Beverly Hills will host their opening receptions from 6 - 9 p.m. and on Saturday, July 21, yet more openings will be held in galleries in Venice and in Santa Monica on Main Street, Colorado Avenue, and the 18th Street Arts Complex. 
   In addition to the gallery exhibits, Absolut L.A. will feature many special events, panel discussions and lectures at the city’s most well-known museums and art houses — the Getty Center, the Los Angeles County Museum, the UCLA Hammer Museum of Art, MOCA, The Santa Monica Museum of Art, Cal State Long Beach Museum, 18th Street Arts Complex, Barnsdall Art Park, The MAK Center for Art and Architecture, and the Italian Cultural Institute, the Korean Cultural Center, the Irvine Fine Arts Center.
   While it may be a challenge to travel from one pocket to the next, the wide array of offerings should entice even the most jaded art lover.
   A complete schedule and more information is available on the website: http://lainternational.org, or by calling (310) 315-1937.