Opening and Clothing Shows--Art Addressing Fashion

THE BODY ECLECTIC: The Kurland-Summers Gallery is presenting an exhibition of 25 American artists working in textiles - art you can wear. Seventy pieces are included in the show, curated by Susan Hollingsworth of San Marino and Paul Wittenborn of New York.

“These clothes have been shown as crafts and as fashion, and I really want to move them up a notch by displaying them as artwork,” Hollingsworth said. She commissioned the garments from artists around the country, including Los Angeles’ own Janet Kaneko.

Among the artists in “Art Forms & the Body” are Ina Kozel, best known for her work in roketsuzome , a wax-and-stencil process that produces ethereal designs in silk kimonos. Artist Tim Harding is showing coats and jackets of coarsely woven cottons that have been meticulously dyed, layered, quilted, slashed and frayed.

Also in the exhibit are pieces by several ethnic artists whose textile works are directly derived from ethnic iconography, like Mario Rivoli’s “Mexican Jacket,” embellished by ribbons, embroidery and buttons.

Feathers, macrame and beading also appear on some of the garments, but Hollingsworth insists that this is not theatrical garb. “It’s all very wearable--depending on how your personality is,” she said, citing some of the works in leather as the most versatile.

“Art Forms & the Body” is the first major Southern California exhibition since 1974 of artists working in fibers. The catalogue was created by Tohru Nakamura and Kiyoshi Kanai, who recently photographed a catalogue for designer Issey Miyake. Prices of the garments range from $1,500 for a shirt to $10,000 for some of the more elaborate pieces such as kimonos, robes and jackets; all are for sale.

The exhibit continues through April 8. Kurland-Summers Gallery, 8742-A Melrose Ave., Los Angeles. (213) 659-7098. Open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and by appointment.

REIN IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA: C. G. Rein Galleries will have a formal grand opening this week of its seventh showroom in the United States. The inaugural show features impressionist Nicola Simbari.

Simbari will be the guest of honor at a reception and benefit Thursday night for AIDS Project Los Angeles. Ten new works by the artist will be on display and for sale, including several Mediterranean and Southwest landscapes and seascapes, and a collection of figuratives.

According to May Kay, executive director for the Rein Galleries’ L.A. showroom, one-third of all money received from the sale of Simbari’s works will be donated to APLA.

Thursday’s reception is free and open to the public. The exhibit will continue through March 30.

C.G. Rein Galleries, 8764 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles. (213) 657-6242. Open 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays.

WORKS ON PAPER: Two local galleries are exhibiting shows featuring works on paper. The Fiorella Urbinati Gallery in Los Angeles is showing “Works on Paper,” 29 of the sketches and drawings of Swiss-born French architect Le Corbusier, and L.A. Art in Sherman Oaks is featuring 40 pieces by contemporary artists Peter Alexander, Mark Kostabi, Abby Lazerow and Frank Romero.

Born Charles-Edouard Jeanneret, Le Corbusier was equally influenced by classical form and design and the experimentation of the 20th-Century avant-garde. “Works on Paper” features some of his sketches from the 1920s through the 1960s. Initially a preeminent interpreter of the human figure, he turned away from interpreting human forms during the 1940s because of his disgust at World War II.

The L.A. Art show closes April 1; the Le Corbusier exhibit continues through April 30.

Fiorella Urbinati Gallery, 8818 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles. (213) 789-0601. Open 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Wednesdays, to 10 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and noon to 5 p.m Sundays.

L.A. Art, 14510 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks. (818) 789-0601. Open 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Wednesdays, 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays.