Galleries

Reviews by Christopher Knight (C.K.), David Pagel (D.P.) and Leah Ollman (L.O.). Compiled by Grace Krilanovich.

Critics’ Choices

Tom Wudl: Specimens from the Flowerbank World Some artists work with their ears to the ground, listening to the buzz to try to make their works relevant. Others pay no attention to external interruptions, concentrating instead on the voices in their heads. That’s what Tom Wudl does. His paintings, drawings and prints describe a world so dense with detail that it’s a treat to visit, a delight to contemplate and a joy to know. Every image is exquisite, so fantastically rendered and precisely crafted that many seem to have been made with the aid of a microscope. But none is precious or breathless. That’s the magic of Wudl’s art. He manages to make intense concentration and laser-sharp focus look relaxed -- not quite casual but serene and welcoming (D.P.). LA Louver, 45 N. Venice Blvd., Venice. Tue.-Sat., 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; ends Thu. (310) 822-4955.

Nathaniel de Large: at large De Large is a light-handed junk-picker whose search for quirky stuff is only the beginning of an out-of-step quest to refashion the world into a playground for the imagination. Wonder, spiked with a shot of gentle absurdity, is the Holy Grail he coaxes into existence with his DIY inventions. The L.A. artist gets viewers to experience the world as a loopy adventure, a meandering journey filled with serendipitous twists and wonderful turns that keep us on our toes, almost dancing (D.P.). Cirrus Gallery, 542 S. Alameda St., L.A. Tue.-Sat., 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; ends Jan. 30. (213) 680-3473.

Jeff Koons: New Paintings Andy Warhol was fascinated by boredom for two perfectly good reasons: It allowed him to see things he otherwise would have missed and it meant that things were going pretty well -- that life’s daily dramas were not too upsetting. Jeff Koons’ new paintings flesh out both aspects of Warhol’s love affair with boredom. They reveal his dedication to the production of handmade reproductions: super-realistic depictions of works that look as if they are mass-produced. They are the best copies money can buy. The crass aspirations of the nouveau riche are Koons’ great subject. His art is the visual equivalent of a 19th-century novel of manners. If that’s boring, it’s exactly the type of boredom that fascinated Andy (D.P.). Gagosian Gallery, 456 N. Camden Drive, Beverly Hills. Tue.-Sat., 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m.; ends Jan. 9. (310) 271-9400.

Kristen Morgin: Cellos Melancholy does not merely waft into the atmosphere from Morgin’s elaborately crafted clay, wire and wood sculptures. It pours forth in torrents, filling the gallery with sadness that it is palpable and almost unbearable. And that’s just the beginning. The powerful first impression made by these loaded works from 2001 gives way to less obvious, more nuanced emotions. They simmer slowly and resonate deeply. All of Morgin’s sculptures appear to have endured well beyond their best years, persisting in the face of great difficulty and reconciling themselves to diminished expectations. Pragmatic and wise, they capture the tenor of our times (D.P.). Marc Selwyn Fine Art, 6222 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 101, L.A. Tue.-Sat., 11 a.m.-6 p.m.; ends Jan. 23. (323) 933-9911.

Continuing

Nataif $Capital { return “Š” } else { return “š” }a Prosenc: Mud Prosenc’s short video “Mud” has the absorbing character of a parable, an origin story. It traces an individual’s transformation but also reads as a metaphor for the passage from nature to culture. In the 10-minute piece, a female figure emerges from a bubbling gray pool of primordial ooze, eventually to wash free of the mud and walk -- clothed and civilized -- down a rural road. The Slovenian-born, L.A.-based Prosenc’s show, consisting of the video and a group of still photographs, is small but it resonates poignantly (L.O.). Ruth Bachofner Gallery, 2525 Michigan Ave., Santa Monica. Tue.-Sat., 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; ends Sat. (310) 829-3300.

Marcia Roberts Paintings by Roberts have long been seductive perceptual snares -- stealthy, subtle things, fields of shifting atmosphere and luminosity. Her new work is not her nuanced best. On each canvas, Roberts stages a play of planes, painting slim panels to appear as if floating perpendicular to the nebulous space of the picture plane. The work is stiff and heavy-handed, the illusionism convincing but inconsequential. Roberts disappoints with this new work, which is uncharacteristically illustrational rather than ephemeral, all mechanics and no mystery (L.O.). Rosamund Felsen Gallery, 2525 Michigan Ave., Santa Monica. Tue.-Sat., 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m.; ends Wed. (310) 828-8488.

Group Show: Installations Inside/Out To celebrate its 20th anniversary, the Armory has invited 20 artists it has worked with in the past to create site-specific art and installations for a new exhibition. Some works are temporal or located elsewhere in Pasadena. Most are in the gallery -- a show that’s mixed. The two knockouts are Pae White’s gorgeous pair of enormous woven tapestries, facing off against each other across the main room. One creates the illusion of a vast, light-reflective piece of crumpled Mylar, the other a limpid swirl of drifting cigarette fumes. Together they form a marvelous bit of “smoke and mirrors.” Other compelling works by Deborah Aschheim, Michael C. McMillen, Ed Ruscha and Mario Ybarra Jr. are on view (C.K.). Armory Center for the Arts, 145 N. Raymond Ave., Pasadena. Tue.-Sun., noon-5 p.m.; ends Thu. (626) 792-5101.

Group Show: The Newest The group show is a sampler of an exhibition that abandons logic for pleasure, leaving viewers free to weave whatever connections they want among its intriguing works. Jeff Ono’s freestanding abstraction plays fast and loose with the relationship between pedestals and sculptures, reversing roles and providing contrasts in ways that make you think it’s goofing off. That’s what the works by the other artists do too, especially Matt Connors’ casually elegant oil on canvas; Dennis Koch’s abstract drawing; and Elad Lassry’s pair of small photographs. Ben Reyer’s pair of collages and Matthew Grover’s C-print lack the open-endedness of the other works. But these inconsistencies somehow add to the show’s easy-going serendipity (D.P.). Phil, 4918 York Blvd., L.A. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sat.; ends Jan. 9. (213) 280-7340.