Autumn Breon brings the power of Black hair salons to downtown L.A.
Although Frank Ocean dropped out of Coachella, it seems Weekend 2 was just as (if not more) eventful. Zendaya took the stage with Labrinth to sing “I’m Tired” and “All for Us” from “Euphoria.” And for those at home, Coachella took us behind the scenes of Emma Chamberlain’s looks with a YouTube video documenting her fitting. To top it all off, Mugler dominated the fest with looks for Bad Bunny and Blackpink. And don’t get me started on the fashion brand’s upcoming collaboration with H&M. I’m Steven Vargas, your L.A. Goes Out host, and here are the top events for this upcoming weekend recommended by the crew (sign up here for the newsletter):
Weekly Countdown
1. ‘Protective Style’ by Autumn Breon
Autumn Breon brings a new performance piece to Hauser & Wirth in downtown L.A. that is inspired by a history of community organizing within Black hair salons. “I am monumentalizing the hair salon as a really sacred place that was about adornment and community care,” Breon told The Times. “Protective Style” focuses on the story of Bernice Robinson, a beautician in South Carolina who taught Black women how to read and write in beauty salons during the civil rights movement, helping them pass literacy tests and vote. “While honoring her history, I’m also honoring the way that care shows up in beauty salons every day,” she said. Breon reflects on how beauty salons have affected her life, while also gathering responses from people in beauty salons throughout South Central and Inglewood. “We aren’t just getting our hair done, we’re actually getting protected so that we have everything that we need to protect ourselves from scary things in the world like white supremacy,” Breon said. The performance piece has been in the works for about a year, and will incorporate call and response and the Black Fist Brass Band. The Times’ Deborah Vankin recommends “Protective Style.” The free (RSVP recommended) event starts at 7 p.m. Saturday. More information can be found on Hauser & Wirth’s website.
2. ‘(De) Color-Es’
Primera Generación Dance Collective is partnering with Show Box L.A. for a series of free artist workshops and an evening of performances spotlighting artists of color. “(De) Color-Es” brings artists of various genres and styles in conversation with each other for a radical performance filled with perseverance, joy and community. Artists include DJ TiffStarr, Kati Hernandez, Frine Garrey y Jorge Santana, Marina Magalhães, Stephen Tanner and Aisha Bardge, and Magnolia Yang Sao Yia. Performances are at 5 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Saturday at Navel in downtown L.A. More details can be found on Primera Generación Dance Collective’s Instagram.
3. ‘Ulysses Owens, Jr. and J’Nai Bridges: Notes on Hope’
The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills presents a collaborative night of music with opera star J’Nai Bridges and Grammy-winning drummer Ulysses Owens Jr. Owens is known for collaborating with artists both within and outside of the jazz world, including string quartet Ethel. This time around, he’ll take the stage with Bridges to perform works that range from French art songs to spirituals. “Notes on Hope,” recommended by The Times’ Mark Swed, starts at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and tickets range from $39 to $99. More information can be found on the Wallis’ website.
4. ‘Vaginal Davis: Macha Family Romance’ and ‘Cameron: The Lion Path: Art, Astrology and Magic’
Marc Selwyn Fine Art gallery in Beverly Hills just opened two new exhibitions that are a beautiful pairing. “Macha Family Romance” by Vaginal Davis features paintings on paper made of beauty creams, tonics, oils, varnishes and other products meant for the body. In an almost theatrical exhibition, the works depict feminist and queer narratives through complex portraits. “The Lion Path: Art, Astrology and Magic” by Cameron takes up the main gallery with mystical drawings and paintings about spiritual practices, creating astrology charts for figures that include John Barrymore, Marlon Brando and English occultist Aleister Crowley. The exhibitions come recommended by The Times’ Carolina A. Miranda, who said the pairing has “great femme, maxi-gendered vibes.” The gallery is free and open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Details on the exhibitions can be found on Marc Selwyn Fine Art’s website.
5. ‘Wangari Mathenge: Tidal Wave of Colour’
Inspired by Malcolm X’s description of the post-World War II zeitgeist, “Tidal Wave of Colour” reimagines prominent works of art with a diverse lens. Wangari Mathenge re-creates iconic paintings, including Georges Seurat’s “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte,” in her latest exhibition at Roberts Projects in Hancock Park, to reclaim them by exploring race, class and geography. She uses her signature bright colors and fabrics to bring Black subjects into the paintings, filling the background with African environments and hints of spiritual spontaneity. The free exhibition runs until June 3 and the gallery is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. More details on “Tidal Wave of Colour” can be found on Roberts Projects’ website.
Bonus round: ‘Pop-Up Magazine: One More Time!’
Pop-Up Magazine’s farewell tour is making its way to the Theatre at Ace Hotel in downtown L.A. The “live magazine” brings together performances that coalesce art, music, theater, film and more into an evening-length show. The live magazine suspended operations in January, making this upcoming show the last opportunity to check out what it has in store. “Pop-Up Magazine: One More Time!” features Cord Jefferson, Stephanie Foo, Jon Mooallem, Laurel Braitman and other cast members. If you need a little more convincing, check out Vankin’s feature article on Pop-Up Magazine and its origins. The Los Angeles performance is at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, and tickets range from $39 to $59. Details on the farewell show can be found on Pop-Up Magazine’s website.
Your L.A. weekend, all mapped out
For a more comprehensive roundup of exhibitions, concerts, screenings, festivals and other events, check out Matt Cooper’s Culture Guide. The mapped list is a go-to for those who make plans based on the commute, and it also can be filtered by event type and price.
On My Mind
Tucked on the corner of East 8th and South Los Angeles streets in downtown L.A., the Lorin Gallery has a new exhibition highlighting three contemporary artists. “Three Tenses of Contemporary” features the works of Marc Badia, Edu Carrillo and Fátima de Juan, each with vastly different styles and perspectives.
I went to the gallery on Friday and was particularly drawn to De Juan’s work that welcomes you into the space. As the first female graffiti artist showcased at the gallery, De Juan brings playful and emotionally fueled portraits to the space. Her work is a combination of acrylic and spray paint, displaying vibrant colors and style. Each cartoon portrait is of a woman with exaggerated expressions, rounded facial features and stunning clothing — one tilts a pair of flame-shaped pink sunglasses down her nose. While the lines are sharp on features like the lips and eyes, the hair and other details are blurred with spray paint, adding a layer of softness to each portrait.
On Saturday, I went to Regen Projects in Hollywood to look at its new exhibitions: Alex Hubbard’s “Emergency Entrance” and Andrea Zittel’s “A-Z Personal Uniforms: Third Decade.” Hubbard’s work comes off abstract at first, but upon closer examination, images slowly come to the surface — a rocket, cigarettes, a tire. Hubbard, who was also at the gallery, shared that he takes months at a time before adding a new layer to his paintings. He said he creates a complete disaster then brings it back to life. The result is a vibrant, artistic representation of Hubbard’s unconnected thoughts, with equally arbitrary titles like “Does Your Stalker Know It’s Your Birthday.”
Zittel’s exhibition is a conclusion to her decadelong experiment in which she limited her attire to a handful of pieces. She previously did the experiment from 1991 to 2002 and again from 2003 to 2013, creating collections of clothing for each time period. Her latest exhibition includes a series of 48 garments worn between 2013 and 2023. The pieces in the new exhibition include crocheted and hand-woven tops displaying geographic patterns, all set on mannequins throughout the gallery. On the walls are watercolor paintings on paper that seem to parallel the clothing, using the same color palette and emphasis on lines and geometric shapes. Walking through the room and seeing different outfits is like walking through the decade.
Go out speed round
Go out before it closes: Kenturah Davis’ residency exhibition at Oxy Arts in Eagle Rock is coming to a close Saturday. “Dark Illuminations” is inspired by Jun’ichirō Tanizaki’s “In Praise of Shadows” and meditates on our perception of a shadow — how it both conceals and reveals images through the darkness. The exhibition is free and the gallery is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday. More details can be found on Oxy Arts’ website.
Go out for free: Friedman Benda in Hollywood Hills welcomes the lively energy of Misha Kahn’s work this weekend. “Staged” accumulates a hodgepodge of creative explorations that range from improvisational molds to virtual reality. The free exhibition opens Saturday with a reception from 2 to 5 p.m. If you can’t make the reception, “Staged” can be viewed until June 2 and Friedman Benda is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. More details can be found on the gallery website.
Go out and learn: An upcoming movie screening at the Autry Museum takes you deeper into the world of cowboys. The Griffith Park museum will be presenting the Los Angeles premiere of “Cowboys Without Borders” on Saturday at the Wells Fargo Theater. The documentary follows Gaston Davis, a sixth-generation Texan as he documents ranching from the perspective of North, Central and South American cowboys. The screening is from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Saturday and tickets are free. You can find the RSVP link and details on the Autry’s website.
Go out and laugh: Every seat is the best seat in the house when you’re on a rooftop with a hilarious lineup of comics. Can’t Even Comedy Show presents its monthly show at Mama Shelter hotel’s roof overlooking the Hollywood sign. Comics for the night include Tony Baker, Doug Benson, Asif Ali, Tahir Moore and Caitlin Benson. The Times’ Nate Jackson recommends this event from 7 to 10 p.m. Thursday and tickets range from $10 to $20. Details can be found on Eventbrite.
Go out with the kids: Got a rambunctious kid who loves crashing Hot Wheels? Monster Jam will bring their playtime imaginations to life at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. The extravaganza includes a pit party where you can get up close to the monster trucks, giveaways and a look behindthescenes at the trucks and drivers. Tickets range from $35 to $425, depending on the package. Monster Jam starts at 7 p.m. Saturday with activities beginning as early as 2:30 p.m. More details can be found on the event website.
Go out on a date: Take your date out for a night full of dance with the Music Center’s 20th Dance Season kickoff. Paul Taylor Dance Company, a renowned modern dance company in New York, will present repertory works “Company B” and “The Green Table” alongside a world premiere by resident choreographer Lauren Lovette at the downtown L.A. theater. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets range from $34 to $138; details can be found on the Music Center’s website.
Go out all night: Actively Black presents its Poetry Night and Jam Session from 9 p.m. Sunday to 1 a.m. Monday. The event is an amplified version of your usual poetry night, mixing spoken word with music by Phil the Keys and his band and DJ. The event is free and you can RSVP on the event page.
Go out all weekend: Fill your weekend with pie ... pizza pie, that is. Pizza City Fest is here with dozens of pizzeria vendors from all over SoCal. The weekendlong festival at the Event Deck at L.A. Live in downtown L.A. features panels about the art of pizzamaking and a special Collab Lab. Tickets range from $95 to $175 and events start at noon Saturday and Sunday. More details can be found on the event website.
Go out and wander: Julius Eastman previously presented “Femenine” inside Albright-Knox Art Gallery in New York while an opposing piece, “Masculine,” played outside. Although there is no record or score for “Masculine,” three commissioned artists — classical vocalist Davóne Tines, experimental composer Sarah Hennies, and visual and sound artist Jacqueline Kiyomi Gork — have created new works that imagine what the work could’ve been for restaging throughout the Getty Center. “Femenine” and “Masculine” will be performed simultaneously at 6 p.m. Saturday and 4 p.m. Sunday, offering patrons the opportunity to witness the intersections of gender. Tickets to the Getty Center are free and details can be found online.
Go out for a family trip: Take a trip to Rancho Cucamonga with the family for a night under the sea. Inland Pacific Ballet presents “The Little Mermaid: An Enchanting Undersea Adventure” at Lewis Family Playhouse. The classic Hans Christian Andersen tale is brought to the stage with puppetry, dance and innovative lighting. This recommendation comes from The Times’ Jessica Gelt. Performances are at 11:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and tickets range from $32 to $73. Details can be found on Inland Pacific Ballet’s website.
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I’m all ears!
That’s all I’ve got for this week. Follow our feed of recommendations and itineraries on Instagram and Twitter, and if you have recs of your own, send them to steven.vargas@latimes.com.
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