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Looking for the best things to do in L.A.? Try these 12 pop-ups, merch drops, events

Drip Index collage for Image Magazine Issue 5
(Victor Prieto; Marco Fernandez; Courtesy of Shu Lea Cheang; Ed Glendinning; Trokon George)
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This story is part of Image issue 5, “Reverence,” an exploration of how L.A. does beauty. See the full package here.

Parable 003

PARABLE_003_9 Hana Ward, ain't no sharecropping deal / this is mine, 2021. Seed Saver, 2021. Divinity Lamp, 2021.
(OfStudio)

Curated by Alex Jones and Kevin Bernard Moultrie-Daye for Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions, Parable 003 celebrates Black art as resistance — featuring the work of Kenturah Davis, Josiah Mackey, Huntress Janos, Alima Lee, Chris Martin and more through Nov. 7. “Part ode and part elegy to Octavia Butler’s unfinished ‘Parable’ trilogy, this exhibition investigates the vanishing point of an idea,” writes LACE. “It is a blueprint for the near future of Black sovereignty, where California’s histories of migration, radical participation and experimental living converge into a foundation for the future of Blackness.” 6522 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles. welcometolace.org

‘Witch Hunt’ at ICA LA and Hammer Museum

Shu Lea Cheang, UKI Virus Rising, 2018. Three-channel digital video, color sound
(Courtesy of the artist)
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Oct. 10 marks the opening of “Witch Hunt,” a group exhibition at the Hammer Museum and the Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, featuring 16 international artists who are putting a spotlight on “feminist, queer and decolonial strategies to explore gender, power and the global impacts of systemic patriarchy.” (Ten projects are at the Hammer and 5 are at the ICA.) The works span mediums from video, painting, photography, sculpture, sound and performance and explore such themes as surveillance and environmental justice through a feminist lens. On view through Jan. 9. Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, hammer.ucla.edu; ICA LA, 1717 E. 7th St., Los Angeles. theicala.org

The Black Market Flea

Mayah Hatcher for the Image magazine, issue 04
(Nailah Howze/For The Times)

As Darian Symoné Harvin wrote in Image issue 4, the Black Market Flea is “a kind of connective tissue for Black-owned fashion in the city.” The flea market, started by Mayah Hatcher, 23, this past summer, has become the monthly meeting place for community- and style-minded cool kids in L.A. Don’t miss its next installment Oct. 17. Keep up with Black Market Flea on Instagram for more details on the event, including location. @theblackmarketflea.

Ephemeral Tattoo

Ephemeral, a temporary tattoo studio with an outpost in Brooklyn, is opening its first L.A. location Oct. 24.
(Kat Slootsky)

A tattoo studio slinging temporary ink? Put us on the wait list. Ephemeral, a made-to-fade tattoo studio with an outpost in Brooklyn, is opening its first L.A. location Oct. 24. The process is the same as getting a traditional tattoo: Once clients book, they send over reference images, get a one-on-one design consultation and then get their tattoo applied with — yes — an actual tattoo gun. The only difference is Ephemeral’s ink: Crafted from medical-grade, bioabsorbable, biocompatible polymers, it’s made to last nine to 15 months. 131 N. La Brea Ave., Los Angeles. ephemeral.tattoo

‘Light, First and Foremost’ at Stanley’s

Timo Fahler alter ego series - Medusa, 2021 plaster, stained glass, mirror, dye, chain, twine 24"H x 14"W x 10"D
(Victor Prieto)
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Timo Fahler’s third solo show in Los Angeles is going down at Stanley’s Gallery in Chinatown, on view through Oct. 23. Featuring eight stained-glass pieces molded into rebar that hang or are held up by casts of the artist’s hands, along with two drawings, “Light, First and Foremost” is an investigation into Fahler’s identity, broken into three groups: ego, alter-ego and transformation. “This new body of work presents Fahler’s own conflicts with his identity, being Hispanic and white, masculine and feminine, artist and laborer, Fahler has always been split between two worlds,” writes the gallery. “The juxtaposition of the delicate glass within the hardened rebar evokes a poetic visual cue for all of these conflicts.” 944 Chung King Road, Los Angeles. stanleyshouse.com

Género Neutral X Latina Magazine

Chances are - if you're plugged in to fashion and style in L.A. - you've either been to Genero Neutral
(Genero Neutral)

Chances are — if you’re plugged in to fashion and style in L.A. — you’ve either been to Género Neutral, or religiously stalked its Instagram to see which of your favs stopped by that weekend. The Echo Park concept shop, which opened in March, has quickly become a staple among Angelenos looking to shop a curated selection of local brands like Kids of Immigrants or Bonnie Clyde. Its in-store functions have attracted a similar crowd — think of it as cool L.A. IG come to life. On Oct. 15-16, Género Neutral founders Ashley S.P. and Jennifer Zapata are hosting an in-store pop-up with Latina Magazine to close out Hispanic Heritage Month. Keep up with @generoneutral on Instagram for more details, including a special collaboration, as the event approaches.

‘C11H17NO3’ at Band of Vices

Timothy E. Washington THE QUEEN, 1983 etched aluminum, mixed media assemblage
(Trokon George)

West Adams’ Band of Vices presents “C11H17NO3” (a.k.a. “Mescaline”) — a group exhibition featuring 26 artists spanning generations and mediums. Described by curator and Band of Vices creative director Terrell Tilford as an “almost-hallucinogenic experience” after a year indoors, “C11H17NO3” will feature the work of L.A. icons, including Watts’ own Timothy Washington, who will present a sculpture, painting and performance. The show will be on view in Band of Vices’ new exhibition space, dubbed “Sacred House,” through Oct. 30. 5351 W. Adams Blvd. Los Angeles. bandofvices.com

‘home/body’ at Unrepd

Corey Pemberton, Maurice, 2021. Acrylic, inkjet prints, and graphite on canvas. 36 in. x 48 in.
(Jamaal Tolbert)
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L.A. showed out for the opening of Corey Pemberton’s first West Coast solo show, “home/body,” at Unrepd last month. Don’t miss the artist’s tender mixed-media portraits that capture his subjects in all their quotidian, domestic glory, including a standout piece intimately portraying Maurice Harris, artist and founder of the floral design studio Blume and Plume. “home/body” is on view through Oct. 18 at Unrepd. 619 N. Western Ave., Los Angeles. unrepd.com

For the record:

5:42 p.m. Oct. 22, 2021The photo accompanying the entry for “Less Is More” and “Onto Something” was taken by Knowledge Bennett. It was erroneously credited to Ed Glendinning.

‘Less Is More’ and ‘Onto Something’

Gallery view of the exhibitions "Knowledge Bennett: Less Is More" and "YoYo Lander: Onto Something"
(Knowledge Bennett)

There are two must-see exhibitions at the Know Contemporary through Oct. 24: “Less Is More,” a solo exhibition by L.A. contemporary artist Knowledge Bennett, and “Onto Something,” from contemporary artist YoYo Lander — both curated by Charles Moore. “Less Is More” features five geometrically-shaped minimalist works on canvas from Bennett, that the artist says “explore spirituality and the essence of man.” “Onto Something” — nine new collaged works in figuration from Lander — depict the vulnerability of the human experience through an examination of body posture and positioning. 422 S. Alameda St, Los Angeles. theknowcontemporary.com

Paisaboys @ Nordstrom X Nike

L.A.'s cult brand Paisaboys will be popping up at Nordstrom X Nike to sell its latest collection
(Marco Fernandez)

L.A.’s cult brand Paisaboys will be popping up at Nordstrom X Nike to sell its latest collection — five T-shirts that, like all its designs, are a sartorial nod to growing up Mexican in L.A. The collection, ranging from $45 to $55, will be sold at Nordstrom.com and at Nordstrom X Nike boutiques in Chicago, New York and Los Angeles — at the Century City location — until supplies last. Don’t sleep. Nordstrom Century City: 10250 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles. Paisaboys.com; nordstrom.com

No Free Coffee X Love Hour TV Dinner

Everyone’s favorite niche coffee and clothing pop-up No Free Coffee is brewing up something special for spooky season: TV Dinner Halloween edition on Oct. 30. In collaboration with Koreatown’s beloved burger joint Love Hour, which will be providing the eats, No Free Coffee will screen classic Halloween-themed episodes of “Doug,” “Martin,” “Goose Bumps” and more, projected on the wall at Brother Brother in West Adams, where No Free Coffee regularly hosts pop-ups. 4565 W. Washington Blvd., Los Angeles. nofreecoffee.co

‘Blade’ at Cinespia

’90s vampire aesthetics. Buckets of fake blood. Wesley Snipes in a leather trench coat. “Blade” really has it all, doesn’t it? Cinespia is screening the vampire-hunter classic Oct. 16 at Hollywood Forever Cemetery. There will be a DJ, along with photo booths. BYOB is encouraged and so are costumes. Gates open at 5:15 p.m. and the show starts at 7. Keep up with @cinespia on Instagram for more details.

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