Sense of Place

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LAND commissioned Guadalajara-based artist Jose Dávila to create Sense of Place, a multi-site, large-scale, public sculpture exhibition migrating through, and integrating into, the diverse urban landscape of Los Angeles to draw a portrait of the city’s many experiences, geographies and histories. Sense of Place was derived from Davila’s Joint Effort sculpture series which expands the concepts of balance and equilibrium using basic construction materials such as concrete blocks and stones.

In continuation of this exploration, Sense of Place consists of a eight foot square cube sculpture comprised of 40 unique concrete conjunctional forms. Initially installed in West Hollywood Park in September 2017, over the course of nine months the sculpture will slowly disassemble its various pieces, migrating to far reaching locales of the city such as landmarks, significant architectural sites, community hubs, shopping malls, bus stops, etc., taking on different functional forms at each location. In this sense the pieces become a social platform promoting interaction with the public, who will ultimately decide on the final function of the artwork.

Sense of Place is built in six layers and will transition in three movements in November, January and March, positioning the modular pieces in their temporary surroundings for a period of two to six months, after which the piece will reassemble in May 2018. As part of the third movement in March 2018, the sculpture pieces migrated to the John Sowden House (Los Feliz), the Bob Baker Marionette Theatre (Downtown), Hollywood Forever Cemetery (Hollywood), the Ace Hotel Downtown Los Angeles (Downtown), Lewis MacAdams Park (Frogtown), Silverlake Independent Jewish Community Center (Silverlake), and Grand Park (Downtown) as part of the Our L.A. Voices – Spring Arts Festival. First movement sites include Inner City Arts (Downtown), Brand Library & Art Center (Glendale), Plummer Park (West Hollywood), MAK Center for Art and Architecture at the Fitzpatrick-Leland House (Hollywood Hills), and the Santa Monica Pier (Santa Monica). Second movement sites include Marciano Art Foundation (Mid-Wilshire), UCLA Lab School (Westwood), a private craftsman residence (Echo Park), Beverly Hills City Hall (Beverly Hills), and Los Angeles Union Station (Downtown). In its final iteration, the sculpture will return to its original whole cube re-installed at West Hollywood Park holding its travel histories in its reunited form.

Sense of Place is Dávila’s largest public undertaking to date and his first major exhibition in Los Angeles. A post-exhibition catalogue will document the various stages of transformation and include 20 thematic essays by different Mexican and Los Angeles-based authors.

Sense of Place is Dávila’s largest public undertaking to date and his first major exhibition in Los Angeles. A post-exhibition catalogue will document the various stages of transformation and include 20 thematic essays by different Mexican and Los Angeles-based authors. The research and implementation of this project was supported in large part through grants from the Getty Foundation.

La escultura de concreto de seis toneladas estará abierta al público diariamente del amanecer al atardecer en el parque hasta noviembre de 2017, fecha en que comenzará a desmontarse en 40 piezas de individuales para luego migrar así por toda la ciudad y ser reinstalada en aproximadamente 20 sitios distintos. La programación para celebrar la migración de la escultura se anunciará a lo largo de la exposición.

LAND encargó al artista con sede en Guadalajara, José Dávila, la creación de Sense of Place, una escultura pública a gran escala que se traslada a través e integrada en el diverso paisaje de Los Ángeles para trazar un retrato de las múltiples experiencias, geografías e historias que vive la ciudad. Sense of Place se derivó de la serie escultórica Joint Effort (Esfuerzo Conjunto) en que Dávila expande los conceptos de equilibrio y balance utilizando materiales básicos de construcción tales como bloques de concreto y piedras en estado natural.

Como continuación de esta exploración, Sense of Place consiste en una escultura cúbica de 8x8x8 ft compuesta de 40 piezas únicas de concreto. Inicialmente instalada en West Hollywood Park, en el transcurso de nueve meses la escultura se desmontará lentamente en sus diversas piezas, que serán trasladadas a lugares tan distintos de la ciudad como hitos, importantes sitios arquitectónicos, centros comunitarios, centros comerciales, paradas de autobús, etc., tomando así cada una de sus formas funciones distintas en cada lugar. En este sentido, las piezas se convierten en una plataforma social que promueve la interacción con el público, quien finalmente decidirá sobre la función última de la obra de arte.

Sense of Place está construida en seis capas y transitará en tres movimientos en noviembre, enero y marzo, colocando las piezas modulares en su entorno temporal por un período de dos a seis meses. Después de este periodo la pieza se volverá a montar en mayo de 2018. Para el primer movimiento en noviembre de este año, una tercer parte de las piezas que conforman el cubo migrarán a la biblioteca y centro de arte Brand (Glendale), parque Plummer(West Hollywood), Grand Central Market (Centro de Los Ángeles), Fitzpatrick Leland House (en el Centro MAK de Arte y Arquitectura Hollywood Hills), y al muelle de Santa Mónica. Como parte del segundo movimiento de Sense of Place, en enero 2018 piezas de la escultura migrarán a la Marciano Art Foundation (Mid-Wilshire), UCLA Lab School (Westwood), al frente de una residencia privada (Echo Park), a Beverly Hills City Hall (Beverly Hills), y a Los Angeles Union Station (Downtown). Los sitios para el segundo y tercer movimiento serán anunciados en los próximos meses.

En su iteración final, la escultura volverá a reinstalarse en el parque de West Hollywood en su forma cúbica original conteniendo así sus historias de viaje unificadas. Sense of Place es el mayor proyecto público de Dávila hasta la fecha y su primera gran exposición en Los Angeles.

LAND presentará diversos programas públicos a lo largo de la exposición, incluyendo proyecciones, mesas redondas y performances, todas creadas en colaboración con los sitios que acogerán a las esculturas e inspiradas por la comunidad circundante. Un catálogo post-exposición documentará las diversas etapas de la transformación e incluirá 20 ensayos temáticos de diferentes autores mexicanos e internacionales basados ​​en Los Ángeles.

Guadalajara-based artist Jose Dávila (b. 1974) creates sculptures, installations, collages, and photographic works that use reproduction, homage, and imitation as a means to explore and dismantle the legacies of twentieth century avant-garde art and architecture. A self-taught artist with a heightened interest in Western culture and art history, Dávila plays with elements of modernist architecture and art in his artistic practice. Using different reproduction strategies, Dávila’s work references artists and architects ranging from Luis Barragán and Mathias Goeritz to Donald Judd, and explores how the modernist movement has been translated, appropriated, and reinvented in the current discourse of contemporary art. Dávila’s interest in Modernist architecture and use of everyday materials to create sculptures and installations evokes a sense of familiarity for the viewer. Most recently, Dávila has shown a particular interest in the occupation of space through gestures of social practice inspired by public structures which allude to the evolution of urban landscapes.

El artista basado en Guadalajara crea esculturas, instalaciones, collages y obras fotográficas que utilizan la reproducción, el homenaje y la imitación como un medio para explorar y desmantelar los legados del arte y la arquitectura de vanguardia del siglo XX. Artista autodidacta con un gran interés por la cultura occidental y la historia del arte, Dávila juega con elementos de estos intereses en su práctica artística. Utilizando diferentes estrategias de reproducción, la obra de Dávila hace referencia a artistas y arquitectos que van desde Luis Barragán y Mathias Goeritz hasta Donald Judd, y explora cómo el movimiento modernista ha sido traducido, apropiado y reinventado en el discurso actual del arte contemporáneo. El interés de Dávila por el uso de materiales cotidianos y de construcción para crear esculturas e instalaciones evoca un sentido de familiaridad para el espectador. Más recientemente, Dávila ha mostrado un interés particular por la ocupación del espacio público a través de gestos de práctica social y estructuras que aluden a la evolución de los paisajes urbanos.

Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA is a far-reaching and ambitious exploration of Latin American and Latino art in dialogue with Los Angeles taking place from September 2017 through January 2018. Led by the Getty, Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA is a collaboration of arts institutions across Southern California. Through a series of thematically linked exhibitions and programs, Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA highlights different aspects of Latin American and Latino art from the ancient world to the present day. With topics such as luxury arts in the pre-Columbian Americas, 20th century Afro- Brazilian art, alternative spaces in Mexico City, and boundary-crossing practices of Latino artists, exhibitions range from monographic studies of individual artists to broad surveys that cut across numerous countries. Supported by more than $16 million in grants from the Getty Foundation, Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA involves more than 70 cultural institutions from Los Angeles to Palm Springs, and from San Diego to Santa Barbara. Pacific Standard Time is an initiative of the Getty. The presenting sponsor is Bank of America.

LEAD SUPPORT FOR THIS EXHIBITION IS PROVIDED THROUGH GRANTS BY THE GETTY FOUNDATION

MAJOR SUPPORT FOR THIS EXHIBITION IS PROVIDED BY GRUPO NAPRESA THE OFFIELD FAMILY FOUNDATION

ADDITIONAL SUPPORT FOR THIS EXHIBITION IS PROVIDED BY ANGELES ART FUND VIA ART FUND THE CITY OF WEST HOLLYWOOD LOS ANGELES COUNTY ARTS COMMISSION ARTIST SPONSOR BARBARA BELZBERG ARTIST SPONSOR MAURICE MARCIANO ARTIST SPONSOR BRENDA R. POTTER LAND NOMADIC COUNCIL

Special Thanks to the Kickstarter Contributors Ann Soh Woods, Antonia Skelton, Ava Bromberg, Cecilia Dan, Christine Y Kim, Daniel Sharp, Danielle Brazell, Debra Scacco, Douglas Armour, E. M. Landaw, Erin Fussell, Esperanza Sanchez, Felix E. Klee, Heather Bhandari, John Geresi, Kelsey Lee Offield, Kim Allen-Niesen, Laura Hyatt, Lauren Phillips, Laurie Ziegler, Lori DeWolfe, Mark Fluent, Mark Sandelson, Meshal Alshammari, Mike Wu, Ned Freed, Patricia Ortiz Monasterio, Paul Savage, Regina Mamou, Robert Galstian, Sarah Odenkirk, Shane Brennan, Sherri Andrews, Soraya Haas, Sue de Beer, Virginia Joy Simmons, Zoe Crosher

THIS PROJECT IS SUPPORTED IN PART BY

Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Arts Commission.

THIS PROJECT IS PRESENTED WITH THE SUPPORT OF

This project is presented with the support of City of West Hollywood’s WeHo Arts program. For more information, please visit www.weho.org/arts or follow via social media @WeHoArts.