The Malibu Annual

The First Malibu Annual Contemporary Art Fair

2009-08-27T15:15:00.000-07:00

The Malibu Annual is a gallery organized Contemporary Art Fair taking place August 28 - 30 at The Malibu Country Mart.

August 28 - 30, 2009

HOURS:
Opening Reception, Friday 28, 7 - 10 pm
Saturday 29, 12 - 8 pm
Sunday 30, 12 - 6 pm
Free and open to the public.

Participating Galleries:
Chung King Projects
China Art Objects
Circus Gallery
The Company
Eighth Veil
Parker Jones
Sister

The Malibu Country Mart

23410 Civic Center Way #17

Malibu, CA 90265
Click Here For Map

Conceived by John Knuth of Circus Gallery and organized with Katie Brennan of Sister and Parker Jones of Parker Jones.

Los Angeles Times Article

2009-08-27T15:00:00.000-07:00

The Malibu Contemporary Art Fair: Galleries take art to where the money lives

Circus Gallery, Sister and Parker Jones are among the galleries transporting wares to the coast.

Artist Steven Bankhead, right, with his assistant Russell George paint sections of the floor in preparation for the Malibu Annual Contemporary Art Fair. (Ken Hively, Los Angeles Times / August 25, 2009)

By Suzanne Muchnic

August 28, 2009

It's a typical weekday afternoon at the Malibu Country Mart. The weather is perfect. Suntanned women stroll through Henry Beguelin, Madison and Morgane le Fay. Young mothers cluster around the counter at 98% Perfect, buying designer swimwear and shoes for 5-year-olds who would rather be somewhere else. Stylishly scruffy men tend to their BlackBerrys and laptops on the terrace of Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf.

But on the second floor of a Spanish-style building on one side of the mall, a different kind of action is underway. The proprietors of seven edgy galleries in Chinatown and Hollywood are turning a former high school for troubled kids into the first Malibu Annual Contemporary Art Fair, opening tonight and running through Sunday afternoon.

What are the art dealers thinking? When the going gets tough, the tough go shopping for art in Malibu?

Welcome to the "leaner, meaner, recession-proof art fair," as participants call it.

The tiny, offbeat event is the brainchild of John Knuth, the director of Circus Gallery, who organized the fair with Kathryn Brennan of Sister and Parker Jones, whose gallery bears his name. Instead of wallowing in the August doldrums of a brutal economy and feeling left out of the super-sized, painfully expensive fairs that dot the globe, Knuth decided to round up a few friends and spend a low-budget weekend at the high end of the beach.

"I wanted to try uncharted territory where it's fun and there is a different demographic, where people buy houses," he says. "I called Realtors and the Malibu Country Mart and told them I was looking for a space to do an art fair. I said we would bring a different group of people, young professionals, a hip crowd, into their community."

It didn't take long for Stu McNelis, who manages the Malibu Country Mart, to offer Knuth the vacant space.

"Malibu is conservative," McNelis says, "but there is a faction that wants this to happen. This may be the start of something good."

With a few days to go before the opening, Circus, Sister, Parker Jones and each of the other galleries -- China Art Objects,Chung King Projects,the Company and Eighth Veil -- has commandeered a former classroom or office as a temporary showcase. The school furniture is gone. So is most of the garish plaid carpet, and the walls have a fresh coat of white paint.

Some of the art has yet to arrive, but Circus and the Company are bustling. Artist Alexander May and an assistant haul a who-knows-how-heavy sculpture up an exterior flight of stairs, through a doorway, around a corner and down a few more steps to the center of the Company's room.

Lying on its side on the splotchy gray concrete, the white cylindrical form looks like it might have been part of the building. But then May coils a length of white nylon rope into a saddle-like shape on the upper contour and the piece begins to evoke thoughts of elegant horses and precariously balanced riders.

A few feet away, Annie Wharton and Anat Ebgi, who run the gallery, figure out where to place the other artists' paintings, photographs and videos. After four tries, they hoist a large photographic "Vampire Portrait" by Jen DeNike into place.

Across the hall, the weekend version of Circus is shaping up. Large works by Jason Yates and Justin Hansch fill two walls and smaller pieces line shelves. Artist Steven Bankhead covers the floor with giant paper stencils and rolls black and white paint over exposed concrete. The roughly rectangular painted shapes correspond to words in a framed artwork containing a French phrase that Bankhead translates as "under the cobblestones, the beach." The connection to Malibu may be obvious, but that the message comes from a student uprising in Paris also ties it to the site of the fair, he says.

What the public makes of all this remains to be seen. But Knuth is already planning the next Malibu Annual. The same building won't be available, but he has some leads.

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/arts/la-et-malibu28-2009aug28,0,3992089.story

Malibu Times Article

2009-08-26T13:00:00.000-07:00

She's the surreal thing

Encased in a Plexiglas box with 24 live butterflies, Malibu artist Tiffany Trenda wears a dress made from real moss during an art performance similar to one she will deliver on Friday at the first annual Malibu Contemporary Art Fair at the Malibu Country Mart.

Published:

Wednesday, August 26, 2009 1:03 PM PDT

Malibu resident Tiffany Trenda is one of more than 40 artists whose work will be showcased this weekend at the first annual Malibu Contemporary Art Fair.

By Patrick Timothy Mullikin / Special to The Malibu Times

Look into video installation performance artist Tiffany Trenda's face, and you might see yourself peering back-literally.

It's narcissism of sorts, with a wink, a nudge and a nod to technology. Rigged with cameras and video screens, Trenda creates odd-sometimes eerie-personalities and characters during her live performances that leave children entranced and some grownups more than just a little creeped out.

Trenda is one of more than 40 internationally exhibiting artists whose work in a variety of media (painting, photography, sculpture, video, drawing and installation) will be showcased at the first annual Malibu Contemporary Art Fair from Aug. 28-30.

What she does exactly is tough to describe, and must be seen to be appreciated. But even then, it's still difficult to define, and that's its beauty.

Take her upcoming performance this Friday at the art fair. Trenda, wearing a dress made from real moss, will be encased in a Plexiglas box along with 24 live butterflies. On each hand she will wear a camera. The front of her moss dress also has a camera, and three video screens. So when viewers look at the dress or at her hands, they will see themselves on the video screens.

“People think I am a robot or something,” Trenda said last week in an interview with The Malibu Times. “They don't know if I am real. They think I'm something else, which is what I always try to evoke.”

Trenda is, indeed, a real person. Maybe slightly surreal.

He journeyed into the world of a video installation performance art-a name she lightheartedly claims to have authored-started out eight years ago when the then painter/photographer/dancer attended The Art Center College of Design in Pasadena.

“I got really fascinated with video and projection,” Trenda said from the kitchen of her Malibu home. “I love video installation, and so I started dabbling with that for a little while when I was going to the Art Center.”

Her dabbling culminated in her first performance, she recalled with a hearty laugh, as a student at the Art Center, a school she praises but admits was a bit conservative by her standards. Compared to some of her later performances, the debut was tame. Trenda attached speakers to her body and played the distorted tones of a video clip she had tweaked beyond recognition.

The reaction? “My teacher loved it,” she said of her debut as a video installation performance artist. “Some of the students were shocked, and the girls were very disturbed by it.”

But “shocking” and “disturbing” are often hallmarks of performance art. While some of Trenda's performances leave viewers scratching heads, her performances are never dull.

Take “Death of an Icon” Trenda first memorized the dance steps of a Madonna music video, then removed all images of Madonna from it, leaving only images of people reacting to her. Trenda then projected her edited version of the music video on a screen behind her as she danced, Madonna-like.

“Three quarters of the way through [the performance of “Death of an Icon”], a shot rings through and I lie dead on the floor,” Trenda explained. “Then somebody comes up and puts a plaque on the floor, a description of the piece.”

“I lay on the floor till the end of the gallery show, which was like two and a half hours, without moving,” she continued. “People actually thought I was dead, and walked around taking pictures.”

Her point? We create icons like Madonna and Britney Spears who we destroy ultimately, she said.

This is heavy stuff from an otherwise normal 30-year-old who works a daytime job as a consultant at Joanne Burke Art Consultants, Inc., in Venice.

“I just like to have an edge where it's interesting,” Trenda said while flipping through the pages of the photo album of her various video installation performances. “I'm not a dark and creepy person. I'm pretty much happy.”

In a few weeks after her performance at the Malibu Contemporary Art Fair on Friday, Trenda will head to London to receive an award at the London International Creative Competition for her work as video installation performance artist.

“I always try to keep it beautiful,” she said. “There's a lot of art out there that's, like, shock value-crazy and creepy, but in a horrific way-and I completely stay away from that.”

The first annual Malibu Contemporary Art Fair runs Aug. 28-30 at Malibu Country Mart. The event is free to the public. More information can be obtained online at www.malibuannual.com.

http://www.malibutimes.com/articles/2009/08/26/malibu_life/art1.txt

Malibu Annual on Artnet.com

2009-08-25T21:01:00.000-07:00

* The 1st Annual Malibu Annual Contemporary Art Fair, Aug. 28-30, 2009, at the Malibu Country Mart. Seven young-in-spirit Los Angeles galleries take one last opportunity to head to the beach, or at least to a former public school, where each gallery presents works in a classroom. Participants are China Art Objects, Chung King Projects, Circus Gallery, The Company, Eighth Veil, Parker Jones and Sister. For more info, and a schedule of performances and video screenings, see www.malibuannual.com

http://www.artnet.com/magazineus/news/artnetnews/hawaii-arts-alliance-decries-cuts8-25-09.asp

Malibu Annual on Flavor Pill

2009-08-18T16:49:00.001-07:00

The Malibu Annual Contemporary Art Fair

Seven Los Angeles-based contemporary art galleries spread their wings and cruise with the Malibu seagulls for the inaugural edition of a three-day art fair highlighting LA. Buzz galleries China Art Objects, Chung King Project, Circus Gallery, The Company, Eighth Veil, Parker Jones, and *sister will be participating, showing the work of more than 40 national and international artists. Ditching the trade-fair convention center booth-maze vibe in favor of a return to the quirkier days of hotel fairs, the galleries occupy classrooms and other curious spaces at the former high school, Malibu Country Mart. As an added bonus, the fair includes specially-made site-responsive works, performances, and video installations.

– Alexx Shaw

http://flavorpill.com/losangeles/events/2009/8/28/first-annual-malibu-contemporary-art-fair

Malibu Annual on Lipsticktracez.com

2009-08-17T16:47:00.000-07:00

Malibu Contemporary Art fair Aug.28-30

By Lipsticktracez, August 17, 2009 9:53 AM, Comments (0)

The First MALIBU ANNUAL
Contemporary Art Fair
malibuannual.com

Malibu, CA - August 12, 2009: Gallery-organized fair featuring work by internationally exhibiting artists to be held at the Malibu Country Mart August 28 - 30, 2009.

Seven Los Angeles-based contemporary art galleries are going to the beach! China Art Objects, Chung King Projects, Circus Gallery, The Company, Eighth Veil, Parker Jones, and Sister are pleased to announce the first Malibu Annual Contemporary Art Fair.

Taking place at the Malibu Country Mart from August 28th to 30th, the Malibu Annual brings together 7 of the most exciting contemporary galleries in LA for an art fair the likes of which have not been seen in Malibu. This gallery-initiated special event brings fresh energy to the idea of the contemporary art fair, and will showcase the work of over 40 internationally exhibiting artists. Free and open to the public, the Malibu Annual will premiere for one weekend in the heart of Malibu at the Malibu Country Mart.

It's fitting that this art fair will transpire during the hottest part of the summer in a city that draws millions of visitors to its beaches to cool off and relax. With artists working in a variety of media including painting, photography, sculpture, video, drawing, and installation, the Malibu Annual will offer the public a glimpse of Southern California's freshest galleries. Held in a 4,000 square foot space that once housed a local reform school, each participating gallery will commandeer and re-invent a classroom, presenting works from both gallery-represented artists as well as special projects made specifically for the Malibu Annual. In addition, the Malibu Annual will feature performance art projects and video screenings for fair visitors to enjoy. A schedule of performances will be posted on the website, www.malibuannual.com.

Schedule:
Preview Party: Friday, August 28, 7-10pm
Saturday, August 29, 12-8pm
Sunday, August 30, 12-6pm

Location:
Malibu Country Mart
3835 Cross Creek Rd
Malibu, California 90265

Participating Galleries:
China Art Objects
Chung King Projects
Circus Gallery
The Company
Eighth Veil
Parker Jones
Sister

http://www.lipsticktracez.com/guest/2009/08/malibu-contemporary-art-fair-a.php

Malibu Annual on The Daily Beast

2009-08-17T16:44:00.000-07:00

The surfing and resort city of Malibu, California is getting its first contemporary art fair at the end of the month. The Malibu Annual, which takes place at the Malibu Country Mart August 28-30, offers recent work from seven of LA’s edgiest galleries. Chinatown's Chung King Project, China Art Objects, Parker Jones, Sister and the Company join Hollywood's Circus Gallery and Eighth Veil to present installations and individual works by some 40 artists.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsmaker/art-and-photography/

Malibu Surfside News Article

2009-08-14T10:32:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

First Annual Contemporary Art Fair Comes to Malibu Country Mart

A little bit of the city comes to the country when the first Malibu Annual Contemporary Art Fair comes to the Malibu Country Mart on August 28-30. Seven Los Angeles-based contemporary art galleries are going to the beach when they show their work at the art fair.
China Art Objects, Chung King Projects, Circus Gallery, The Company, Eighth Veil, Parker Jones and Sister are participating.
The art fair will showcase the work of over 40 internationally exhibiting artists. The event is free and open to the public.
The event will premiere for one weekend in the heart of Malibu and folks are insisting it is no exaggeration to say the fair is bringing some of the most exciting contemporary galleries in LA to the beach for an art affair “the likes of which have not been seen in Malibu” a press release stated.
John Kruth of Circus Gallery, who is organizing the event, said he had come up with the idea for a different kind of program.
Kruth explained the gallery scene in LA in August is “notoriously slow,” and this is sort of a way to “take the show on the road.”
The gallery owner also said it is a “good excuse” for the artists and the other gallery owners to “get out of town.”
“It is a grassroots marketing campaign,” Kruth said, adding he drove around Malibu looking for empty retail spaces, which he noted were aplenty, and came upon the empty classrooms at the Malibu Country Mart.
Michael Koss, who owns the Malibu Country Mart, said he was willing to contribute the space. “We thought it would be a nice community event. We encourage community activities at the Malibu Country Mart. It is all about the community,” he said.
The art fair will be held in a 4000-square-foot space that once housed a high school. Each participating gallery “will commandeer and re-invent a classroom,” and present works both from gallery-represented artists and special projects made specifically for the Malibu festival.
The artists work in a variety of media (painting, photography, sculpture, video, drawing and installation), which will give the public a glimpse of some of Southern California's freshest galleries, Kruth says.
The event also will feature performance art projects and video screenings for visitors. A schedule will be posted on the website www.malibuannual.com.
A preview party takes place on Friday, Aug. 28, from 7 to 10 p.m. The fair is scheduled for Saturday from noon to 8 p.m. and Sunday, Aug. 29, noon to 6 p.m.

posted by MalibuSurfsideNews @ 4:17 PM

Los Angeles Times Article

2009-08-07T14:49:00.000-07:00

L.A.'s latest art fair? It's in Malibu

5:48 PM, August 7, 2009

While L.A.'s high-end galleries make plans for the next season's big international art fairs, seven edgier enterprises are heading for the beach.

Chinatown's Chung King Project, China Art Objects, Parker Jones, Sister and the Company have joined Hollywood's Circus Gallery and Eighth Veil to launch the Malibu Annual Contemporary Art Fair, Aug. 28 through Aug. 30.

"Now's the time to be creative," says John Knuth of Circus Gallery, who organized the event. "In the current state of the economy, young galleries need to be entrepreneurial. Going to Malibu is all about getting out of L.A. in the slowest time of the year and going to the summertime jam. We are very serious about this, but it's going to be fun."

Knuth and his fellow gallery directors will set up shop at the Malibu Country Mart in a 4,000-square-foot space formerly occupied by a high school for wayward students. Each participating gallery will transform a classroom with installations and individual works by artists it represents.

About 40 artists are expected to show paintings, sculptures, photographs, drawings and videos. A program of performances and video screenings is still in the works, but hours of operation are set. A preview party, 7 to 10 p.m. Aug. 28, will kick off the weekend event. The fair will be open noon to 8 p.m. Aug. 29 and noon to 6 p.m. Aug. 30.

-- Suzanne Muchnic

Photo: Untitled work made of paperbacks, candles and hardware by Joe Deutch. Credit: Courtesy of the artist and Parker Jones

Press Release

2009-08-03T14:30:00.000-07:00

The First MALIBU ANNUAL Contemporary Art Fair
www.malibuannual.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- Malibu, CA - August 5, 2009: Gallery-organized fair featuring work by internationally exhibiting artists to be held at the Malibu Country Mart August 28 – 30, 2009.

Seven Los Angeles-based contemporary art galleries are going to the beach! China Art Objects, Chung King Projects, Circus Gallery, The Company, Eighth Veil, Parker Jones, and Sister are pleased to announce the first Malibu Annual Contemporary Art Fair.

Taking place at the Malibu Country Mart from August 28 – 30, the Malibu Annual brings together 7 of the most exciting contemporary galleries in LA for an art fair the likes of which have not been seen in Malibu. This gallery-initiated special event brings fresh energy to the idea of a contemporary art fair, and will showcase the work of over 40 internationally exhibiting artists. Free and open to the public, the Malibu Annual will premiere for one weekend in the heart of Malibu at the Malibu Country Mart (www.malibucountrymart.com).

It’s fitting that this art fair will transpire during the hottest part of the summer in a city that draws millions of visitors to its beaches to cool off and relax. With artists working in a variety of media (painting, photography, sculpture, video, drawing, and installation), the Malibu Annual will offer the public a glimpse of Southern California’s freshest galleries. Held in a 4,000 square foot space that once housed a high school, each participating gallery will commandeer and re-invent a classroom, and present works both from gallery-represented artists and special projects made specifically for the Malibu Annual. In addition, the Malibu Annual will feature performance art projects and video screenings for fair visitors to enjoy. A schedule of performances will be posted on the www.malibuannual.com website.

MA Schedule:
Preview Party: Friday, August 28, 7–10pm
Saturday, August 29, 12–8pm
Sunday, August 30, 12–6pm

MA Location:
Malibu Country Mart
3835 Cross Creek Rd
Malibu, California 90265
www.malibuannual.com

MA Participating Galleries:
China Art Objects www.chinaartobjects.com
Chung King Projects www.chungkingprojects.com
Circus Gallery www.circus-gallery.com
The Company www.thecompanyart.com
Eighth Veil www.eighthveil.org
Parker Jones www.parkerjonesgallery.com
Sister www.sisterla.com

MA Contact Info:
Malibu Annual General Information – info@malibuannual.com
Fair Organizer: John Knuth – johnknuth@circus-gallery.com - (323) 842-8752
Press and PR: Annie Wharton – annie@thecompanyart.com – (213) 221-7082
Sponsorship Opportunities: Parker Jones – info@parkerjonesgallery.com (323) 227-0102