At the end of January, Frieze, a key event of L.A. Art Week, announced its 2025 fair with the tagline, “A Celebration of Creative Resilience and Community Rebuilding.” Last week, during its sixth edition, the fair showcased sold-out booths, attracted thousands of attendees, and featured innovative public programs. This spirit of celebration was mirrored across other concurrent fairs such as Felix Art Fair, Post-Fair, The Other Art Fair, and The L.A. Art Show, along with numerous exhibitions citywide.
A vibrant atmosphere of joy and unity was evident from Santa Monica to the east side, as the art community gathered for the first time since devastating wildfires that impacted over 40,000 acres and destroyed more than 10,000 homes in Los Angeles County. Artists, gallerists, and collectors expressed a mix of pride and relief at the week’s robust participation, dispelling earlier concerns of empty booths and a gloomy environment.
The week balanced mourning with celebration, recognizing the tragedy while helping those affected regain financial stability and normalcy. Even at Frieze, known for its commercial focus, numerous museum-quality exhibits from both local and international galleries, such as Roberts Projects, Gagosian, and Almine Rech, were complemented by fire-relief initiatives. These included a booth by the Black Trustee Alliance, which collected oral histories from Altadena’s Black community, and “Galleries Together,” a collaborative exhibition led by Victoria Miro featuring works by local artists like Devin Troy Strother, Max Hooper Schneider, and Tidawhitney Lek to support the L.A. Arts Community Fire Relief Fund. Additionally, the Frieze Arts Alliance was established, uniting major institutions like the Guggenheim Museum and ICA Miami to prioritize acquisitions from local artists and galleries.
At Felix, the unique fair held in the historic Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, a significant area was dedicated to “Foundations,” an exhibition by the L.A. AYUDA Network. Over 100 local artists, including rafa esparza, Lauren Bon, noé olivas, and Beatriz Cortez, created pieces inspired by cornerstones, symbolizing the rebuilding process and the collaborative nature of recovery. Some poignant works incorporated materials from destroyed homes, while others featured playful elements like flash drives and neon paint. Throughout the fair, galleries presented vibrant displays, showcasing art’s ability to inspire and uplift.
Artists were also invited to create fridge magnets. In Boyle Heights, the Pio Pico gallery hosted a benefit sale featuring over 100 artists’ magnets displayed on refrigerator doors, exemplifying the creative community’s resilience and humor amid adversity. Works by Chris Lux, Amy Bessone, and Julian Josiah MacMillan drew significant attention.
Other fundraisers enabled visitors to connect aesthetically and emotionally with the local cultural landscape’s recovery. The “One Hundred Percent” pop-up benefit, curated by Adam Moshaydi, showcased works priced from $50 to $50,000 by nearly 100 artists impacted by the fires, including prominent figures like Paul McCarthy and Kathryn Andrews. Another notable event was “Out of the Ashes” at Craig Krull Gallery in Bergamot Station Art Center, which evolved from a fire relief effort into a platform for artists to share their narratives. Each of the more than 30 exhibited works, including Kevin Cooley ’s haunting photographs and Gary Palmer ’s ethereal paintings, was accompanied by a statement reflecting the artist’s experience. An artist talk on Saturday night attracted a large, emotional audience.
A similar sense of community was evident in various exceptional group exhibitions held in historic venues, including Loyal ’s annual takeover at the El Royale apartments, Peter Blake Gallery ’s “BLAKEHAUS Beverly Hills” at Richard Neutra’s William H. Levit House, and Jack Siebert Projects’s “Modèle Vivant” in a mid-century home commissioned by Walt Disney. The new alternative fair Post-Fair featured 29 galleries across a spacious Art Deco building in Santa Monica, resembling a museum exhibition rather than a typical art fair.
Notable parties included a revival of the beloved Chinatown dive bar Hop Louie, co-hosted by galleries Bel Ami and Hannah Hoffman, and a cocktail event at Chateau Marmont with The Art Newspaper and Aston Martin. Albertz Benda’s exhibition opening, “Saddle Up: Artistic Journeys Through Cowboy Culture,” was another highlight.
Among the standout exhibitions were Bruce Nauman at Marian Goodman Gallery, Lisa Yuskavage at David Zwirner, Kelly Akashi at Lisson Gallery, and Woody De Othello at Karma. De Othello expressed, “Emotion is energy in motion. It is felt rather than seen, almost like wave lengths or sound reverberations.” He hopes his surreal ceramic vessels help us attune to the emotions of others.
The outpouring of support and compassion in Los Angeles over the last two months, reflected in these sculptures and the broader Art Week, showcases the community’s commitment to empathy and solidarity, emphasizing that togetherness is essential for recovery.
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