The venerable Photo L.A. kicks off its 27th annual multi-gallery exhibit next week, with over 55 local and international galleries participating. Slotted into Santa Monica’s spectacular Barker Hangar, it all begins with an opening preview on Thursday, January 31, and runs through February 3.
Opening night doubles as a benefit for Venice Arts, a vital non-profit that offers low-income youth access to photography and film education opportunities. But perhaps most importantly, this year's edition will enthusiastically celebrate seminal photographer Jo Ann Callis, something of a Southern California legend.
Callis’ work, though shot over the past several decades, actually feels acutely relevant today, as the challenging of women’s roles at home and in society reaches a fervent boiling point. The 78-year-old photographer’s imagery - which she told AnOther Mag is “...about me. My stuff, my insecurities. I’m never representing anyone else, ever.” - presents a beautiful yet disturbing vision of domesticity: a woman lying on a pillow shot from behind with a seam running from scalp to waist, hair fanned out in a shock of blonde fuzz; a pair of sequin-shoed feet standing on a chair, bound by the hands of a man in a suit.
Photo L.A. will also feature the sizable women-only collection of Michael and Jane Wilson. Making It Up: Photographs from the Michael and Jane Wilson Trust Collection features works from Callis, Nancy Burson, Mary Ellen Mark, Nancy Honey, Graciela Iturbide, Nikki S. Lee, Marcia Resnick, Cindy Sherman and Catherine Wagner, amongst so many other notables.
See a full list of participating galleries, and purchase tickets for opening night at Photo L.A.’s website.
