LOS ANGELES, CA.- LOST (in LA), the premiere exhibition presented by FLAX (France Los Angeles Exchange) in partnership with the Palais de Tokyo, Paris, and the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA), feature a major installation of works by contemporary artists from both Los Angeles and France. The exhibition, curated by former director of Palais de Tokyo Marc-Olivier Wahler, presents visitors with a visual and experiential narrative loosely inspired by the hit television series LOST.
LOST one of the influential TV series of this decade is considered by many artists as a source of inspiration as well as disappointment, as it struggles to deliver a true formal link that would connect the different layers of time and space. The exhibition LOST (in LA) comes from the desire expressed by many artists to create this formal link.
LOST (in LA) weaves 40 artworks and an extraordinary venue into an intriguing adventure where layers of time and space appear to be interlaced together atop a hill hidden in the middle of this vast city. The artist list includes Stephan Balkenhol, Michel Blazy, André Breton, Valentin Carron, Guy de Cointet, Philippe Decrauzat, Bertrand Dezoteux, Daniel Dewar & Gregory Gicquel, Vincent Ganivet, Camille Henrot, Thomas Hirschhorn, Fabrice Hyber, Nathan Hylden, Mike Kelley, Robert Kinmont, Vincent Lamouroux, Laurent Le Deunff, René Magritte, Man Ray, Tony Matelli, Philippe Mayaux, Mathieu Mercier, Laurent Montaron, Julien Prévieux, Jim Shaw, Alexandre Singh, Tatiana Trouvé, Oscar Tuazon, Jean-Luc Verna, Robert Watts, and Marnie Weber.
When FLAX came to me with the concept of a joint exhibition, we sought to find a way to combine Frances deep connection with the Contemporary Art movement and Los Angeles roots in compelling storytelling. I am proud to say that with LOST (in LA) we have surpassed our original expectations said Jean de Loisy, Palais de Tokyo President.
LOST (in LA) supports the exchange and dialogue that FLAX thrives to promote through various connections made between France and Southern California. We are thrilled that Marc-Olivier Wahler is bringing together this outstanding group of artists to the heart of Los Angeles. It is our most ambitious project to date, and we plan to launch other initiatives throughout Los Angeles and surrounding communities, said Elisabeth Forney, FLAX Executive Director.
Visitors to LOST (in LA) will find themselves cast as characters in a fabulous drama that is played out in the Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery (LAMAG) at Barnsdall Park, a 36-acre former private estate and artists colony situated on a hilltop in the heart of the Los Feliz neighborhood. Long regarded as one of Hollywood's most creative, diverse, and accessible communities, this historic location provides the perfect setting for LOST (in LA), with its majesty and beauty becoming as much a part of the exhibition as the island did on the series that inspired the style of the exhibitions narrative.
LOST (in LA) aims to discover the lost history of radical exchange between artists from France and Los Angeles and to participate in the re-birth of Los Angeles as an artistic capital.
LOST (in LA) will be on view at the Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery in Barnsdall Park at 4800 Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles, California, 90027, from December 1, 2012 to January 27, 2013. This exhibition will be free and open to the public.