Sunday in LA

Currently, there is a Jasper Johns installation at the Broad Museum.  My sister-in-law got us all tickets.  You can’t just waltz into the Broad without a ticket.  The good news is that you get to experience the works without too many people, the bad news is if you don’t plan ahead, you are screwed.

The show is curated with six decades of John’s work.  It shows the evolution of his work that is around materials, items, and techniques.  Of course, the flag.  He is quoted as saying “One night I dreamed that I had painted a large American flag and the next morning I got up and went out and bought the materials to begin it.”.  The flags were some of my favorite works in the show.

He liked showing items that were part of his everyday life.

The numbers.

The targets.

The maps.  His first map was in 1960 when he painted over a small printed map given to him by Robert Rauschenberg.

This was painted in 2006.

One of the seasons mixed with subliminal messages.

This piece was at the beginning or the end of the show, depending on how you look at it.

We left the Broad and made our way over to Smorgasborg.  Smorgasborg began in Brooklyn in 2011 and has expanded to other locations and this one opened in 2016.  It is located on Bay Street, in an area where the produce used to come before being distributed throughout the city.  Smorgasborg is located in the large parking lot that was used for the trucks that came in.  What is amazing is all the buildings around it. It is huge and this area is currently being transformed into a very cool hip place with retail, restaurants, offices and more.  From what I saw, they are doing an incredible job.  Only a short 10 minutes from the Broad by car.  Just another area of downtown LA transforming.  Yet just 4 minutes from there is Skid Row which has grown to epic proportions.  It is almost compartmentalized from the expanding landscape of LA that is changing the downtown economy.  It is a huge issue and although the city passed a tax to fix this issue up, nothing seems to be done.  It is extremely disturbing and definitely not safe.

Smorgasborg is probably not a great place to go when the temperatures are high but this day was perfect.  Interesting to see the food vendors here vs NYC.  This is Goa Tacos roasting their meats.

The taco is stuffed with the pork, cole slaw and wrapped in a naan type bread.  Pretty good.

There is even an oyster place.

Of course, a bowl which is an essential part of Los Angeles food.

Stuffed rice into wontons.

Thai Truck.

Flavored ice.

And my nieces hit up the waffle stand before we headed out.

There are a few of these streets that have been laid down between the 6 old manufacturing building.

Here is the font and look of the place.  Extremely well done.  Looking forward to coming back next year and seeing how much is changed.