13ThingsLA: February 25
Love and War for your art calendar
Seven art fairs in like four days, y’all; plus special events, insightful conversations, and new openings at Carpenters Workshop Gallery, Metabolic Studio at The Barn, ArtCenter, The Pit, Bergamot Station, Gemini G.E.L., Eames House Studio, Artbug Gallery, Subliminal Projects, Getty Center, Luis De Jesus Los Angeles, and homeLA.
FEATURE: ALL’S FAIR
FELIX FAIR: Saturated in the louche, poolside glam of the Hollywood Roosevelt, Felix remains the most “LA” of the circuit, as art from an eclectic range of contemporary galleries is tucked into hotel suites, poolside cabanas and patios, and bathroom vanities. It’s an intimate, slightly voyeuristic exercise in bedside-table connoisseurship that thankfully feels more like a party than a trade show. Opening Night: Wednesday, February 25; Fair Hours: February 26-March 1; $74-$100; felixfair.com. —SND
POST-FAIR: Bypassing the labyrinth of the standard convention floor—and the increasingly astronomical entry and participation fees—in favor of a low-impact, open-plan layout, Post-Fair offers a breathable alternative to the week’s high-octane spectacles. Prioritizing measured solo presentations in the fantastic setting of the Old Santa Monica Post Office, the project gambles on the appeal of sophisticated, conceptual minimalism. Fair Hours: February 26-28; Tickets: $12; post-fair.com. —SND
SHOW LA: Driven by the creative engines of Nazraeli Press (LA), Setanta Books (London), and Micamera (Milan), this debut photography fair at The Reef centers the “photobook-as-object” ethos. Robust curatorial and conversation programming further illuminates the tactile intimacy of the printed page through workshops and solo presentations—along with an art-book vending machine and a low-fi photobooth to ground the discourse in pleasure. Opening Night: Thursday, February 26; Fair Hours: February 27-March 1; Tickets: $15-$35; show-la.com. —SND
BUTTER LA FINE ART FAIR: Making its West Coast debut at Hollywood Park, this Indianapolis-born fair arrives with a unique model that returns 100% of sales to the artists. The curation centers the African diaspora through an expansive roster that includes beloved figures like vanessa german, Samuel Levi Jones, Autumn Breon, and April Bey in an immersive sanctuary that prioritizes the artist’s sovereignty and the collective resilience of Black creative production. Opening Night: Thursday, February 26; Fair Hours: February 27-March 1; Tickets: $60-$300; butterartfair.com. —SND
OTHER ART FAIR: Saatchi’s trademark almost-DIY fair ditches the gallery representation model, as this Culver City staple puts you face-to-face with the artists themselves in an unpretentious, sticker-shock-free environment. It’s the ideal spot to impulse buy based on love and instinct, and directly support working artists in a something-for-everyone booth-o-rama. Opening Night: Thursday, February 26; Fair Hours: February 27-March 1; Tickets: $20-$250; theotherartfair.com. —SND
STARTUP FAIR: Occupying the Kinney Hotel in Venice, this artist-direct satellite fair transforms the poolside lodging into a sequence of intimate, site-specific installations. The rooms serve as temporary stagings for artworks and experiences wherein the traditional distance between maker and seeker evaporates. The curated selection and very vibey atmosphere truly foster connections in a tactile, unmediated engagement with art work and its makers. Opening Night: Friday, February 27; Fair Hours: February 28-March 1; Tickets: $22-$80; startup-art.com. —SND
FRIEZE LOS ANGELES: The blue-chip sun around which the week’s satellite system revolves rises again in Santa Monica Airport with the gravitas of the upper global market echelon and the high-gloss theater of an epic celebrity-rich people-watching IG safari. Within the signature tent and the curated Focus section, the fair offers a fleeting public window into the movements of the primary market, a rare chance to encounter premier work before it inevitably vanishes into the sequestered silence of private collections or tax-exempt vaults—it’s a weirdly pure art-loving reward and the only moment most of us will ever have with these objects full of life and grandeur before they become someone’s assets. VIP Preview Day: Thursday, February 27; Fair Hours: February 28-March 1; Tickets: $100-$215; frieze.com.
