26th Presence Almanac

PRESENCE ALMANAC

by Elliott Desai

26TH

FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF ARTS & CULTURE

Presence is the infinite acceptance of each moment as a unique shade in the totality of “being alive.”

Presence is consciousness of the seconds that pass while reading this page, and seeing right now as another expression of our shared spirit.

This universal life source makes up everything we know, and a mural in Leimert Park beautifully depicts this truth.

Patrick Henry Johnson illustrates the side of an entire building at Crenshaw Blvd & Stocker St, and I spotted his painting last Tuesday. It reads:

Have we forgotten that we are spiritual beings having a human experience? In a universe created in harmony, conflict is a creation of your own mind. You have all that you need within, what are you waiting for?

FREE . . . . YOUR . . MIND!

I returned a few days later to photograph and share it in this 26th Presence Almanac, and discovered all of the building’s walls demolished - except for the one with the mural on its side.

The Fairfax Theater near my home is receiving a similar treatment - the entire building is gutted to become residences, but the 1900’s facade remains intact.

I hope Patrick’s mural remains, and as I looked up at the work — grateful to see it still there — a man walked by and commented on my documentation of the scene.

He shared that his father knows the artist and another mural is north, right after Washington Blvd.

So as I drove up the street to see this next painting, I couldn’t help but feel every moment of this story as an example of this truth about living.

Life cannot be broken into separate events or isolated experiences. Each minute leads to the next, and each hour is a complete part of our individuated journeys.

When we think about living in abundance, it’s about seeing this spirit in e v e r y t h i n g and accessing the power of that interdependent magic right now.

Presence is sidestepping any inclination to classify interactions as helpful or hurtful, good or bad, beneficial or detrimental, relevant or irrelevant, and so on.

We are alive! And as living, breathing human beings we are supposed to do / make / act / create from an intuition and a spark to be of the world.

Adhering to this way of living can often feel like shadow boxing with yourself, but life has very few rules when lived from a present point of view.

All of our dreams are within our reach, and today is only one window into our entire lives. And “the end” is the same for everybody, so we have an opportunity.

An opportunity to leap and play with each day of life.

An opportunity to be fascinated and intrigued by the wonders of humanity, and acceptance that not a single person can predict the play-by-play of life.

Without classifying actions or events — and instead seeing them as intrinsic parts of your unique human experience — does the continuity finally appear?

We can leave “risk-averse” ways of living behind, because the “risk” is our once-in-a-lifetime reality to experience the whole world.

Constant evaluation of these minutes and hours only fosters a weak sense of self, and an ego that believes in predicting and trying to control life’s unfolding moments.

Presence is freedom to act like your ideal self, to always be exactly who you want to be, and to release all attempts to mold, tailor or perfect it.

It’s you being you in every moment. And every moment is a divine element in the whole sum of “being alive.”

FASHION DISTRICT

Griselda Rosas’s Donde pasó antes (Where it happened before) at Luis De Jesus Los Angeles.

The embroidery and vibrant colors immediately pulled me in. Inspired by fables she reads to her younger son, Griselda draws on life between Tijuana and San Diego to deconstruct the “ambiguities of identity,” the impact of colonial propaganda on indigenous communities, and the blurring of Mexico’s past and present history.

Staring Into The Sun at Webber Gallery showcased Los Angeles photographers who are shaped by the nuances of this city, its ever-evolving narratives and “intergenerational view points.” My favorite works are made by Eddie Salinas and Abdulhamid Kircher.

Here Now, Now Here is a duo exhibition at Good Mother Gallery on view until March 3.

Adele Renault is inspired by the “lush Californian outdoors” and her paintings are infused with a serenity that celebrates life, the beauty of death, and the “ordinary as epic” in our natural world. Adele’s work also appears as a large mural in West Adams.

LEIMERT PARK

Bahia Reverb: Artists and Place is a group exhibition on view until March 2, showcasing the importance of artist residencies as a tool to experience cultures firsthand and to explore site-oriented practices.

These artists are former fellows of the Sacatar Institute in Bahia, Brazil (an epicenter of the African diaspora) and these works reflect the impact of Bahia on their understanding of themselves. Curated by Bia Gayotto and co-presented by the California African American Museum and Art + Practice

I enjoyed the detailed craftsmanship by Rik Freeman, Francis Tre Lawrence and Juan Erman Gonzalez

BALDWIN HILLS

Jonathan Ryan’s Mirage is on view until March 23 at the Landing.

I immediately fell in love with these oil and sand works as quintessential embodiments of presence. Standing inches away and peering at the details - the textures, colors and composition are infinitely fascinating.

SOUTH LOS ANGELES

Sitting and Looking. at Rusha & Co. featured eighteen artists with a chair positioned in front of each work. In perfect alignment with the almanac, this exhibition is a “celebration of the unhurried and an invitation to pause and reflect.” Sitting is part of the visit, and my favorite pieces are made by Rebekah Rubalcava, Yuwei Tu, Mahesh Baliga and Anna Weyant

MID CITY

George Evans’s Matter in Motion is on view until March 3 at Matter Studio Gallery.

I visited during George’s artist talk and enjoyed hearing his point of view about the divine moment of taking a photograph compared to the fluid nature of his figurative paintings and the expressive spontaneity of his composite, mixed-media works.

CHINATOWN

Nery Gabriel Lemus’s The Poetics of Place and group show Angelitos De Plata are on view until March 2 at Charlie James Gallery.

With consideration of the home as an extension of the self, Nery explores the “physical, emotional, and psychological landscape of Latinx interior space.” His pieces are vignettes of the immigrant experience — incorporating traditional textiles, found objects, and reclaiming watercolor as a medium to document the “specificity of his own culture.”

Curated by Ozzie Juarez, Angelitos De Plata represents a community of influence, support, and inspiration.

Ozzie is interested in identities, the construction of shared experiences, and the revitalization of ancient artifacts, languages, and histories. These works are about the coexisting heritages within all of us, and my favorites pieces are made by Guillaume Ollivier, Gregory Bojorquez and Isaac Psalm Escoto.

Daniela Gomez Paz’s Corrientes enmarañadas / Streams of entanglements is on view until March 16 at NOON Projects.

Multi-layered landscapes constructed from soil, twigs, natural and synthetic fibers confront the “intergenerational exchanges” and complex nature of feminine roles as Daniela pulls on the ColombianAmerican experience and “Mestiza cultural memory.”

These assemblage works reflect the impermanence of inorganic and organic materials intertwining with the human body.

HOLLYWOOD

Jose Dávila’s Photographic Memory and Ana González’s VERDES are on view until March 9 at Sean Kelly, Los Angeles.

In these dynamic works, Jose removes the central subject to challenge “conventional connotations and limitations of photography” and transform these scenes into “discourse about the power of negative space.”

Jose also compels viewers to participate in this creative act by filling in the narrative gaps through their own memories and imagination.

Ana’s work draws on the landscapes of her native Colombia and serve as “a warning of the gradual disappearance of a vital, historic ecosystem.”

The title references the verdant South American green and the dull color of the US dollar - an exploration into the fragile state of our natural resources and the precariousness of “all that remains on this planet which allows us to breathe.”

Cynthia Hawkins’s Maps Necessary for a Walk in 4D is on view until March 16 at STARS Gallery.

As someone in love with cartography, I entered this space and thoroughly enjoyed studying each painting to see “all possibilities one can imagine.” Cynthia is investigating the 4th dimension and human perception of space-time — reimagining form and abstraction as tools for reimagining reality.

The Presence Almanac is a gift of time & space to be immersed in the creativity of artists - sourced from the first two weeks of February.

Sincerely,

Patrick Henry Johnson

Photo by Elliott Desai

FASHION DISTRICT

Photo by Elliott Desai Courtesy of Luis De Jesus Los Angeles

© Griselda Rosas | Untitled (from Fernando’s sketch), 2023 Donde pasó antes (Where it happened before)

Photo by Elliott Desai Courtesy of Luis De Jesus Los Angeles

Photo by Elliott Desai Courtesy of Luis De Jesus Los Angeles

© Griselda Rosas | Artifice de insignias reales 7 (Faux regalia 7), 2023

Donde pasó antes (Where it happened before)

Photo by Elliott Desai

Courtesy of Luis De Jesus Los Angeles

Photo by Elliott Desai

Courtesy of Luis De Jesus Los Angeles

© Eddie Salinas | Untitled (Route 66 Dunes Hotel Window), 2023

Staring Into The Sun

Photo by Elliott Desai Courtesy of Webber Gallery

© Abdulhamid Kircher | Untitled, (Zoe Bullock), 2021 Staring Into The Sun

Photo by Elliott Desai Courtesy of Webber Gallery

Sun

Photo by Elliott Desai Courtesy of Webber Gallery

© Adele Renault | Angie’s Nopales, 2024

Photo by Elliott Desai Courtesy of Good Mother Gallery

Photo by Elliott Desai Courtesy of Good Mother Gallery

© Adele Renault | Quietus, 2024

Photo by Elliott Desai Courtesy of Good Mother Gallery

© Adele Renault Photo by Elliott Desai

LEIMERT PARK

Bahia Reverb: Artists and Place

Photo by Elliott Desai Courtesy of CAAM at Art + Practice

© Francis Tre Lawrence | Ilha de Itaparica: Uma força da natureza, 2019 Bahia Reverb: Artists and Place

Photo by Elliott Desai

Courtesy of CAAM at Art + Practice

© Francis Tre Lawrence | Ilha de Itaparica: Uma força da natureza, 2019 Bahia Reverb: Artists and Place

Photo by Elliott Desai Courtesy of CAAM at Art + Practice

© Juan Erman Gonzalez | The Last Mile, 2004 Bahia Reverb: Artists and Place

Photo by Elliott Desai

Courtesy of CAAM at Art + Practice

© Juan Erman Gonzalez | A la Rueda, Rueda, 2019

Bahia Reverb: Artists and Place

Photo by Elliott Desai Courtesy of CAAM at Art + Practice

BALDWIN HILLS

© Jonathan Ryan | Fall, 2024

Mirage

Photo by Elliott Desai Courtesy of the Landing

© Jonathan Ryan | Myst, 2023 Mirage

Photo by Elliott Desai Courtesy of the Landing

© Jonathan Ryan | Incline, 2023

Mirage

Photo by Elliott Desai Courtesy of the Landing

© Jonathan Ryan | Courtyard, 2023

Mirage

Photo by Elliott Desai

Courtesy of the Landing

© Jonathan Ryan | Emerald Pool, 2023

Mirage

Photo by Elliott Desai Courtesy of the Landing

SOUTH LOS ANGELES

© Rebekah Rubalcava

Photo by Elliott Desai Courtesy of Rusha & Co.

Photo by Elliott Desai Courtesy of Rusha & Co.

© Mahesh Baliga | Fountain, 2022

Sitting and Looking.

Photo by Elliott Desai Courtesy of Rusha & Co.

© Anna Weyant | Drawing for Monster, 2021

and Looking.

Photo by Elliott Desai Courtesy of Rusha & Co.

Photo by Elliott Desai

MID CITY

George Evans Matter in Motion

Photo by Elliott Desai Courtesy of Matter Studio Gallery

© George Evans | Black Moon Matter in Motion

Photo by Elliott Desai

Courtesy of Matter Studio Gallery

© George Evans | Defense of Home Matter in Motion

Photo by Elliott Desai Courtesy of Matter Studio Gallery

© George Evans | Stretch Matter in Motion

Photo by Elliott Desai

Courtesy of Matter Studio Gallery

© George Evans | Gesture II

Matter in Motion

Photo by Elliott Desai Courtesy of Matter Studio Gallery

CHINATOWN

Photo by Elliott Desai

Courtesy of Charlie James Gallery

© Nery Gabriel Lemus | They Got Pyramids Where I’m From, 2024

The Poetics of Place

Photo by Elliott Desai

Courtesy of Charlie James Gallery

© Nery Gabriel Lemus | Camine Ese Camino, 2024 The Poetics of Place

Photo by Elliott Desai

Courtesy of Charlie James Gallery

Nery Gabriel Lemus | Mi Otro Yo, 2024

The Poetics of Place

Photo by Elliott Desai

Courtesy of Charlie James Gallery

© Nery Gabriel Lemus | The Power to Blossom, 2024

Poetics of Place

Photo by Elliott Desai Courtesy of Charlie James Gallery

© Guillaume Ollivier | Hollywood Forever, 2023 Angelitos De Plata

Photo by Elliott Desai

Courtesy of Charlie James Gallery

Gregory Bojorquez | Car Show Girls #1, 2023

Angelitos De Plata

Photo by Elliott Desai

Courtesy of Charlie James Gallery

© Isaac Psalm Escoto | Blood from a stone, 2024 Angelitos De Plata

Photo by Elliott Desai Courtesy of NOON Projects

© Daniela Gomez Paz | alas enmarañadas, 2023 Corrientes enmarañadas / Streams of entanglements

Photo by Elliott Desai Courtesy of NOON Projects

© Daniela Gomez Paz | gabinete del ave, 2023

Corrientes enmarañadas / Streams of entanglements

Photo by Elliott Desai Courtesy of NOON Projects

© Daniela Gomez Paz | grietas en su apoyo, 2023 Corrientes enmarañadas / Streams of entanglements

Photo by Elliott Desai Courtesy of NOON Projects

© Daniela Gomez Paz | aullido de la aguja, 2023

Corrientes enmarañadas / Streams of entanglements

HOLLYWOOD

© Jose Dávila

Photo by Elliott Desai

Courtesy of Sean Kelly Los Angeles

Photo by Elliott Desai

Courtesy of Sean Kelly Los Angeles

© Jose Dávila | Untitled (Cowboy), 2023

Photographic Memory

Photo by Elliott Desai

Courtesy of Sean Kelly Los Angeles

© Jose Dávila | Untitled (Cowboy), 2023

Photographic Memory

Photo by Elliott Desai

Courtesy of Sean Kelly Los Angeles

Photo by Elliott Desai

Courtesy of Sean Kelly Los Angeles

© Ana González | COCORA, 2023 VERDES

Photo by Elliott Desai

Courtesy of Sean Kelly Los Angeles

© Ana González | MACARENA, 2023 VERDES

Photo by Elliott Desai

Courtesy of Sean Kelly Los Angeles

©

Photo by Elliott Desai

Courtesy of Sean Kelly Los Angeles

Photo by Elliott Desai

Courtesy of Sean Kelly Los Angeles

© Cynthia Hawkins | Maps Necessary for a Walk in 4D #6, 2023 Maps Necessary for a Walk in 4D

Photo by Elliott Desai Courtesy of STARS Gallery

© Cynthia Hawkins | Maps Necessary for a Walk in 4D #4, 2023 Maps Necessary for a Walk in 4D

Photo by Elliott Desai Courtesy of STARS Gallery

© Cynthia Hawkins | A Priori Map RL14, 2024

for a Walk in 4D

Photo by Elliott Desai Courtesy of STARS Gallery

© Cynthia Hawkins | Maps Necessary for a Walk in 4D #3, 2023 Maps Necessary for a Walk in 4D

Photo by Elliott Desai Courtesy of STARS Gallery

Photo by Elliott Desai

FASHION DISTRICT

Griselda Rosas

Donde pasó antes (Where it happened before)

January 13 - February 17, 2024 luisdejesus.com/artists/griselda-rosas

Luis De Jesus Los Angeles 1110 Mateo St, Los Angeles, CA 90021 gagareena.com

Staring Into The Sun

December 18, 2023 – February 27, 2024

Eddie Salinas

Abdulhamid Kircher

Webber Gallery

939 S Santa Fe Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90021 webberrepresents.com

Adele Renault Here Now, Now Here

February 3 - March 4, 2024 goodmothergallery.com/artists/186-adele-renault

Good Mother Gallery

1212 S Santa Fe Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90021 goodmothergallery.com

LEIMERT PARK

Patrick Henry Johnson

Bahia Reverb: Artists and Place

September 16, 2023 - March 2, 2024

Rik Freeman

Francis Tre Lawrence Juan Erman Gonzalez

Art + Practice 3401 W 43rd Pl, Los Angeles, CA 90008 artandpractice.org caamuseum.org

BALDWIN HILLS

Jonathan Ryan

Mirage

February 10 - March 23, 2024 thelandinggallery.com/jonathan-ryan-images

the Landing 5118 w Jefferson Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90016 thelandinggallery.com

SOUTH LOS ANGELES

Sitting and Looking.

January 20 - February 24, 2024

Rebekah Rubalcava

Yuwei Tu

Mahesh Baliga

Anna Weyant

Rusha & Co.

244 West Florence Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90003 rusha.co

George Evans Matter in Motion

February 4 - March 3, 2024 georgeevans.site

Matter Studio Gallery 5080 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90019 matterstudiogallery.com

MID CITY CHINATOWN

Nery Gabriel Lemus

The Poetics of Place

January 27 - March 2, 2024 cjamesgallery.com/artists/nery-gabriel-lemus

Angelitos De Plata

January 20 - March 2, 2024

Guillaume Ollivier

Gregory Bojorquez

Isaac Psalm Escoto

Charlie James Gallery 969 Chung King Rd, Los Angeles, CA 90012 cjamesgallery.com

Daniela Gomez Paz

Corrientes enmarañadas / Streams of entanglements

February 2 - March 16, 2024 danielagpaz.com

NOON Projects 951 Chung King Rd, Los Angeles, CA 90012 noon-projects.com

HOLLYWOOD

Jose Dávila

Photographic Memory

January 20 – March 9, 2024 skny.com/artists/jose-davila

Ana González VERDES

January 20 – March 9, 2024 skny.com/exhibitions/ana-gonzalez

Sean Kelly Los Angeles 1357 Highland Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90028 skny.com

Cynthia Hawkins

Maps Necessary for a Walk in 4D February 1 – March 16, 2024 stars-gallery.com/artists/cynthia-hawkins

STARS Gallery

3116 N El Centro Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90028 stars-gallery.com

February 24, 2024

Los Angeles, CA

© Elliott Desai