PRESENCE ALMANAC
Fourth Chronicle Curated by Elliott Desai
Cover photo by Elliott Desai
Inside Cover photo by Elliott Desai
Cover photo by Elliott Desai
Inside Cover photo by Elliott Desai
FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF ARTS & CULTURE
People are often surprised by the extent to which I live independently.
My life these days is one of beautiful solace, spending more time with myself than ever before, and finally learning what makes me feel happy.
I have some depressive tendencies, and I used to understand myself through the lens of others’ approval.
I now see that “fitting in” was ruining my life, like a noose cinching around my neck every time I conformed.
At the age of 7, I knew I was an artist, yet the next twenty years were a deviation from that truth.
My greatest ignorance was thinking I would know myself better by seeking affirmation from the experiences and people populating my world.
I never learned to sustain myself.
And now I’m working to release and let go of all this misery. We are of the world, not separate or outside of it.
Enough with “who are you?” or “what do you do?” I don’t have answers or explanations for myself. Instead, I’m becoming more comfortable with the real truth — I am the one and only Elliott Desai: an artist expressing himself in a thousand different ways.
I’m finding my way back to trusting my own intuition and intelligence. I hope these chronicles affect the way you understand and engage with your innate senses, too.
Your perspective of the world defines how you experience it. And we’re meant to trust that there’s only here and now. This moment.
This forward is likely stirring up some anxiety in some of you reading it.
But the aspects of life NOT focused on survival are the very reasons we’re gifted this human experience.
We’ve become so distracted by what we “should do” that we’ve tuned out what we really want to do, and what comes most naturally.
To double-down on this truth, I’ll paraphrase another Alan Watts quote: there is no purpose to a purpose-seeking being.
The eternal now is the impetus for the almanac, and I’m still finding succinct ways to communicate a feeling that’s honestly indescribable.
Throughout the end of 2022 and into 2023, I was still in the early stages of dissolving the fallacies I’ve carried for twenty years.
More on this in the weeks to come, so I’ll leave you with a prompt:
Instead of worrying about the day, try setting an intention for each moment. Personal quests, public outings, small and big activities.
For example: in February, the LA art scene explodes. Several art fairs pop up, along with more solo shows and group exhibitions around town.
From Venice to Beverly Grove to Hollywood to the Arts District.
And as the days ramped up, I set an intention for each excursion: there are no rules to this life—it’s a game meant to be played with humor and humaneness (Alan W. Watts ;) ).
The almanac’s mission is a battle cry: for the advancement of ARTS and CULTURE. We are the culture, fitting current beliefs and feelings.
In the last days of this moon cycle, join me in letting go of mindsets and habits that never aligned with you.
Once more, I am Elliott Desai. I am an artist creating my life, being of the world, and documenting what I see.
Published at 3:29 AM on August 8, featuring:
Jake Kean Mayman at LE MAXIMUM, Roger Herman, Mindy Shapero and Joanne Greenbaum at Nino Mier
Matthew Hansel and Pedro Pedro at The Hole
Delbar Shahbaz and Foroozan Shirghani at Advocartsy
And Carmen Argote, Alberta Whittle and Truong Công Tùng all summer long in the Arts District at the Institute of Contemporary Art until Sept 10.
With love, E
VENICE
© Jake Kean Mayman | Coordinate Paper (Primary Scatter Plot, Off Grid Yellow), 2022 Ergonoptics Image courtesy of LE MAXIMUM
© Jake Kean Mayman | Nature vs Nurture (Maltron & Dodie Thayer), 2023 Ergonoptics Image courtesy of LE MAXIMUM
©
Kean Mayman | Orthotic Leverage Augment (Gary Fay Articulated
2023 Ergonoptics Image courtesy of LE MAXIMUM
Jake
Fingers),
WEST HOLLYWOOD
© Roger Herman 2023 Keramik
Image courtesy of Nino Mier Gallery
© Roger Herman 2023 Keramik
Image courtesy of Nino Mier Gallery
© Mindy Shapero 2023
Cracked; loosely thru the night visions.
Image courtesy of Nino Mier Gallery
© Mindy Shapero | Portal Scar, Don’t wait for the buy in, 2023 Cracked; loosely thru the night visions.
Image courtesy of Nino Mier Gallery
©
IVE SEEN THAT FACE BEFORE
Joanne Greenbaum | Untitled, 2022
Image courtesy of Nino Mier Gallery
Image courtesy of Nino Mier
IVE SEEN THAT FACE BEFORE
Gallery © Joanne Greenbaum | Untitled, 2022
HOLLYWOOD
© Matthew Hansel | We Exclaim Our Desires, Brief Whispers In The Wind, Our Ecstasies Our Instrument, Our Demons Our Delight, 2023 | My Inner Demon Never Sleeps Alone Image courtesy of The Hole
© Matthew Hansel | Dancing On The Toes Of Our Shadows, 2023
My Inner Demon Never Sleeps Alone
Image courtesy of The Hole
Image courtesy of The Hole © Matthew Hansel | Morning’s Light We Can’t Forget, It Warms Us Like An Ember, Illuminating With Regret, The Nights We Can’t Remember, 2023 | My Inner Demon Never Sleeps Alone
© Pedro Pedro | Plates with Oysters, Lobsters, Fish, Sandwiches and Charcuterie, 2022 Table, Fruits, Flowers and Cakes
Image courtesy of The Hole
Image
of The
courtesy
Hole
© Pedro Pedro | Cakes with Watermelon and Éclair, 2022 Table, Fruits, Flowers and Cakes
BEVERLY GROVE
Image courtesy of Advocartsy
© Delbar Shahbaz | Life seekers, 2022 Land Is Feeling, Color Is Remedy
Image courtesy of Advocartsy
© Delbar Shahbaz | Chanting the light #1, 2022 Land Is Feeling, Color Is Remedy
Image courtesy of Advocartsy
© Delbar Shahbaz | Unity, 2022
Land Is Feeling, Color Is Remedy
© Foroozan Shirghani | In pursuit of light, 2021 Alienation
Image courtesy of Advocartsy
Image courtesy of Advocartsy
© Foroozan Shirghani | the birth of light, 2019 Alienation
Image courtesy of Advocartsy
© Foroozan Shirghani | Trembling empire Alienation
ARTS DISTRICT
I won’t abandon you, I see you, we are safe
Image courtesy of ICA LA
© Carmen Argote 2023
I won’t abandon you, I see you, we are safe
© Carmen Argote 2023
Image courtesy of ICA LA
© Carmen Argote 2023
I won’t abandon you, I see you, we are safe
Image courtesy of ICA LA
I won’t abandon you, I see you, we are safe
Image courtesy of ICA LA
© Carmen Argote 2023
© Alberta Whittle 2023 between a whisper and a cry
Image courtesy of ICA LA
© Alberta Whittle 2023 between a whisper and a cry
Image courtesy of ICA LA
© Truong Công Tùng 2023
Image courtesy of ICA LA
© Truong Công Tùng 2023
Image courtesy of ICA LA
© Truong Công Tùng 2023
Image courtesy of ICA LA
VENICE WEST HOLLYWOOD
Jake Kean Mayman
Ergonoptics
February 4 - March 12, 2023 lemaximumvenice.com/ jake-kean-mayman-ergonoptics
Roger Herman
Keramik
February 11 – March 11, 2023
miergallery.com/artists/roger-herman
Mindy Shapero
Cracked; loosely thru the night visions. March 24 – May 6, 2023
miergallery.com/artists/mindy-shapero
Joanne Greenbaum
IVE SEEN THAT FACE BEFORE March 24 - May 6, 2023
miergallery.com/artists/ joanne-greenbaum
LE MAXIMUM
2525 Lincoln Blvd, Venice, CA 90291
lemaximumvenice.com
Nino Mier Gallery
7277 Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90046
miergallery.com
HOLLYWOOD
Matthew Hansel
My Inner Demon Never Sleeps Alone
May 6th - June 17th, 2023
thehole.com/artists/matthew-hansel
Pedro Pedro
Table, Fruits, Flowers and Cakes
February 14th – April 29th, 2023
thehole.com/artists/pedro-pedro
The Hole
844 N La Brea Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90038
thehole.com
BEVERLY GROVE
Delbar Shahbaz
Land Is Feeling, Color Is Remedy
February 16 –March 18, 2023
advocartsy.com/delbar-shahbazartist-page
Foroozan Shirghani
Alienation
March 30 - April 29th, 2023
advocartsy.com/foroozan-shirghani
Advocartsy
434 N. La Cienega Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90048
advocartsy.com
ARTS DISTRICT
Carmen Argote
I won’t abandon you, I see you, we are safe
June 10 - September 10, 2023
theicala.org/en/exhibitions/130carmen-argote-i-won-t-abandon-you-isee-you-we-are-safe
Alberta Whittle between a whisper and a cry
June 10 - September 10, 2023
theicala.org/en/exhibitions/131alberta-whittle-between-a-whisperand-a-cry
Truong Công Tùng
June 10 - September 10, 2023
theicala.org/en/exhibitions/129tr-ng-cong-tung
1717 E 7th St, Los Angeles, CA 90021
theicala.org/en
Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (ICA LA)
August 8 at 3:29 AM Los Angeles, CA
© Elliott Desai
presencealmanac.com
