STATE ARTs of the

BY MICHAEL SLENSKE

As the international collecting class descends upon L.A. for another season of conspicuous commerce at the London-based Frieze Fair—this year held at Santa Monica Municipal Airport, the exact spot where the Art Los Angeles Contemporary Fair once thrived—more adventuresome art lovers might want to venture to other parts of the city for a slew of shows by more organically raised L.A. artists. In these pages, Los Angeles has assembled a portfolio of buzzy new local galleries and artists— including a multimedia group atop Mount Washington, a ceramics sculptor extraordinaire in Long Beach, and a comic-critic performing at downtown’s MOCA. It’s all the aesthetic thrills of Frieze, but with none of the jet fumes.