Opening

Saturday, September 5, 2020, 8-10pm

Location

Maple Street Plaza
401 E. 12th Street
Downtown Los Angeles

High Beams is a curated collection of Bendix Building art spaces that creates an unconventional drive-through art exhibition on the parking lot across from the building at 401 E. 12th St. in Los Angeles’ Fashion District. The outdoor exhibition invites audiences to experience contemporary art from the safety and comfort of their cars, transforming a parking structure into an unexpected exhibition space.

“Since the pandemic began, each of our spaces has been able to show art only in a limited fashion, if at all, and few people have been able to participate. We have missed our huge Bendix Building opening nights where we saw all our friends,” said Carl Baratta, one of the organizers.

“A couple of us were masked up helping Dani Dodge move in July and we started throwing around ideas of getting everyone together again by holding an open-air show that would be safe even for the most COVID-vulnerable among us,” Baratta said. “Over Bloody Marys, we came up with High Beams, a lighthearted, fun way of creating a post-apocalyptic car-centric show in a parking lot that embraces Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.”

Artists from the Bendix Building joined the effort, contributing to an exhibition that brings together a wide-ranging selection of work by Los Angeles artists. The presentation includes more than two dozen lawn ornaments, lighted sculptures, furniture covered in plush animal toy fur, unscripted performance art, videos, and artwork that explores and recreates the familiar form of the traffic cone.

The rooftop exhibition is complemented by virtual programming created by participating spaces, including events, gallery walk-throughs, and artist talks. The High Beams website provides a directory of virtual programming representing the work and artists associated with each participating physical location.

Following the virtual programming, visitors can make their way to the Fashion District to experience the exhibition in person—through their car windows—at the parking lot across from the Bendix Building. Guests are guided through the exhibition as they enter the parking structure, move through the installation, and depart.

High Beams is organized by a curatorial group of Bendix Building artists that includes Carl Baratta; Katya Usvitsky (TSALA); Debra Broz and Emily Blythe Jones (MVP); Molly Schulman (MVP and Maiden LA); and Dani Dodge, Alanna Marcelletti, Sean Noyce, and Max Presneill (Durden and Ray).

515

Durden and Ray

Gallery ALSO

Last Ditch

Maiden LA

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Sea Farm City

Track 16

Tiger Strikes Asteroid LA

Venice Institute of Contemporary Art

Artists Formerly Known as Women

Janna Avner

Carl Baratta

Andrea Bersaglieri

BRD

Debra Broz

Andrea Castillo

Laura Darlington

Dani Dodge

Jillian Frederick 

Erin Fussell

Lesla Godfrey

Richelle Gribble

Jamie Hamilton

Chris Hanke

Hannah Hughes

Mary-Linn Hughes

Matthew Kerkhof

Knowhow Shop LLC

Karah Lain

Piper Mavis

Alanna Marcelletti

Easton Miller

Hagop Najarian

Toban Nichols

Larissa Nickel

Dakota Noot

Jordynn Nusz

OneHouse Arts

Jennie E. Park 

Laura Paul

Iris Peretz

Ashton Phillips

Mary Anna Pomonis and Justin Stadel

Jeremy Quinn

Michael Rippens

Christina Shurts

Kate Sikorski

Beverly Siu

Christopher Ulivo

Sara Velas

Juan Villarreal

Surge Witrön

HK Zamani