L.A. Art Show 2024’s DIVERSEartLA Returns With Focus On A.I. + Memory

DIVERSEartLA  returned this year with a new ecological lens, examining artificial intelligence represented in art, and how humanity’s place in the world is depicted.

Curated by Marisa Caichiolo, DIVERSEartLA connects important local and international art institutions to generate thoughtful dialogue through art while also honoring the unique biodiversity of Los Angeles. Last year’s iteration featured nine interdisciplinary projects examining the climate crisis, including inspiring works by artist and ecofeminist Judy Baca and renowned Korean artist Han Ho. This 2024 program explores the intersection of memory, humanity, and AI through a selection of art, technology, and multimedia exhibitions.

“Memory is a fundamental aspect of human experience that shapes our individual and collective identities,” said Caichiolo. “From AI-generated artworks to immersive virtual reality experiences that challenge our sense of self, the works in this edition invites us to consider the opportunities and challenges presented by AI and memory while also raising important questions about the ethical and social implications of relying on AI as a tool for memory and identity.”

From L.A. Art Show Press Office:

The LA Art Show, LA’s largest and longest-running art fair, wrapped up its 29th iteration following a triumphant return to the Los Angeles Convention Center from February 14 through 18, 2024. Guided by producer and director Kassandra Voyagis, the fair kicked off the city’s art season, uniting galleries, curators, collectors, and celebrities alike.

LA Art Show presented another spectacular international lineup with over 100 exhibitors from countries including the Philippines, Italy, Israel, Peru, and South Korea. “LA Art Show is a one-stop destination for the public and collectors to view art work from all over the world as we continue our commitment to delivering the most comprehensive and international contemporary art experience possible,” says Voyagis.

The fair debuted with a successful Opening Night Premiere Party on Valentine’s Day hosted by award-winning actress Lucy Hale, benefiting LA Art Show’s new charity partner, American Heart Association, which received 15% of ticket sales in support of the organization’s Life is Why™ campaign.

Artificial intelligence and Black History Month played significant roles in this year’s fair as well as key initiatives that support the next generation of artists from “Athletes for Life” founded by former NFL’s  Greg Bell to the featured exhibition of Young Masters Art Prize, presented by Cynthia Corbett Gallery, London, supporting emerging talents from diverse backgrounds.

LA Art Show’s educational platform, DIVERSEartLA, partnered with seven international art institutions to explore the intersection of memory and AI. Projects included the Nevada Museum of Art that presented “The Journey” by Guillermo Bert, featuring 20 life-sized wood sculptures of immigrants employed as frontline workers during the pandemic as a way to explore how ancient traditions and AI merge to create narratives of identity and memory. AAL Museum (Santiago, Chile) presented a hypnotizing visual narrative, “Be Water,” led by esteemed artist, Antuan, highlighting the essential collaboration between humanity and AI to create a new network of human consciousness.

Past year’s Programming highlights featuring international artists include:

Dox Contemporary-Prague, the Czech Center New York, and The General Consulate of The Czech Republic present “THE SIGN,” a site specific installation by Swen Leer. We, as a society, obey highway signs and take their truth for granted. The installation The Sign plugs into this a-priori factuality by mimicking the iconic freeway signage, while communicating an unexpected message that calls to mind the cost of our economical growth and its toll on our planet: “Your children WILL hate you – eventually.”

Museum of the Arts of the University of Guadalajara, and MCA Museum of Environmental Science present “THE OTHER WATERFALL & CHAPALA ALSO DROPS ITSELF” by Claudia Rodriguez, both of which reflect the contamination and lack of water that has affected the state of Jalisco, Mexico in the last decades.

MUMBAT Museum of Fine Arts of Tandil and the Museum of Nature and Science Antonio Serrano of Entre Rios Argentina present “THE EARTH’S FRUITS” by Guillermo Anselmo Vezzosi curated by Indiana Gnocchini which is a scientific research project whose ideology culminates with an installation work of a specific ephemeral site, where the waste that takes on a second life is dignified.

The Museum of Nature of Cantabria Spain contributes with “Our turn to change” by Andrea Juan and Gabriel Penedo Diego, a video-installation. The video installation appeals to the viewer, through images, to awaken to an increasingly worrying reality. Drop by drop, large amounts of ice are lost every second. The Arctic is at minimum levels, Antarctica has lost ice shelves, glaciers have retracted and the oceans levels continue to rise.

UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center presents “Mound” by María Elena González and curated by Chon A. Noriega. The installation’s performance component will involve the artist mending and gluing together pieces in the “hopes” of restoring, closely to but not exactly, what they were prior to breaking.

“Recognizing Skid Row As A Neighborhood:Skid Row Cooling Resources,” curated by Tom Grode highlights that Skid Row is a dynamic, primarily African American, residential neighborhood, not a problem to be fixed. The brutal heat waves of September 2020 created Skid Row Cooling Resources, a collaborative planning effort and think tank to ensure the summer of 2021 and beyond was better for Skid Row residents. Skid Row is a unique Urban Heat Island in the larger Heat Island of Downtown Los Angeles.

TAM Torrance Art Museum presents “Memorial to the Future,” a collaborative art work concerning Climate Change 2022, curated by Max Presneill. Using Brutalist architecture as a reference point that encapsulates both the idealism and abject failure of this model, the collaborations, via photograph and video, highlight the need for immediate action. They do this not by way of propaganda, but rather via a diversity of photographic concerns that by physical proximity in their installation on a single structure, bring together various viewpoints and interpretations of warning, of caution, of danger in respect of our environment, nature and climate.

The Environmental Digital Experience by A.Ordoñez delivered by Raubtier Productions & Unicus and curated by Marisa Caichiolo, an immersive experience that shows the viewers a range of climate phenomena, ending on the positive growth of new flora.

Saving the planet, and documenting change in our environment (Past – Present – Future), is one of the most powerful things about art is that it brings people together, and transforms the way we communicate. This topic is at the heart of a growing number of art narratives, including exhibitions built with high-tech innovations, designed to inspire artistic appreciation and the desire to respond to environmental challenges, reinforcing the value of translating environmental advocacy into art.

“The goal of DIVERSEartLA 2022 is to view this sector of art within the show through ecological glasses: how the environment is represented in art installations and objects, and also how humans’ place in the world is depicted,” says Marisa Caichiolo. “These installations represent our present day and the looming impact we will all face as the planet warms. DIVERSEartLA 2022 will encourage visitors to confront the complex challenges of our global climate crisis and imagine potential solutions.”

With an emphasis on relatable and timely issues the LA Art Show and DIVERSEartLA are kicking 2022 off with a bang. Please visit www.LAArtShow.com to learn more.