Hello, LA!

I’m Carolina A. Miranda and the art fairs are upon us! The art market may be softer than the Pillsbury Doughboy on a hot day, but that doesn’t mean that LA isn’t going all out — and so am I, with my Highly Official, Totally Scientific Art Insider Guide to Frieze Week With Handy Google Map!

But first, I want to share a story I wrote for the Financial Times about how LA artists are responding to ICE — including artists who will be at Frieze. Plus, I reviewed MOCA’s MONUMENTS show for The New York Review of Books. 

Now, onto the mad scramble…

At top: a detail of Hayv Kahraman's 2025-206 painting Fire and ghost shells spiral, on view at Vielmetter Los Angeles. (Carolina A. Miranda)

FAIR PLAY


Marley Freeman, filled just now quite full of loving being in my self (2025) will be on view at Parker Gallery's booth at Frieze. (Paul Salveson / Parker Gallery)

Grab the comfy walkers, because as The Art Daddy writes, “This is a multi-day psychological endurance test under a tent near the ocean where everyone is hydrated but no one is stable.” Herewith, all the flavors of fair:

FRIEZE (Santa Monica)
For fans of: big names
This edition features 95 galleries from 22 countries. I’ll be looking for the wild ceramics of Sharif Farrag at Jeffrey Deitch, the light and space paintings of Norman Zammit at Karma, the mixed media photographic installations of Christina Fernandez at Gallery Luisotti, and a collaboration organized by Parker Gallery between Marley Freeman and Textile Artifacts, an archive of historic textiles. February 26th–March 1st, Santa Monica Airport, adult admission from $107; frieze.com. 

POST-FAIR (Santa Monica)
For fans of: focused displays
This more intimate fair avoids overload by presenting solo artist shows. More than 30 galleries from around the world will be on site, including LA’s Ehrlich Steinberg (showing the dreamy paintings of Joel Otterson) and San Francisco’s Rebecca Camacho Presents (presenting Ann Buckwalter’s wry domestic scenes). February 26–28th, 1248 Fifth Street, Santa Monica, admission $12; post-fair.com.

BUTTER LA (Inglewood)
For fans of: an equitable approach
Focused on artists of the African diaspora, Butter is making its LA debut with presentations by more than 40 artists — with 100% of the proceeds going to the artists. Expect work by notable LA figures like Autumn Breon, April Bey, and Fulton Leroy Washington (aka Mr. Wash). February 26th to March 1st, 1237 District Drive, Inglewood, admission from $61; butterartfair.com.

FELIX ART FAIR (Hollywood)
For fans of: Hollywood ambiance
Held annually at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, this fair features hotel suites transformed into improvised display areas. Keep an eye out for displays by the fiber artist Channing Hansen at Marc Selwyn Fine Art, as well as Charles Hickey at Feia, who will be replacing objects like room lamps with his own sculptural pieces. February 26th–March 1st, 7000 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, one-day pass $75; felixfair.com.

Charles Hickey, There Are Rowers, Growers (2026). (Charles Hickey / Feia)

SHOW LA (Historic South Central)
For fans of: photography
This new fair, devoted exclusively to picture-making, is landing at the Reef near downtown. Expect a mix of galleries, including established LA spaces like Nonaka-Hill, Peter Fetterman Gallery, and Rosegallery, as well as publishers like Aperture and Artbook LLC. February 26th–March 1st, 1933 S. Broadway, Los Angeles, admission $15; show-la.com.

ENZO (Westlake)
For fans of: New York
Because two new art fairs are not enough, this small-scale fair features nine galleries from downtown Manhattan, including Magenta Plains and Bank. February 26–28th, 1634 W. Temple St., Los Angeles, RSVP is required; enzolosangeles.com.

THE OTHER ART FAIR (Culver City)
For fans of: good deals
This fair presents installations by artists, not galleries — making it a good place to pick up very reasonably priced work. Maintaining the artsy vibe will be food trucks, the DJs of Chulita Vinyl Club, and KCRW’s Dan Wilcox. February 26th–March 1st, 3Labs, 8461 Warner Dr., Culver City, admission from $15; theotherartfair.com.

ART AROUND TOWN

LA galleries have some truly exquisite shows on view and they are F-R-E-E. Here's what's on my radar:

Vielmetter Los Angeles (Downtown)
Vielmetter superb exhibitions by conceptualist Rodney McMillian, whose work questions the elusive nature of the American dream, and painter Hayv Kahraman, who seems to conjure goddesses for the end of the world. The space is also hosting a pop-up group show by La Loma that dwells on the vagaries of fame. McMillian is on view through February 28th; Kahraman and La Loma’s pop-up are up until March 21st; vielmetter.com and lalomaprojects.com.

The Box and Parker Gallery (Downtown / Hancock Park)
These two LA spaces have teamed up for a retrospective of the late Wally Hedrick, the singular Pasadena-born artist who avoided the trappings of the art world and was unconfined by a set style. Through April 4th; theboxla.com and parkergallery.com.

Sprüth Magers (Mid-Wilshire)
The influential Postmodern painter David Salle, whose canvases consist of collage-like arrangements of images, is having his first LA solo in almost three decades. Through April 18th; 5900 Wilshire Boulevard; spruethmagers.com.

David Salle is the subject of a solo show at Sprüth Magers. (John Berens / Sprüth Magers)

Marc Selwyn Fine Art (Two locations in Beverly Hills)
At the gallery’s main space on Santa Monica Boulevard is a show of Jay De Feo’s studies of space. Nearby, at the Camden Annex site, you’ll find vibrant paper works by Ramsés Noriega, a Chicano movement pioneer. De Feo is on view through February 28th, and Noriega through March 14th; marcselwynfineart.com.

Bel Ami (Chinatown)
A group show inspired by themes of darkness riffs on Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull. Count me in. Through April 25th; belami.info.

Louis Stern Fine Arts (West Hollywood)
The gallery is showing drawings, prints, and paintings by the late Samella Lewis, an important doyenne of LA’s Black arts scene. Through March 7th; louissternfinearts.com.

David Zwirner (East Hollywood)
Painter Raymond Saunders seamlessly fused painting with multimedia collage. This exhibition gathers a range of work reflecting his material and conceptual concerns. Through April 25th; davidzwirner.com.

Raymond Saunders, It Wasn't Easy Being a First Grader (1979/1984), is part of the artist's solo show at David Zwirner. (Estate of Raymond Saunders)

Marian Goodman (Hollywood)
Tacita Dean, known for engaging little-known stories in her multimedia installations, is showing new work, including a video that features late Gemini G.E.L. co-founder Sidney Felsen. Through April 25th; mariangoodman.com.

Commonwealth and Council (Koreatown)
In 2020, artist Cayetano Ferrer gathered fragments of LACMA’s demolished buildings. Now he is displaying the rubble in ways that raise questions of permanence and containment. Through March 14th; commonwealthandcouncil.com.

Lisson Gallery (Hollywood)
Japanese-born, Berlin-based Leiko Ikemura creates otherworldly paintings of girls that explore themes of power, sexuality, and transitory states. Through March 28th; lissongallery.com.

Track 16 (East Hollywood)
LA-based painter Molly Segal is the subject of a solo show that finds beauty and despair in the environments humans build for themselves. Through March 14th; track16.com.

Molly Segal, ICE Kidnapped My Neighbor From a Home Depot Parking Lot Yesterday (2025), at Track 16. (Molly Segal / Track 16)

Hoffman Donohue (East Hollywood)
Monica Majoli, an LA painter known for meticulous canvases that engage sexuality and gender, has turned her attention to a series devoted to women, wrestling with issues of representation and objectification. Through April 4th; hoffmandonahue.com.

Charlie James (Chinatown)
A new solo show by LA artist Patrick Martinez brings together drawings, paintings, and neon sculptures — as well as art by a cousin who worked at San Francisco’s famed La Raza Graphics Center. Through April 11th; cjamesgallery.com.

Hauser & Wirth (Downtown)
The gallery has a pair of compelling exhibitions: one is devoted to the important collector Eileen Harris Norton, the other to the painter Christina Quarles, whose canvases fuse body and landscape in surreal ways. Quarles’s show is on view through May 4th and Norton through August 16th; hauserandwirth.com.

Christina Quarles, Tomb (Is My World Not Fallin' Down?) (2025), will be on view at Hauser & Wirth's downtown outpost. (Fredrik Nilsen / Christina Quarles)

Perrotin (West Hollywood)
At the building that once housed the original Spago, Perrotin has organized a pop-up show that explores the “lascivious” side of the health and wellness movement. Through March 1st; perrotin.com.

Morán Morán (East Hollywood)
Lizzie Fitch and Ryan Trecartin, whose hyperkinetic videos capture the very online world, are presenting an immersive piece previously shown at Milan's Prada Foundation. Through April 18th; moranmorangallery.com.

Nazarian / Curcio (Hollywood)
Lush scenes of nature inspired by folding screens are the subject of Ken Gun Min’s paintings. Through March 28th; nazariancurcio.com.

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Need all of this on the go? Check out my handy Google Map, which includes more gallery listings, as well as places to eat, drink, AND get your fortune told.😎

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