1. pascALEjandro at BLUM Los Angeles

ANOTHER WORLD is Alejandro Jodorowsky and Pascale Montandon-Jodorowsky’s (known together as pascALEjandro) second exhibition at BLUM Los Angeles. The show features over twenty vignettes on paper. Using mixed media such as watercolor and colored pencils, Jodorowsky’s illustrations embody the masculine, whereas Montandon-Jodorowsky’s paintings represent the feminine. At times, the duo adds objects to their flat surfaces, elevating them to three-dimensional objects. pascALEjandro expand upon their individual talents together, creating stories with their work that features “paranormal creatures and mystical lovers” who “dance between life and death.”  They view their work as a manifesto of their union, uncompromising love, and sincerity, inviting viewers to participate in their world of poetry and magic.

On view: May 18–June 29, 2024 | Open map

2. Molly Bounds at BOZOMAG

Stephanie Prepares is a solo exhibition by Molly Bounds at BOZOMAG’s Cresthaven location. This new body of work features oil on canvas paintings exploring “metamorphosis, power, and ecstatic freedom.” Visitors to the show become voyeurs, watching up close and intimate moments in the life of a singular character named Stephanie. The subject appears in each painting either lying by the pool, gazing into a mirror, or dancing in a sequined dress and sunglasses. Bounds’ cinematic narrative and sequence presents moments of “raw expression,” with her subject presented as a “preverbal performer.” Stephanie ultimately serves as a so-called avatar for the artist, who is on “a journey to catharsis.”

On view: May 11–June 9, 2024 | Open map

3. Undercurrents I: Stories, Symbols, and Sounds at Wende Museum

At the newly reopened Wende Museum, Undercurrents I: Stories, Symbols, and Sounds highlights the “vibrant and often hidden art of Cold War countercultures.” Co-curated by Isotta Poggi, associate curator of photographs at the Getty Research Institute (GRI), Undercurrents explores how artists subvert official imagery and craft alternative aesthetic universes, thereby challenging and reshaping perceptions of reality. The exhibition presents East German and Polish underground publications as well as Hungarian and Czechoslovak countercultural photographs. Artworks in the show come from Wende’s own collection, the GRI, and the Archive of Modern Conflict. Additionally, the exhibition presents significant works loaned by the Corita Art Center by acclaimed U.S. artist and social justice advocate Corita Kent.

In the fall, Undercurrents will be followed by Undercurrents II: Archives and Counterculture. In addition to the exhibition, the Wende has unveiled a new installation in the museum’s East German guardhouse by the artist Saun Santipreecha titled [0-I-RI-R] and two new open storage displays.

On view: April 27–September 15, 2024 | Open map

The Artistic Duo Returns to Los Angeles

The artistic duo Pascale Montandon-Jodorowsky and Alejandro Jodorowsky arrived in Los Angeles last week, launching their exhibition of drawings, paintings, and three-dimensional works as pascALEjandro at BLUM Los Angeles. The former trained as a painter and traverses the mediums of photography as well as stage and costume design. While the latter has been venerated by cult cinema enthusiasts for films like The Holy Mountain (1973) and El Topo (1970).

Their exhibition, ANOTHER WORLD, opened alongside Alejandro Jodorowsky: An American Cinematheque Retrospective, a special three-night event at the Egyptian Theatre. In a feature by Carlos Aguilar of the Los Angeles Times, Jodorowsky noted “I’m having fun. And if I can have fun, I succeeded. I’m not suffering. I’m happy to be creating in every possible way.” At age 95, Jodorowsky is doing just that, venturing outside of cinema to explore poetry, graphic novels, and theater.