Interview: Bettina Korek, Founder of For Your Art

I caught up with Bettina Korek, founder of ForYourArt this week to discuss the current state of the L.A. scene and what we have to look forward to this fall.

“The art world isn’t just about collecting often-expensive objects,” said Korek, “it’s also about learning and engaging and it can be a gateway to all different discplines.”

It’s great when both MOCA and LACMA have showcases like Art in the Streets and the Tim Burton exhibit but it’s equally important to experience and engage with the museum space as a whole.

“I hope that ForYourArt can be a resource for people to not only know what’s going on in L.A. but also to find that inspiring context that they can delve deeper into,” she said.

2011 has already been a strong year for art in L.A. but just wait for the fall: Pacific Standard Time, a collaboration between over 60 arts organizations with exhibits from San Diego to Santa Barbara. The first project of its kind in L.A., Pacific Standard Time, opening in October, is the result of nearly a decade of research by the Getty Institute and comprises a veritable history of the rise of art culture in Los Angeles over the years 1945-1980.

Shepard Fairey’s Death Cab Collab and Latest Trek Bike Design

Shepard Fairey first collaborated with Lance Armstrong in 2009, designing a TREK Madrone bicycle in the iconic yellow and black colors of Armstrong’s charity, Livestrong. Armstrong’s team rode it in the Giro d’Italia before it went for over $100,000 in an auction benefiting Livestrong. Now, Fairey’s at it again, this time working in his signature red and black tones. Armstong and Team RadioShack are currently riding these Trek Madone 6.9 SSL bikes on the Tour of California. Below, an interview with great shots of the bike from inside Fairey’s Studio Number One at Sunset and Elysian Park Ave.

But wait, there’s more. Shepard Fairey was approached by Death Cab for Cutie bassist Nick Harmer to reinvent the band’s upcoming single, “Home is a Fire” as a video with lyrics appearing as street art across the Echo Park cityscape:

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Video: Artist Cole Sternberg on His ‘The Content is Bleeding Through’ Installation

I interviewed Cole Sternberg (no relation) last weekend at the unveiling of his new installation. I love the theme and concept of the work, however, i can’t possibly imagine taking the time to rewrite such asinine content all over someone’s walls, ceilings and floors. Cole did it over the course of seven months at a back house on the residence of Normandie Keith in the Hollywood Hills. The 24-hour newscycle, gossip media, and technology such as Twitter has brought the future into our laps and shirt-pockets. Cole calls this a “vision for this apocalyptic moment when media and technology have pushed us so far that all the content blurs together.”

Video and interview below as well as photos from the event.

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TrustoCorp Brings Guerrilla Subvertising to LA… Briefly

“ATTENTION: SHIT COULD BE WORSE”

“YOU LOOK LOVELY TODAY”

“YOU ARE NOT COOL”

These may be the kinds of phrases you mumble while driving around Los Angeles wishing the few open parking spots weren’t so far away and didn’t have $4/hr (incl. Sunday) meters. But what if those six-part, multiple-infraction, day-and-time sensitive parking signs in Hollywood were replaced with something more sensible?

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