What to do this weekend: See uncanny portraits with no face

A portrait of a woman playing a harp with her head covered in fabric.

and Los Angeles Times Staff

Dec. 13, 2023 11 AM PT

ICYMI, the Los Angeles Times is launching its first comedy event, “An Evening With Trevor Wallace,” co-presented with Can’t Even Comedy, this weekend. Although it’s sold out, this is the first of many, so keep your eyes peeled for the next one 👀. I’m Steven Vargas, your L.A. Goes Out host, and here are the top events for the upcoming weekend recommended by the crew (sign up here for the newsletter):

Weekly Countdown

A portrait of a woman in white writing with fabric wrapped around her head.

1. ‘Ewa Juszkiewicz: In a Shady Valley, Near a Running Water’
In Gagosian’s latest exhibition, Ewa Juszkiewicz subverts your expectations of regal and fantastical portraiture. “In a Shady Valley, Near a Running Water” features Juszkiewicz’s oil paintings of women in the Grand Manner style from 18th and 19th century Western art, but with an uncanny element. The women in grand poses have their faces covered by elaborate knots of hair and twisted pieces of fabric, distorting your view of the subject’s identity. As a result, the artist aims to deconstruct ideas of beauty and gender stereotypes. The exhibition is on view until Dec. 22 and the Beverly Hills gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. More information can be found on Gagosian’s website.

A woman standing with her hands on her hips.

2. ‘Doris Anahí’
This L.A.-born and Mexico City-based artist will bring her mixture of bolero, ranchera and soul to the Sorting Room @ the Wallis. During her set, Doris Anahí will perform both her debut EP “Aprendiendo Por Las Malas” and her upcoming EP “Por Las Buenas.” Her venture as a musical artist follows her success in starting the talent company, Mija Mgmt, and being the subject of Disney’s “Mija.” Her show at the Wallis in Beverly Hills is at 7 p.m. Friday and tickets range from $25 to $35. More details can be found online.

An installation of rubber stretched over aluminum canvas beams.

3. ‘Reginald Sylvester II: T-1000’
Roberts Projects in Hancock Park presents Reginald Sylvester II’s “T-1000,” an exhibition of interconnected sculptures depicting an “Afrofuturistic incarnation of apocalyptic aesthetic,” as the gallery describes. The works use the canvas in unconventional ways, altering the dimensions of the canvas by stretching materials — including rubber, steel and aluminum — in and out of the edges. The exhibition references the shapeshifting AI antagonist in James Cameron’s 1991 film “Terminator 2: Judgment Day.” Sylvester II uses the time-traveling humanoid as a symbol for omnipresent oppressive systems by using a metallic color palette representing the authoritarian figures that suppress social and racial justice. The exhibition is on view until Dec. 23 and the gallery is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. More information can be found on the Roberts Projects website.

A man playing on the piano with colorful lights behind him.

4. ‘Natural Machines’
Pianist and composer Dan Tepfer will perform music from his recent video album “Natural Machines” at the Nimoy in Westwood this weekend. His show mixes music and artistry with coding and digital algorithms, creating mesmerizing visualizations of his performance. Before his Nimoy show, he livestreamed almost 200 online concerts from his home at the height of the pandemic. Through the process, he created an app called FarPlay, which used ultra-low-latency audio technology to minimize the delay between video streams and allow for easy online performances with musicians in different locations. Tepfer’s performance will be an intriguing continuation of his multidisciplinary work between music and technology. The show is at 7 p.m. Sunday and tickets cost $32. For more information, check out the Nimoy’s website.

Four people in black clothing sitting around a couch.

5. ‘The Manhattan Transfer 50th Anniversary & Final World Tour: The Final Concert’
Throughout their five-decade career, the Manhattan Transfer has accumulated 11 Grammy Awards, been elected to the Vocal Group Hall of Fame and more. This week the group is taking its final bow at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown L.A. The group will perform jazz and pop hits filled with creative vocal harmonies and stunning arrangements one last time 8 p.m. Friday alongside the Diva Jazz Orchestra. Remaining tickets range from $109 to $209 and more information can be found on the L.A. Phil’s website.

Bonus round: ‘Elf in Concert’

Do you have as much Christmas cheer as Buddy the Elf? Bring your holiday spirit to the next level at “Elf in Concert” at Peacock Theater in downtown L.A. The event brings the beloved 2003 Christmas flick to the silver screen alongside a live performance of John Debney’s score by a full symphony orchestra led by the film composer himself. Relive Buddy’s antics in New York City with the whole family at 4 p.m. Sunday. Tickets to the show range from $40 to $50 and more information can be found on Peacock Theater’s website.

On My Mind

A group of dancers moving together with their hands reaching for one another.

Over the past week, I went on a performance adventure. It started with L.A. Contemporary Dance Company’s show at Stomping Ground L.A. in Alhambra, where I saw a lunch showing as part of “The Unseen Hours … a salon series.” Madrid-based choreographer Mario Glez and assistant choreographer Carolina Alacreu shared a new work created through a residency in partnership with Acción Cultural Española and the Spain-USA Foundation. The final product was a hypnotic piece filled with rhythmic grooves that accented the original composition by AEREA. The formations created by the dancers were untraditional. There were periods of chaos quickly tightened at a moment’s notice as the dancers dropped into the beat, falling into the next section. Glez’s choreography allowed the dancers’ personalities to shine through the movements, grasping your attention in anticipation of their next steps.

A woman talking to another woman sitting on the couch.

I caught IAMA Theatre Company’s production of “Radical, or Are You Gonna Miss Me?” by Isaac Gómez for its closing weekend. The play harnessed beautiful dynamics between sisters and romantic connections. While the characters were painted perfectly, the backdrop of the plot happening outside of the home was a bit foggy at times. It left questions about the circumstances of the play unanswered, the big one being why one-half of the sister duo joined a radical group and caused catastrophe. Despite the fuzzy surroundings, the tender moments between Anna LaMadrid and Elizabeth Ramos allowed for the story of sisterly troubles to pull at the heartstrings. Lastly, never underestimate the unsung talent that is the understudy. Jennifer Knox’s performance as Erica in place of Kim Griffin was a personal highlight.

Someone sitting outside a tent, holding a spear.

The last show of my marathon was “Frozen Fluid” by Fly Jamerson, a play co-produced by Coeurage Ensemble and Los Angeles LGBT Center. The show followed a nonbinary phytoplankton scientist who joined a crew of other scientists studying in a mythic Antarctica. Upon their arrival, a series of microgressions ensue. The plot itself was unclear as it flipped from realism to fantastical flashbacks to musing on philosophy and religion. The lack of a throughline and clear antagonist made it difficult to connect to the characters. There was promise as Herman (Michael Budd) and Tay (Nicole Delsack) bonded over the course of the show, but the budding connection fizzled as the playwright’s meditations on gender steered the narrative in a new direction.

P.S. I previously plugged the one-day run of “This Emancipation Thing” by Sara Lyons and it was everything I could’ve imagined and more. It created a safe space for conversations about gender and opened you up to new connections with the talent and fellow audience members.

P.P.S. On Monday, I attended the American Ballet Theatre Holiday Benefit and got a sneak peek at SunMi Park’s performance as Clara in the company’s run of “The Nutcracker” at Segerstrom Center for the Arts. If you’ve grabbed your tickets, you’re in for a treat.

Go out speed round

A gallery filled with paintings of people at a bar and in bed.

Go out before it closes: Thérèse Mulgrew’s “In The Company of Solitude” at Mey Gallery in West Hollywood is coming to a close Friday. The solo exhibition by the Chicago-based artist documents a day in the life of a young woman, depicting tasks like making breakfast and intimate moments like getting ready for bed. Despite the presence of others throughout the works, there is a looming tone of loneliness. The free gallery is open from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. More information can be found on Mey’s website.

Go out for free: Los Angeles Center of Photography honors photographer Aline Smithson in “If Memory Serves.” The group exhibition begins with works by Smithson and continues with pieces that explore moments when memory fails us and photographic technologies misconstrue our understanding of the past. The exhibition has a free opening reception from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday. If you can’t make it, the exhibition at Brand Library and Art Center in Glendale is available to view until Feb. 24, and the gallery is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday to Saturday. More details can be found on LACP’s website.

Go out and craft: Pick up your pencils and get to sketching at Laguna Art Museum’s upcoming figure drawing art workshop. Drawing the proportions of the human body can be difficult, so try it out with the help of Peter Zokosky, the chair of the MFA drawing and painting program at LCAD. In conjunction with the exhibition “Breaking the Rules: Paul Wonner and Theophilus Brown,” the workshop guides participants through drawing techniques with a live model. The workshop is from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday and tickets cost $30 for museum members and $45 for nonmembers. More information can be found on the museum’s website.

Go out with the kids: The Autry Museum’s Western Wonderland series is underway with some exciting family events. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, the Family Play Space welcomes the little ones to contribute to the Western Wonderland Lego Village. For more details on all the fun happenings, check out the museum’s website.

People ice skating with yellow lights around them.

Go out on a date: Are you ready for it? In celebration of Taylor Swift’s birthday, Ice at Santa Monica will have a Swiftie-themed night on the ice from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday. Come dressed in attire from your favorite Taylor era and get ready to skate at the corner of 5th Street and Arizona Avenue. Can’t make it? Check out Ice at Santa Monica’s website for a full rundown of upcoming events, including a “Y Soy Rebelde”-themed night on Dec. 20 and a Beyoncé ball on Jan. 3. Tickets range from $20 to $30 and more information can be found on the event’s website.

Go out all day: If you’re still looking for some unique gifts to give your loved ones, check out the Beyond the Streets Holiday Market. From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, the shopping experience at the gallery in Hancock Park will bring together over 100 artist products — including art, books, apparel, zines and limited edition releases. The market is free to attend, and more details can be found on the Beyond the Streets website.

Go out and wander: “Here: Arts & Culture Along the K” is an exhibition that celebrates the creatives and cultural bearers along the Metro’s K Line that goes through Crenshaw, West Adams, Jefferson Park, Baldwin Hills and Leimert Park. Wander through the city in one place and explore the local artists of L.A. in celebration of the first anniversary of the K Line’s service. The free exhibition is on view at the Museum of African American Art in Baldwin Hills until Feb. 25. The museum is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, and more information can be found on the Metro website.

Go out and laugh: What would the ladies of “Golden Girls” be doing today if the show was still on the air? Look no further than “Golden Girls: The Laughs Continue,” a comedic live show written by Robert Leleux and directed by Eric Swanson that brings audiences back into the lives of “Miami’s sassiest seniors.” There are performances from Thursday to Sunday at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown L.A. Tickets range from $30 to $75, and more details can be found on the tour’s website.

More from the crew here

Hungry? Well, you’re in luck because the Food team’s guide to the 101 best restaurants in L.A. is here.

I’ve still got a couple more presents to buy for Christmas. If you’re still looking for the right gift like I am, check out this guide with 15 Latinx-owned places in L.A. to shop this holiday season.

What’s a Superette? Learn more about these catered mini markets by visiting one of these 12 unbearably cute shops in the city.

Need a boost of vitamin D? Here are nine outdoor yoga classes to try this winter.

I’m all ears!

That’s all I’ve got for this week. Follow our feed of recommendations and itineraries on Instagram and Twitter, and if you have recs of your own, send them to [email protected].