By Hans Mauer/curator visiting from Berlin titled “Moon Turn the Flames,” the exhibition jolts the senses—eyes widen, thoughts sharpen. Through a dynamic interplay of photography, sculpture, works on paper, neon, and film, Mr. Awol Erizku constructs a vivid cosmology. His work traces a transcontinental journey—from the U.S. to Africa and back—invoking myth, memory, and transformation.
Each piece pulses with symbolic energy, layered with personal meaning and cultural resonance. Erizku’s identity as a Black artist is not just present—it’s architectonic. His visual lexicon channels the spirit of symbolists like Gustave Moreau and Odilon Redon, yet it’s unmistakably his own. This is not homage; it’s reinvention. In an interview with LaArtTV.com, a Erizku’s art collector underscored the power of Erizku’s vision, quoting Warhol: “The public buys the painting, not the critic.” Sean Kelly: May 16 – July 3, 2025, Address: 1357 Highland Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90028.
Artist Awol Erizku “Moon Turn the Flames” at the Sean Kelly Gallery, Los Angeles.
“Art Conversation Piece to Brag About." IS AN AMICABLE DIVORCE GOOD FOR SPLITTING 50 MILLION ART COLLECTION? ELABORATE WHY. ©©
Find the Ultimate Erection. "Real Art World Divorce Bomb". “Nature is the act of God.” – Dante Alighieri
Found at The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens, Pasadena, CA.
June 1, 2025 – By Vanessa Kloudeman, writer/artist/poet/nature lover/ 2 ½ minutes to read.
On a sunlit Sunday in June, I wandered into the Desert Garden at The Huntington and found myself overtaken by something quietly majestic. I hadn’t expected to encounter green architecture shaped so vividly into the land. Flanked by benches that seem to whisper: sit, take this in. Desert greenery climbs upward in sculptural waves, forming a living hill on either side of the path—bold, organic, and unlike anything I’ve ever seen.
I felt enclosed, shielded, as if the noise of the world had dropped away. Psychologists call it “soft fascination,” the kind that soothes anxiety and invites reflection. It’s an ideal place for deep meditation, where the mind quietly begins its inward work.
Let’s say—should I get divorced? End it all? In that moment, I was thinking of my friend Claus P. back in Prague. He walks daily around the Prague Castle grounds—a calming health ritual. Now he’s facing one of life season dilemma. How to split his $8 million art collection in the midst of a divorce. His wife and him owns works by Richard Gerhard, Alphonse Mucha, Gustav Klimt, and František Kupka. And honestly, this desert garden feels like exactly the kind of place where a wealthy, eccentric collector might come to decide the fate of such art.
According to Dr. Alfred Rossman, a Munich-based psychologist, dividing a multi-million-dollar art collection should be amicable. But in practice, the lawyers often take over. Sentimental value, ego, market potential—it all adds layers. Still, it makes sense that someone should first reflect alone. That’s what the mind needs: space, serenity, elevation.
A round-trip flight from Prague to Los Angeles? About 15 hours and 38 minutes. You take a Gulfstream G550—$240,000 tax-deductible. For that, sure, you could buy art by Dana Schutz or Jonas Wood, Katherine Bernhardt. But people crave narrative. Imagine a feature in Berliner Zeitung: Claus P. flies to California’s Huntington Gardens to contemplate the destiny of his art collection. Why not, if you can afford it? Did he create his own art performance? When people see you talking to yourself, they may think you're lost in thought—but perhaps you're deep in conversation with the gatekeeper of your next life.© Not madness, but a dialogue about art, transcendence, and nature’s erection—the ultimate creative force. Now that’s a story that makes someone unforgettable.
Art imitates art. A few days later, I was at the eponymous Jeffrey Deitch Gallery in L.A. for The Abstract Future this Summer art vernissage. My boyfriend, Roman, was being interviewed by LaArtTV. The question: “Compared to litigation, is an amicable divorce the most effective way to equitably and efficiently divide a $50 million art collection?” they asked. He didn’t blink. As a screenwriter, he knows timing. Art isn’t just value, he said. It’s memory, meaning, ego. Harmony helps turn a breakup into a final act of shared taste. And me? Definitely, I would keep the painting from our bedroom. Because some things—some loves—deserve to linger, beautifully until you forget about it.
Curated by Alia Dahl. “The Abstract Future” is an international exhibition featuring 30 artists from Europe, South America, and Africa, alongside U.S.-based studios. As part of the art crowd, you're surrounded by dozens of gallerygoers capturing the unique works on their smartphones—fuel for tomorrow’s late-morning café conversations.
“The Abstract Future” dives into the mind, luring you with raw creativity. Artists from three continents stretch infinity through bold palettes and layered forms—drawing your eyes from every direction. Paintings, sculpture, photography, and performance collide in one charged space. But it’s not just the art: the crowd itself becomes part of the show, turning the gallery into a living runway of expressive fashion. It’s the full experience—and your next week’s conversation starter. No one else has it. You're being filmed by LA Art TV, sharing your art impressions on camera. Stimulating your own artistic impulses, this is a perfect desensitizing experience for anyone shy about speaking on camera. Make time to see The Abstract Future—maybe there's a future in it for you. Meet someone new. You might add to the art talk your passion. This depends on you. On view May 16–August 2, 2025, at 925 N. Orange Drive & 7000 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles.
Art Note: By not displaying artists’ names, galleries create exclusivity and curiosity, prompting viewers to ask questions and engage with staff—this personal interaction builds trust and opens the door for relationship-driven sales.
ART TALK FLAVOR OF THE MONTH ©
Q: How much would you pay for a mojo painting that guaranteed you happiness, wealth, great sex and long life? © Is it worth $2 billion? I’d say it’s priceless.