First Presence Almanac

PRESENCE ALMANAC

Cover photo by Elliott Desai

Inside Cover photo by Elliott Desai

FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF ARTS & CULTURE

Welcome to the Presence Almanac.

Immersing myself in arts & culture and embracing public spaces is where I feel inspired and discover artists within our community.

I see the world through an aerial, cartographic lens and curate these chronicles to serve as beautiful maps for you to explore.

Life flows from the happiest, most natural version of you.

Yet “not enough time” becomes a scapegoat for neglecting your dreams and entertaining worries that erode your spiritual foundation.

Thus, these weekly chronicles are published as a gift of time & space - to vision, to listen to your intuition and to let your mind wander.

On each page, high-res photos of artwork and ambient images of events will allow you to witness a level of detail reminiscent of my true experience.

The artists featured in this First Chronicle are sourced from three galleries in Los Angeles, California.

In January, I traveled to the Culver City Arts District and visited Blum & Poe. My brother joined me during this reception, and visitors filled each floor for the opening of Friedrich Kunath’s, “I Don’t Know The Place, But I Know How To Get There.”

Standing within inches of a massive painting and peering at the details is when I feel an artist’s presence — one of the many clues that lead to designing this almanac, and sharing what it’s like to be here... right now.

In March, I developed a fondness for Kohn Gallery in Hollywood. My first surprise? This bright space existing two miles away from my current neighborhood of five years.

During my first visit, I appreciated Ilana Savdie’s work and began chatting with Livia Bowman about the gallery’s programming - leading to my attendance of Nir Hod’s and Alicia Adamerovich’s shows.

Yet it was Ricardo Cabret‘s abstract paintings that depict memories of Puerto Rican landscapes in Un Nuevo Manglar that affirmed Kohn Gallery as a dependable favorite.

They’re currently showing Martha Alf’s Opposites and Contradictions (closing August 5) and most of these works were made in the 1970s.

And lastly — ever since moving to Los Angeles, I’ve been drawn to the streets that make up Downtown.

I naturally recall each district’s map, and love documenting beautiful moments in the Historic Core, Arts District, Chinatown, South Park, Westlake, Skid Row, and more.

The Fashion District has become a particular favorite, and my first time visiting Luis De Jesus Los Angeles was on a Saturday afternoon.

Parking on Mateo St and seeing the sun set behind the Downtown skyline was another clue of how I would select recommendations to share with the rest of the world.

Throughout 2023, their exhibitions continue to impress - Jean Lowe’s Light and Space striking a chord, and work by Chris Engman, Carla Jay Harris, Vian Sora and Erik Olson’s current show The Mountain and the Sea (closing August 5) cementing Luis’s gallery as a reliable space to discover talented artists.

Weekly features are selected to amplify people and places that aid the advancement of arts & culture. Eventually, I’ll showcase more of my own work too.

To begin, here’s a map I painted over the weekend of the neighborhoods you’re about to explore.

Enjoy :)

Sincerely,

Elliott Desai

CULVER CITY ARTS DISTRICT

Installation photography by Evan Walsh Courtesy of Blum & Poe, Los Angeles

Installation photography by Evan Walsh Courtesy of Blum & Poe, Los Angeles

Installation photography by Evan Walsh Courtesy of Blum & Poe, Los Angeles

© Friedrich Kunath | Cars & Coffee Los Angeles., 2022 I Don’t Know The Place, But I Know How To Get There

Installation photography by Evan Walsh Courtesy of Blum & Poe, Los Angeles

© Friedrich Kunath | All Your Fears Trapped Inside, 2019-2023

I Don’t Know The Place, But I Know How To Get There

Installation photography by Evan Walsh Courtesy of Blum & Poe, Los Angeles

HOLLYWOOD

© Martha Alf | Four Red Bosque Pears, 1990

Opposites and Contradictions

Installation photography courtesy of Kohn Gallery, Los Angeles

© Martha Alf | Costa Brava Yellow, 1972 Opposites and Contradictions

Installation photography courtesy of Kohn Gallery, Los Angeles

© Martha Alf | Costa Brava Blue, 1972

Opposites and Contradictions

Installation photography courtesy of Kohn Gallery, Los Angeles

Installation photography courtesy of Kohn Gallery, Los Angeles

© Ricardo Cabret | El imperio bajo el cielo (The empire beneath the sky), 2022 Un Nuevo Manglar

© Ricardo Cabret | Del cuadrado a la esfera (From square to sphere), 2022 Un Nuevo Manglar

Installation photography courtesy of Kohn Gallery, Los Angeles

Installation photography courtesy of Kohn Gallery, Los Angeles

© Ricardo Cabret | El despliegue (The deployment), 2023 Un Nuevo Manglar

© Ricardo Cabret | Sobreestabilidad (Overstability, Blue flowers), 2022 Un Nuevo Manglar

Installation photography courtesy of Kohn Gallery, Los Angeles

Installation photography courtesy of Kohn Gallery, Los Angeles

© Alicia Adamerovich | Isn’t it just?, 2022

This is the time of the hour

Installation photography courtesy of Kohn Gallery, Los Angeles

© Alicia Adamerovich | splayed out, 2022

This is the time of the hour

Installation photography courtesy of Kohn Gallery, Los Angeles

© Ilana Savdie | Queen Breeders, 2021

Entrañadas

Installation photography courtesy of Kohn Gallery, Los Angeles

© Ilana Savdie | Brutal of you to parade en carne trémula, 2021 Entrañadas

Installation photography courtesy of Kohn Gallery, Los Angeles

© Ilana Savdie | Lágrimas y mocos (exploiting a suitable host), 2021 Entrañadas

Installation photography courtesy of Kohn Gallery, Los Angeles

© Ilana Savdie | The Pitch Y Su Torpe Semejanza, 2021 Entrañadas

Installation photography courtesy of Kohn Gallery, Los Angeles

FASHION DISTRICT

Installation photography courtesy of Luis De Jesus Los Angeles

© Erik Olson | The Unknown Plant, 2021

The Mountain and the Sea

Installation photography courtesy of Luis De Jesus Los Angeles

© Erik Olson | The Cluster Pine, 2023 The Mountain and the Sea

Installation photography courtesy of Luis De Jesus Los Angeles

© Erik Olson | Shadow, 2021

The Mountain and the Sea

Installation photography courtesy of Luis De Jesus Los Angeles

© Erik Olson | The Pine Above Maro, 2021 The Mountain and the Sea

© Chris Engman | Mountain, 2022

Prism

Installation photography courtesy of Luis De Jesus Los Angeles

© Carla Jay Harris | The Moon Prince, 2023 Flight

© Jean Lowe | Untitled (Light and Space #6), 2023

Light and Space

© Jean Lowe | Untitled (Light and Space #1), 2022 Light and Space

CULVER CITY ARTS DISTRICT HOLLYWOOD

Friedrich Kunath

I Don’t Know The Place, But I Know How To Get There

January 14 – February 25, 2023

blumandpoe.com/artists/friedrich_kunath

Martha Alf

Opposites and Contradictions

June 24 - August 5, 2023

kohngallery.com/alf

Ricardo Cabret

Un Nuevo Manglar

May 6 - June 17, 2023

kohngallery.com/cabret

Nir Hod

100 Years Is Not Enough

March 18 - April 29, 2023

kohngallery.com/hod

Alicia Adamerovich

This is the time of the hour

January 28 - March 11, 2023

kohngallery.com/adamerovich

Ilana Savdie

Entrañadas

Nov 6, 2021 - February 3, 2022

kohngallery.com/savdie

Blum & Poe, Los Angeles

2727 S La Cienega Blvd

Los Angeles, CA 90034

blumandpoe.com

Kohn Gallery

1227 N Highland Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90038

kohngallery.com

FASHION DISTRICT

Erik Olson

The Mountain and the Sea

June 17 - August 5, 2023

luisdejesus.com/artists/erik-olson

Chris Engman

Prism

April 29 - June 10, 2023

luisdejesus.com/artists/chris-engman

Carla Jay Harris

Flight

April 29 - June 10, 2023

luisdejesus.com/artists/carla-jay-harris

Jean Lowe

Light and Space

March 11 – April 22, 2023

luisdejesus.com/artists/jean-lowe

Vian Sora

Subduction

June 5 – July 16, 2022

luisdejesus.com/artists/vian-sora

Luis De Jesus Los Angeles

1110 Mateo St, Los Angeles, CA 90021

luisdejesus.com

July 17 at 11:33 AM Los Angeles, CA

Elliott Desai

presencealmanac.com

©