Pleasure Point at the MCASD in La Jolla

Although New York wears the crown of the contemporary art world, sometimes smaller regional galleries can provide a more intimate and friendly experience with art. That is definitely the case for the San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art which has a top notch collection of contemporary art in two locations, one in downtown San Diego and the other in nearby La Jolla.

Currently on display is a show called Pleasure Point: Celebrating 25 Years of Contemporary Collections.  The title is derived from the museum's showcase piece by artist Nancy Rubins (2006) of nautical boats lashed together to create a site-specific sculpture (shown in the photograph above). Also on display are other works in the museum's collection including works by Andy Warhol, Frank Stella, Hans Hoffman, Cindy Sherman, John Currin, and Damien Hirst.

Although I just missed a retrospective of Tara Donovan's visually arresting organic installations using toothpicks, paper cups and other non-traditional sculpture materials, I had a long conversation with one of the security guards about her installation. When would that ever happen in New York?

Pleasure Point: Celebrating 25 Years of Contemporary Collections
San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art, La Jolla
700 Prospect Street, La Jolla
February 20 to May 16, 2010
858-454-3541

Grip by Erik Levine at the La Jolla Museum of Contemporary Art

Photo copyright of Ingrid Mida 2008

This photo is not from the video installation Grip by Erik Levine at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego in La Jolla but it could be. As soon as I entered the screening room, I was instantly struck by the power of Erik Levine's work. Two life size screens portray the frustration and anger of young junior boy tennis players as they attempt to get a grip on their game after bad plays, bad calls and bad results. The placement of the bench between the screens forces the viewer to turn one's head between the screens just like in a real tennis match. This work literally wrenched my heart and took me back in time.

This is what Erik writes about this piece:

"Grip reveals the compelling and complex psychological tug-of-war as boys struggle with fear through the prism of athletic competition. This despair can lead to extreme expressions of anger and frustration at a time in their lives when perspective can often be elusive and alludes to the startling and revealig analogous microcosm for life outside the demarcations and boundaries of the playing field."

If you cannot get the the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego this weekend, you can see Erik Levine's video Grip on his website here. It is not quite the same thing as seeing it on life-sized screens, but it is compelling none the less. 

Grip by Erik Levine on until March 21, 2010 at

MCASD La Jolla

700 Prospect Street

La Jolla, CA 92037

858-454-3541