Seeking Art for the End of 2017

It seemed almost like destiny yesterday when recently reading about Barbara Kruger, a famous American photographer who uses photographic images and graphic text to provoke thinking about gender and politics, that I should happen to stumble upon the work of Southern California artist Ben Sakoguchi, who's tackling similar subjects through painting. What a collection to find on display at Glendale's Brand Library and Art Center at the end of 2017, which had to be one of the most contentious and memorable years in a long time! In fact, so much so that this gallery is showcasing several L.A. artists in its show, One Year: The Art of Politics in Los Angeles (through January 12, 2018).

Wherever you fall on the myriad of issues and persons who came and went (or refused to go away) in our lives in 2017, the fact that Sakoguchi used for his Orange Crate Label Series: WORDS, 2017 the vintage--and very California--fruit crate label art to inspire this overview allowed image and text to be graphically and colorfully packed together like oranges in a box. Instead of scenes of groves and names of orchards, the artist instead focuses on the power of words, and bound with them images, messages, and ideas--good and bad--with a healthy dose of humor.

As the artist writes, "Words Matter. They Always Have." Be sure to check it out if you happen to be in L.A.!