Welcome to L.A.! I am excited be your guest editor for the very first edition of Whitewaller Los Angeles.
L.A. is both an outside city and, conversely, an inside city. Outside, of course, is nature in all its manifestations: from the ocean and the surf culture to the light and space, to the desert and the mountains, down to the flora and fauna of our communities. But it is also an inside city, with art, film, music, and technology driving toward new dimensions of culture and social interaction. Having been all over, I really see L.A. as a new creative hub for all of the old and new, Western and Eastern worlds.
As my friend Damian Bradfield of WeTransfer said in a wHY salon on the future of work at my Venice house, referencing Isaiah Berlin, “L.A. is the best place in the world to raise savvy foxes; no longer a hedgehog world, my friend.”
L.A. is also home to many unique food spots. My go-to would be Sushi Zo in Mid-City. Chef Keizo has been a friend for years, and I love his precise yet human touches to his works. Winter is perfect for beef and wine, and for me the ultimate beef galore is at Totoraku, a speakeasy Japanese beef place. I can’t reveal the location, but it’s worth asking a regular to take you, I promise.
At the end of a busy week, I wind down and hang out at Spring Place in Beverly Hills, which we designed. Spring Place Beverly Hills reflects the cross-disciplinary thinking and doing for which L.A. is so excellent.
I am biased, but the program at David Kordansky Gallery is so tight and so strong—one great show after another, this time amazing double presentations of Evan Holloway and L.A. legend Fred Eversley. The Marciano Art Foundation (another wHY building) has vibrant and immersive art experiences within the old Masonic Temple, now with the undeniable Ai Weiwei’s “Life Cycle.” And of course, The Getty Center is always such a rewarding experience of inspiring art and nature in our great city.
This week, there is a lot to do and see in L.A. At the top of my list would the Charles White exhibition at LACMA and at Charles White Elementary School. I will surely see the Fluxus performance at the Disney Hall featuring Alison Knowles / Ryoji Ikeda on February 15! Also not to be missed for our out-of-town friends, Deana Lawson’s show “Planes” at The Underground Museum.
We at wHY are very proud of our building for Pomona College, Studio Art Hall. It is well loved and well used by students and communities alike. I would recommend a half-day trip to Pomona College and other Claremont Colleges, an idyllic academic environment for great minds!
PS. I think my dog, Billie, wants me to tell you and your pups about Mandeville Canyon’s Westridge Hike, the beautiful and leash-free hiking trail where humans and dogs roam free. See you there.
—Kulapat Yantrasast
Founder and Creative Director, wHY
