California minimalist Karen Carson returns to LA with geometric paintings carved from wood. If you haven’t heard of Carson, in the 1970s, she became known for straying away from the male-dominated Hard-edge painting style. Her playful, participatory pieces, inspired by tents, used zippers to create beautiful abstractions. Today, Renée Reizman writes, her artworks resonate in a whole new way in a city where over 20,000 unhoused people sleep in tents. 

Jiab Prachakul, who became an artist after being struck by a David Hockney painting, shares some delightful thoughts on what portraiture means to her. Her paintings of friends and acquaintances, all of the Asian diaspora, show an artist who looks with depth and empathy. 

Last September, the Committee for Greater LA published an extensive report on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on marginalized communities across Los Angeles.

Art 4 [CHANGE], an online event of conversations around street art, sets out to look at communities “who have been left behind, ignored, and underserved for decades.” The event will take place on February 1 at 12 pm PST.