‘Rites of Spring’ at Marta

Rites of Spring is the latest group exhibition, conceptualized as a “gathering,” at Marta featuring the work of 22 artists across 18 different practices, including A History of Frogs, John Baldessari with Sébastien de Ganay, Sarah Burns, Klas Ernflo, Ross Hansen, Virva Hinnemo, Minjae Kim, Nifemi Marcus-Bello, Dino Matt, Doug McCollough, Lindsey Muscato and Joshua Friedman, Magnus Pettersen and Lea Hein, Ben Sanders, Bennet Schlesinger, George Sherman, Jonah Takagi, and Kristen Wentrcek and Andrew Zebulon. The title of the grouping, Rites of Spring, is a reference to an American hardcore punk band and an Igor Stravinsky symphonic ballet of the same name. Like the band and the ballet, the work of the artists “embrace and confound expectations of the vernal” and pay homage to the season of Spring, particularly its power, necessity, and rebirth.

The delightful works, blurring the lines between art objects and functional design pieces, range from bronze sculptures to textile paintings to pine light fixtures, some of which have been presented at other artistic venues such as Design Miami or Frieze London. Here at Marta, they now enjoy the possibility of “renewed activation,” fostering new meanings and relationships with the work of other participating artists.

Photo: Installation View Courtesy of artists and Marta Gallery, Los Angeles. Photo: Erik Benjamins.