Dan Mitchell and Richard Sides at Bel Ami, Los Angeles: Language, Signs, and the Legacy of 1968
An exhibition at Bel Ami in Los Angeles showcases the works of artists Dan Mitchell and Richard Sides, focusing on the interplay of language and meaning. This event draws a parallel to the 1968 Kunst und Revolution in Vienna, where audience member Franz West famously broke the silence with a thank you to the performers. The exhibition juxtaposes Sides' enamel monochromes, which incorporate familial role terminology, with Mitchell's inward-facing signposts that include words such as Revenge and Death. Both artists delve into themes of guilt, shame, and the challenges of representation. Emphasizing audience engagement, the show critiques the pitfalls of familiarity. Dan Mitchell, born in 1966 in London, co-founded the Artist’s Self-Publishers’ Fair, while Richard Sides, born in 1985 in Rotherham, is a Berlin-based co-director of The Wig. Exhibition dates remain unannounced.
Key facts
- The exhibition pairs Dan Mitchell and Richard Sides at Bel Ami, Los Angeles.
- Sides' enamel monochromes each feature one word in a different font: father, stepmother, brother, cousin.
- Mitchell's signs and arrows include words like Revenge, Boredom, Death, Nothing, Gulag, Nowhere, Everywhere.
- The text references the 1968 Vienna event Kunst und Revolution, where Franz West proposed applause.
- Dan Mitchell (b. 1966, London) is a founding member of the Artist’s Self-Publishers’ Fair and publisher of Hard Mag, Death Lolz Presents…, and Dirty Books.
- Richard Sides (b. 1985, Rotherham) is based in Berlin, co-director of The Wig, and runs Bus Editions.
- The author connects the show to Diedrich Diederichsen's 2007 essay on the 'specific sound of salvation'.
- The exhibition is at Bel Ami, Los Angeles; dates are not provided in the source.
Entities
Artists
- Dan Mitchell
- Richard Sides
- Oswald Wiener
- Günter Brus
- Otto Mühl
- Franz West
- Diedrich Diederichsen
- Peter Schjeldahl
- Caroline Lillian Schopp
- André Green
- Christine Mehring
- Robert Kennedy
- Malte Olschewski
- Nicole-Antonia Spagnola
Institutions
- Bel Ami
- University of Vienna
- Wiener Gruppe
- The Woods
- Artist’s Self-Publishers’ Fair (ASP)
- Hard Mag
- Death Lolz Presents…
- Dirty Books
- Seventeen Gallery
- City Galerie
- Quality Of Life Gallery
- Jenny’s Gallery
- Provence
- Galerina
- Luma Westbau
- Centre d’Art Contemporain – La synagogue de Delme
- Wembley Library at the Brent Civic Centre
- Temnikova & Kasela
- Oracle
- Celine Gallery
- Schiefe Zähne
- Carlos/Ishikawa
- KIN
- Rinde am Rhein
- Stadtgalerie Bern
- Kunstverein Braunschweig
- MoMA PS1
- Kunsthalle Friart Fribourg
- Berlin Atonal
- Kunsthalle Zürich
- Bonner Kunstverein
- Kunsthaus Glarus
- Kunstverein Hannover
- Fluentum Berlin
- Swiss Institute
- The Wig
- Bus Editions
- The New Yorker
- October
- Artforum
- Texte zur Kunst
- Revue française de psychanalyse
- Éditions de Minuit
- Free Association Books
Locations
- Los Angeles
- United States
- Vienna
- Austria
- London
- United Kingdom
- Berlin
- Germany
- Glasgow
- New York
- Zürich
- Switzerland
- Delme
- France
- Wembley
- Tallinn
- Estonia
- Rotherham
- Brussels
- Belgium
- Düsseldorf
- Bern
- Braunschweig
- Fribourg
- Bonn
- Glarus
- Hannover
- Paris