Imperfect Paradise: 45 Artists Explore LA's Contradictions in Venice

Michele Barbati, an Italian-born gallerist who spent seven years at David Kordansky Gallery in Los Angeles, has brought the city's complex artistic landscape to his namesake gallery in Venice with the group exhibition "Imperfect Paradise." The show features 45 artists across generations and disciplines, including John Baldessari, Kelly Akashi, Kaari Upson, Diana Yesenia Alvarado, Sterling Ruby, Jonas Wood, Jennifer Guidi, Mary Weatherford, Hilary Pecis, Ed Ruscha, Andrea Bowers, and Shahryar Nashat. Works range from sculpture and installation to works on paper and painting, reflecting Los Angeles's hybrid and contradictory nature. The exhibition's title draws inspiration from Wanda Coleman's poem "I live for my car," which frames the car as a means of escape and search for unexpected beauty. Barbati aims to present not just LA's beauty but its tensions, offering a preview of the gallery's future programming in Venice.