also LAROC 

Hi All,

Here is a short promo video for the Angel show coming up.



If you want to RSVP, please do so here: Bit.ly/Dstassi (Feel free to put me as a gallery point of contact)

See some of you soon!

E

Along with the well‑crafted piss-taking and witty one‑liners, it is the calm and considered exchanges of opposing viewpoints that I find most engaging on this forum.

Disagreements are good. They challenge us. Provided we avoid becoming defensive or hysterical, and are willing to listen to alternative perspectives, disagreements can push us to rethink our own positions — sometimes helping to nuance them, or change them altogether.



Pride is often a stumbling block to this kind of open‑mindedness, especially when we conflate our opinions with our own identities. Or if we see changing our minds as being a sign of weakness.

Related cognitive biases and fallacies also enter the equation, like consistency bias and escalation of commitment (similar to the sunk‑cost fallacy). They derive from our tenacious need to remain consistent with our previous actions, decisions and expressed viewpoints. This, sometimes despite new, contradicting information we might be presented with.

I am conscious and wary of the above risks. When taking any stance, my approach is to embrace what Julia Galef* refers to as the scout mindset, as opposed to the soldier mindset. And being a fallible human, I try to remain open to the possibility of more persuasive, competing evidence later coming my way.


__________


Regarding Angel Ortiz / LA II, I am familiar enough with his work and background to consider myself reasonably informed. Otherwise, I'd hesitate about commenting without qualifying my thoughts accordingly.

The view I've taken on the calibre of Ortiz as an artist is mostly based on paintings he has exhibited over the past decade.



Excluded from this assessment are a number of side issues that are distinct from the art. For example:


(i)  Ortiz perhaps being a very nice chap, one for whom most of us would wish the best;

(ii)  the wistful or nostalgic narrative appeal of the artist's history, given his part in what is often deemed a golden age in graffiti;

(iii)  market considerations, like whatever demand might exist for the artist's work, or the prices at which his paintings are currently selling;

(iv)  Ortiz's status as an artist, especially due to his ties with Keith Haring, i.e. often more of a reflected fame by association, than a standalone fame from individual achievement; or

(v)  the fact that, 40 years ago, Ortiz hung out and worked with a handful of now‑dead, art superstars — art superstars whose own original pieces will forever be out of reach to most collectors.



My focus has thus been on the actual paintings created by Ortiz. The artwork itself.

And what I see is that, despite his decades of experience, LA II lacks a good eye for composition, and is wanting in technical skill.

More damningly, his ideas are banal. It feels to me like a case of arrested development: A middle‑aged man stuck in his teens, having (from what I can tell) not really moved forward as an artist or done anything truly innovative since the 1980s.

Some of his recent paintings even have pastiche elements of Haring iconography, like the serpents and the Three Eyed Monster, suggesting this is an artist who still needs a crutch. And who is looking backwards instead of forwards.



CONCLUSION


LA II is okay when playing second fiddle.

But as a solo artist, his work just isn't strong enough, either technically or conceptually, to merit more than a passing glance.

The dearth of serious institutional interest in LA II therefore doesn't come as a surprise to me. It seems not so much that his post-Haring-collaboration paintings have been overlooked, but more a case of the work having been considered, and then largely dismissed.



____________________


Although our views differ on the talent level of LA II, that isn't a big deal.

Either way, there will still be common ground between us. I suspect where we are in agreement is that, more broadly and as a rule of thumb, collectors are best advised to "Buy with your eyes, not with your ears."



Keeping in mind this maxim lowers our likelihood of:


(a)  being unduly swayed by people with vested interests;

(b)  attributing excessive weight to articles that read like gallery press releases (cut-and-pasted or paraphrased by hack journalists);

(c)  caving in to the fear of missing out, or to a false sense of urgency often cultivated by unscrupulous sellers; or

(d)  being sheep‑like in our buying behaviour ("I want what they want!").


__________


In a couple of past posts**, I've mentioned some of the basic questions collectors should ask themselves when considering art, and especially when weighing up a possible purchase:


(i)  Why exactly do I like this piece?

Or, if the reasons are different, Why do I want to own this piece?

(ii)  What are the artwork's strengths, and what are its weaknesses?

(iii)  Is the art / artist actually any good?

(iv)  Am I perhaps buying with my ears rather than my eyes, and therefore behaving like a lemming? To what extent is my desire to acquire this piece being influenced by what other people are buying, or appearing to buy?



The art world rarely inflicts harm upon us when we pause for a moment. When we take a bit of time out. To use our eyes. To actually think.

Is [x] painting, print or poster really so compelling — inspired and inspiring (as opposed to, say, clichéd or inane), or at least interesting enough to retain our attention for a few years to come?

If not, then query the instinct to automatically click the BUY button, like some puppet or a dog conditioned by Pavlov.

In such cases, life might be more productive, even more fulfilling, if we resist temptation and instead just carry on with our Swedish Death Cleaning.

To whet your appetite, below are some recent snapshots of paintings by LA II.



The show organisers and curator did a good job, given what they had to work with. Together, they made a real effort.

Didn't take any context photos, sadly, but I do remember the overall display was well executed:

Paintings were hung onto different surface types (including plasterboard and wood veneer panels) for contrasting background tones/textures. No hanging rails, which is always a pleasure to experience. And not a hanging wire in sight.

haha, brilliant insights. Although I wish Angel all the best, and respect that he's still producing work in a manner of sorts, these attempts to establish a significant art narrative for his work between the 80's and 2020's is sadly irrelevant outside of the USA. Maybe attaching his name to further "collab" partners can lift his profile further, but it does nothing to "lift" his art.

This is cool but those prices 🤒

Any pics of/info on the collaboration with Hambleton?

Hey all,

With the upcoming Angel "LA2" Ortiz show at D'Stassi Art in London, I thought I'll jump on the band wagon and offer the below LAII print for sale at cost (£600) for anyone interested.



Angel "LA2" Ortiz - Lemon Drop
Edition of XX of 90 Limited Edition Prints (+10 Hand Embellished Prints & 5 APs)
Hand Pulled Silkscreen Print on 350 gsm Mohawk Paper
61 x 61 cm / 24 x 24 inch
Comes with COA

London based, but happy to ship internationally.

Please feel free to DM for additional pictures and/or questions.

Great provenance for one of my LAll paintings




s all photos

Congratulations to Angel "LA2" Ortiz for being added to the legendary "Beyond The Streets" roster of iconic artists.

So proud to see Angel with other pioneers and legends of the Urban Art Movement like Barry McGee, Kenny Scharf, Zephyr, Madsaki & Paul Insect !!!!

Anything happening in the afternoon? I am in London today but not in the evening. 

Great to hear and bet it was a blast!!