San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
SAN DIEGO IN THE SPOTLIGHT
From a monumental regional series of exhibitions to small gallery shows from local artists, the new year will be filled with new art
It’s not hyperbolic to state that a lot of eyes will be on the San Diego region in 2024. With big sister to the north (Los Angeles), the local visual art scenes of San Diego and Tijuana has often been overlooked.
Is this the year that begins to change? With two events happening this year that aim to bring national and international eyes to the region (more on those below), it’s easy to speculate that the rest of the world will begin to understand what many locals have known for years: that we are, in fact, a world-class cultural destination and one that deserves the recognition. And while a lot of attention will be paid to these two events, there are still, of course, plenty of smaller shows and exhibitions that we should all be looking forward to in the new year.
PST ART: Art & Science Collide & World Design Capital: San Diego Tijuana 2024
Inarguably the biggest art happening of 2024, PST ART is a regionwide series of exhibitions that includes dozens of museums and institutions all over Southern California. Funded by the Getty Foundation and held every six years, the 2024 iteration of PST ART will include and center on a theme that explores the interconnectedness of art and science. Nearly a dozen San Diego venues and institutions will be participating, with most exhibitions beginning in September 2024 and running through early 2025. While I’d highly encourage readers to see as many of the exhibitions as possible, the Mingei International Museum’s “Blue Gold: The Art and Science of Indigo” (opening Sept. 14) and the Museum of Contemporary Art’s “For Dear Life: Art, Medicine and Disability” (opening Sept. 19) are highlights for me.
The other momentous cultural event in 2024 will be the myriad programs surrounding the World Design Organization’s World Design Capital celebration in San Diego and Tijuana. The biennial designation “recognizes cities for their effective use of design to drive economic, social, cultural, and environmental development,” according to the organization’s website, and this year’s award marks the first time two neighboring cities have been awarded the designation together. Related events will be happening throughout the year, but highlights include the WDC 2024 World Design Festival, which will take place at various venues across Tijuana beginning May 5, as well as the WDC 2024 World Design Experience, a series of art- and design-based interactive exhibitions at the Mingei International Museum and other San Diego venues.
Various locations and dates. Check websites for full schedules: pst.art and wdc2024.org
Pinar Yoldas and Melissa Walter exhibits — ICA San Diego
I’m very much looking forward to these solo exhibitions from two of San Diego’s most talented artists at the Institute of Contemporary Art’s two campuses.
Yoldas brings her neuroscience and architecture background to her installation-based work, and she plans to create something of an immersive experience centering on photobioreactor systems that transform algae into biodegradable materials, as well as a video work on a 2016 project that looked at the interconnectedness of AI technology and human creativity. Melissa Walter also brings a scientific outlook to her work. The former NASA employee has often looked to the stars for inspiration, but she plans on unveiling new, site-specific drawings at ICA’S North County campus that were inspired by DNA technology and the effects its had on the U.S. criminal justice system.
Yoldas’ exhibit runs Feb. 24 through June 23 at ICA/ Central, 1439 El Prado, Balboa Park. Walter’s exhibit runs Aug. 17 through Dec. 29 at Ica/north, 1550 S El Camino Real, Encinitas. icasandiego.org
‘Ving Simpson: Inside Out’ — Oceanside Museum of Art
Besides participating in PST Art in September, OMA will also unveil the first large-scale museum exhibition from longtime Oceanside resident Ving Simpson. “Inside Out” will showcase dozens of works spanning over 20 years. Known for abstract works in a variety of mediums and materials — everything from silver and bronze to clay and found objects — Simpson plans to use the gallery space to replicate his Oceanside studio to, as he puts it, “explore the order of the universe using a few simple tools and my intuition.”
Runs Feb. 17 through May 12. 704 Pier View Way, Oceanside. (760) 435-3720, oma-online.org
Tarrah Aroonsakool — Athenaeum Art Center
The Bread & Salt art space in Logan Heights remains one the premier local venues to see visual art from our thriving community of creatives. The main gallery space will feature a solo exhibition from local Hugo Crosthwaite in August (dates to be announced). Best known for his startlingly evocative black-andwhite figurative illustrations, he has recently delved into sculpture, stop-motion animation and color drawings as well, so it’ll be interesting to see what he has planned for this show.
The exhibition that has me the most excited, however, is a much-deserved solo show from City Heightsbased artist Tarrah Aroonsakool, who I covered in a 2023 “Art of the City” column. Her multifaceted, multidisciplinary art explores beauty and commodification using paint and sculptural materials. For this exhibit, Aroonsakool plans on unveiling a mazelike installation that will be assembled using papiermâché and everyday objects, with hope of immersing visitors within what she calls her “experience of the American Dream and the erasure of culture.”
Runs March 2 through May 3 at 1955 Julian Ave., Logan Heights. (619) 2681981, ljathenaeum.org
‘Order/disorder: Belonging in Nature’ — La Jolla Historical Society
The La Jolla Historical Society is yet another local institution that will be participating in PST ART, but before that, “Order/disorder” will feature works from five local artists whose work focuses on the natural environment. For this exhibition, however, artists Kline Swonger (sculpture and installation work), Britton Neubacher (botanical design), Oscar Romo (sculpture and multidisciplinary works), Annalise Neil (painting and cyanotype photography) and Courtney Mattison (large-scale sculptural installation) will specifically focus on the ecosystems of La Jolla, such as caves, tide pools, watersheds and cliffs. Of the five, I think I’m most excited to see the cyanotype works from Neil, who is fresh off a solo shows at Sparks Gallery in downtown San Diego and OMA West in Oceanside.
Runs Feb. 10 through May 26 at La Jolla Historical Society Wisteria Cottage Gallery, 780 Prospect St., La Jolla, (858) 459-5335, lajollahistory.org