LA, Art, and Why It Matters
photography by Cole Walton and Emily krisky.
words by Sierra skinner.
I’ve damn near driven myself mad examining the state of the art scene as we know it, struggling to reaffirm one seemingly simple question to myself: Why does it matter?
How could anything matter really? We’re all coming of age in the midst of doomsday. Everything feels trivial when measured up against global atrocities, natural disasters, civil rights violations and whatever other manner of real life horrors flash on your screen before you’ve even mustered up the courage to get out of bed. It’s a wonder we all manage to make it through the day.
Living in Los Angeles throws a whole new slew of dystopian complications to this already overwhelming existence. This whole city seems constantly in the throes of a mass identity crisis, never knowing which way is up. We all flock here to partake in what has been sold to us as a breeding ground for creative visionaries and larger than life dreams, only to find ourselves stuck in yet another case of false advertising. Industry has chewed up and spit out the very same idealism this city was built on. Selling out is the bitter pill we’re all prescribed upon entry if you intend to “make it”, whatever the hell that even means anymore. There has got to be a better way.
Somehow we’ve strayed from one of the main functionalities of art-connection. Since when is success more important than community? All my questioning has led me to one simple conclusion: if it’s lonely at the top, then I’m good down here.
This unexpectedly and somewhat unconsciously became the whole premise of HUMDRUM, a somewhat idealistic attempt to reclaim the agency of the artists from the throes of rapid commodification. What I could have never anticipated was how beautifully it would all come together; the outpouring of collaborative effort that culminated in one beautiful night that will forever be representative of all the best parts of Los Angeles as I know it. I’ve been white knuckling my idealism ever since I got here, and I’ve gotten incredibly lucky in finding people who made it safe to care and who shared my desire to extend this safe space to any who were willing to thoughtfully partake in it. As silly as it may sound to some, I truly believe we need these kinds of things to cling to because the alternative is simply too bleak.
So why does it matter? Because nothing matters unless you decide it does. Because the only hope we have is that which we forge for ourselves. Because keeping art accessible is one of the most worthwhile causes there is. Because we have to at least try to do better, to be less careless with each other, to break this habit of treating artists like content machines. I could go on and on, but the reality is if this doesn’t matter to you, then it isn’t for you and you can carry on with your ladder climbing to nowhere.
However, for the rest of us this scene is one of the only things we have left that is truly ours, and needs to be handled with care if we have any chance of keeping it. Community spaces are essential to young artists - to cultivate connection and engage with likeminded individuals, or even just to catch your breath when life threatens to snuff out whatever creative spark you have left as it so often seems hellbent on doing. With so many of these safe havens already shuddered or bulldozed entirely, it falls to us to take on the responsibility of conscientious caretakers and reclaim these spaces. We can’t take what little power we have left for granted.
So thank you to Holden, Savanna, Ethan, Keilani, Elijah, Ashlynn, Nova, Scott, Vera, and Daniel for caring so graciously and persistently. Thank you to Punxsutawney, Girljockey, Elm, and Fat Lady Sang for sharing your ineffable talents with us. Thank you to Addison for the labor of love that is des pair, and for letting me be a part of it for three formative years. We’d be lost without you all, or at least I know I would be. So if all my waxing poetic did nothing for you, then I leave you with this: Apathy is killing us all slowly, and it’s just fucking boring. Care more. Interact more. These people and their work deserve your attention because their contributions enrich an otherwise humdrum existence.
