Grieving a lost connection

After attending Rudy Perez's post-humous retrospective at Highways Performance Space, I found myself grieving something that could've been.

Author

Steven Vargas
November 28, 2024

This is a holiday week so I’m keeping it brief. Let’s get to it. 🏃🏽‍♂️

Introducing: Rudy Perez

Rudy Perez at Judson Church - 9/77. Early rehearsal of the Rudy Perez Men's Coalition (Photo courtesy of Ian Cousineau)

As a journalist, it is rare for an interview to switch directions. Typically, I’m the one asking the questions. However, while I interviewed Ian Cousinou for an article in memory of the late postmodern choreographer Rudy Perez, he became curious about my dance background. After a slew of questions, including if I had worked with Perez in the past (I haven’t), he paused. 

"I think he would have enjoyed your movement ethos in your piece ‘Landscapes,’" Ian Cousineau said. "I think he would have appreciated that.” 

Now and then I recall this moment. I knew little of Perez and could only identify his choreographic voice through online clips. This past weekend, I attended a post-humous retrospective at Highways Performance Space to celebrate what would’ve been his 95th birthday. The first work on stage, “Slate in 3 Parts,” put everything into perspective. 

In the piece, performers repeated a phrase while sitting in a chair. First, they turned their head and looked into the distance, as if searching for something beyond. Then, they flung a foot across their body in the same direction as their sight and shook the leg. Each time, you saw the intention of each step. It was meticulous and exact, yet pedestrian and raw. 

I saw my own choreographic voice pop out in the work. It activated my brain in ways I still haven’t fully grasped. I recalled the choreography Cousineau mentioned during our interview, “Landscapes.” 

I created “Landscapes” toward the beginning of the pandemic for a choreography class that went fully online. While choreographing, I sought to drive everything with my eyes. What did I see from moment to moment? How did that impact my relationship to the gesture of a wave?

How do I know to keep trying and when do I give up? Looking back on the piece, I understand Cousinou’s comments. 

By the end of the performance at Highways, I started to tear up. I was in a room with people who knew Perez throughout his lifetime, either as a friend or a collaborator. I was there as the reporter, yet somehow I felt more aligned with his loved ones. 

No one warns you about how it feels to grieve someone you’ve never met. I felt a typhoon of emotions, from anger to sadness to joy. It was like watching a soul connection take the train in the opposite direction. I wish I met him and engaged with his work more intimately. I knew I would’ve gained so much artistic insight and direction from him. I grieved what could’ve been, but I left with relief knowing I could still see him through the eyes of those who continue to keep his steps alive. 

This Week’s Top Spots

Terence Maluleke, "Blue Dance," 2024. Acrylic on canvas, 44.3 x 59.1 in. (Terence Maluleke / Photo Courtesy of Southern Guild)

‘Terence Maluleke: Like a Fish in the Water’ @ Southern Guild

In Terence Maluleke’s first U.S. exhibition at Southern Guild, he merges imagery of his self-expressive desires with his religion to reflect on the tension they can sometimes create. He incorporates religious iconography — including halos, a congregation and fish — and puts them in dialogue with opposing figures and energies. For example, in “Blue Dance,” a group of worshipers seemingly walk astray from a central figure Maluleke describes as “the guider and the light.” Altogether, the exhibition explores the complexities of human struggle and how it can be depicted in a single instance. 

LOCATION: 747 N Western Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90029
DATES: November 21, 2024 - February 1, 2025
TIMES: On view 10 am - 6 pm Tues. thru Fri., 10 am - 4 pm Sat.
PRICE: Free 
LINK: https://southernguild.com/exhibitions/like-a-fish-in-the-water 

Chase Hall, "North Omaha (Emmet Street)," 2024. Acrylic and coffee on cotton canvas, 96 x 72 x 2 in. (Photo by Christopher Stach / Photo Courtesy of David Kordansky Gallery)

‘Chase Hall: Halfrican’ @ David Kordansky Gallery

Chase Hall’s new exhibition documents the ever-shiting line between personal and generational narratives. “Halfrican” references the questions that come up with identity. Hall is known for staining cotton supports with espresso to create his own coffee-based pigments, commenting on systemic forces of oppression and trade. Meanwhile, the paintings themselves have a particular pattern and geometric rhythm that creates distance between portions of the body and the background. Other works reflect the realities of being a Black man in predominantly white spaces.

LOCATION: 5130 W. Edgewood Pl., Los Angeles, CA 90019
DATES: November 8 - December 14
TIMES: On view 10 am - 6 pm Tues. thru Sat.
PRICE: Free 
LINK: https://www.davidkordanskygallery.com/exhibitions/chase-hall2 

Installation view of "Leslie Hewitt: New Waves" at Perrotin Los Angeles, November 16, 2024 – January 25, 2025. (Photo by Paul Salveson / Photo courtesy of the artist and Perrotin)

'Iván Argote: Impermanent' & 'Leslie Hewitt: New Waves' @ Perrotin Los Angeles

Perrotin Los Angeles has two new solo exhibitions that recently opened this month. Leslie Hewitt’s “New Waves” flips our preconceived notions about an art viewing experience. Her photographic works are presented inside custom-made frames which are placed on the floor, requiring a full body action to view the work. Her works also play with gravity and slowing perception. Iván Argote shares his photography from 2012 to 2024 in “Impermanent,” an exhibition that critiques public monuments and the figures we honor. 

LOCATION: 5036 W Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90019
DATES: November 16, 2024 - January 25, 2025
TIMES: On view 10 am - 6 pm Tues. thru Sat. 
PRICE: Free 
LINK: https://leaflet.perrotin.com/view/921/impermanent &  https://leaflet.perrotin.com/view/868/new-waves 

Things: Making Holiday Plans

Los Angeles Ballet’s “The Nutcracker.” (Photo by Cheryl Mann)

It’s officially the season of festive events and happenings. Here’s a quick curated list of events to check out in the next couple of weeks as we ring things in. 

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