On Wednesday night, poolside at Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood, the London-born, Los Angeles-based artist Anthony James unveiled Reflections of Speed (2025), a high-octane work created in collaboration with the British luxury automaker Aston Martin. The brilliant light sculpture does not just take inspiration from Aston Martin’s famed Vanquish model but actually contains one of the cars. The sculpture’s mirrored interior and bright lighting offer dynamic views of the vehicle from all angles. Following its display at Chateau Marmont, James’s work will zip down the hill to the Petersen Automotive Museum and, eventually, will be offered for sale, with proceeds benefiting wildfire relief efforts.
Ballroom benefit
Fair exchange: La Ayuda Network’s sale at Felix Art Fair is supporting those excluded from wildfire recovery aid
Scarlet Cheng
La Ayuda Network has taken over half the ballroom of the Hollywood Roosevelt hotel—the entrance to the Felix Art Fair—with a special sale of small works benefiting those affected by the Los Angeles fires. All proceeds will go “directly to the under-resourced communities structurally excluded from existing recovery aid, such as undocumented, Bipoc, essential workers, children and youth”, says the group. Most of the more than 100 works on sale are priced at $500 each, and they were already selling quickly on opening day. Participating artists include Beatriz Cortez, Carolina Caycedo, Debra Scacco, Felix Quintana, Lauren Bon, Patrisse Cullors and rafa esparza. The ballroom can be accessed sans fair ticket, so there is no excuse not to check it out.
Community spirit
Next step: Summaeverything’s plans for South Central are on show at Frieze
Eric Thayer
Summaeverythang, which was spearheaded by the artist Lauren Halsey, started as a food programme in 2020 for South Central communities during the height of Covid-19. Expected to open its physical doors in 2028, the centre promises to bring art, health, wellness and education to the kids of South Central. The Summaeverythang Community Center activation at Frieze includes blueprints for the future build, a merch stand in collaboration with Bephies Beauty Supply and Nike, and works made by the painter and sculptor Alake Shilling with local youth. Built on mantras like “autonomy”, “find your funk” and “transcendence”, the centre and its expansive mission promise “some of everything”. Today at noon, the new building’s architect, Barbara Bestor, will give a talk at the Frieze pop-up.
Stars descend
Celebrity spot: Gwyneth Paltrow was among the famous faces to make an appearance at Frieze’s VIP preview
Nina Fernandez/BFA.com, Courtesy of Frieze
Hollywood royals wove their way through the throngs during VIP day at Frieze. Among them were the film-maker Oliver Stone, the hip-hop artist and actor Kid Cudi, the rapper Gunna, the television host Katie Couric, and the actors Jesse Williams and Lisa Edelstein. As the doors officially opened at 10am, there were rumours of the actress and Goop queen Gwyneth Paltrow having trouble obtaining a rare and coveted parking pass; she did get in eventually. James Franco was seen chit-chatting at the Pace stand—the gallery that played host to the actor’s homage to Cindy Sherman ten years ago. Meanwhile, across town at Felix, the actress Julia Fox was spotted in Lomex’s cabana, asking the dealer Alexander Shulan about the Japanese artist Yoshitaka Amano. The Australian singer Troye Sivan was also spotted at the Hollywood Roosevelt hotel, traipsing down the hall.
Open House(ago)
Sneaky peek: Thomas Houseago took visitors on a behind-the-scenes tour of his Frogtown studio complex
Janelle Zara
On Wednesday in Frogtown, a hybrid industrial-residential neighbourhood along the Los Angeles River, Thomas Houseago opened his sprawling studio complex to a small group of visitors organised by the dealer Xavier Hufkens. The intimate tour included a stroll through the artist’s on-site sculpture park, where a sneak preview of his monumental, wall-like sculpture commissioned for the Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s campus renovation was on view. Houseago, barefoot in the midst of sculpting clay into an enormous demon-like figure, improvised a riveting, hour-long discussion on the vulnerability and catharsis of artmaking. “It’s really about letting the sculpture eat you alive,” he said. “It’s letting these things—that are really deep in your gut that you think, ‘I shouldn’t let anyone see that’—come to be.”
