Malibu Seen

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Malibu-based artist Tiffany Trenda lights up the scene at photo la. Photo by Stephanie Keenan

EVERY PICTURE TELLS A STORY!

Shutterbugs got a look at some amazing images at this year’s photo la. The Barker Hangar was transformed into a sleek, modern gallery showcasing the works of today’s most talented photographers as well as those of some legendary names of the past.

The photo expo has come a long way since its humble beginning in 1992. Back then photo la had just 18 exhibitors. Today it boasts more than 70.

“This is the longest running art fair in the history of Los Angeles,” Gallery Owner and Event Organizer Stephen Cohen said. “And with every move of venue, the fair has expanded in size, scope and quality.”

The event kicked off with an opening night reception to benefit the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Bartenders mixed up three-olive martinis and servers made the rounds with truffle chicken salad cups and ahi tuna tartare while guests snacked on pulled pork and sweet cornbread.

There was a conversation piece around every corner with eye-popping snaps of every imaginable kind. There were dreamy shots of Venice, vintage Hollywood pin-ups and an extreme close-up of Christopher Walken in all his creepiness.

One gallery owner proudly displayed a selection of classic 1950s poses from French Elle magazine. Each one captured a special moment in history-a time when ladies dressed in chic pillbox hats, spotless white gloves and multiple strands of pearls. The streets of Paris were unmistakable and so was the portrait of the legendary Coco Chanel. Just across the way, there was an enormous picture of Jean Harlow with her heaving bosom and perfectly painted Max Factor face. Other archival pigment prints included those of sexpot Jane Russell and a young Joan Crawford. With minimal makeup and a face full of freckles, the screen icon was almost unrecognizable from her “Mommy Dearest” days.

Blind photographer Pete Eckert brought his seeing-eye dog, Clancy, along with a few of his brilliant compositions.

“I went to art school when I was sighted,” he explained, “but didn’t start taking photos until I was totally blind.”

Eckert works using light, sound and touch and lets “imagination fill in the rest.”

Cruising the aisles, you’d find every kind of composition from male genitals painted in primary colors, to a model wearing Manolos and a pickle barrel in the snow.

Every year, there always seems to be one standout artist whose work just screams, “Look at me!” This year, it was the work of Cameron Gray. His large-scale take on the iconic “Whistler’s Mother,” an 1871 oil-on-canvas painting by American-born painter James McNeill Whistler, was made up of one-inch by one-inch photos. On closer examination, you’d discover it wasn’t mom at all, but a lot of boobs and bare bottoms and things you can’t say in a family paper.

“It’s called the ‘Pornification of American’,” Gray said. “You want to look, but maybe not too closely.”

Other offerings included his portrait of Jesus done in cakes, sweets and candies, as well as another one of an intriguing Abe Lincoln made of cute baby pictures and surrounded by gritty graffiti, piles of cash, 1970s muscle cars, exploding atom bombs and donuts.

Whether it’s racy collages or classic movie queens, photo la is always a great escape.

“It’s a wondrous thing to be surrounded by so much interesting work by so many artists,” Cohen said. “There are surprises in every booth.”

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