East of Eden turns into Beyond Eden Art Fair at Barnsdall

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No sooner did Culture Monster get wind of the first Malibu Annual Contemporary Art Fair, to be launched Aug. 28-30 by seven L.A. galleries, than we heard about the evolution of Barnsdall Park’s fledgling art fair.

Zara Zeitountsian, director of Black Maria Gallery, spearheaded East of Eden, a contemporary art fair that debuted last year at Barnsdall. The idea was to provide a showcase for often overlooked galleries on L.A.’s Eastside.

‘We just wanted to say, ‘We are here,’ ‘ she said. More than 3,000 people listened -- and looked at works displayed by 14 galleries.

When it came time to plan the second edition, Zeitountsian and her colleagues decided to expand the event’s geographic reach, including Westside and mid-Wilshire galleries. And that called for a name change: Beyond Eden Art Fair.

‘We are celebrating Los Angeles as a cultural hub,’ she said of the fair to be held Oct. 9-11. Fifteen participants, including Billy Shire Fine Arts, Copro Gallery, Crewest, DRKRM and Thinkspace, will set up displays in the Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery at Barnsdall.

A percentage of art sales will be donated to the Museum of Contemporary Art through MOCA contemporaries, a support group that will sponsor the opening night party, Zeitountsian said. The lineup of ancillary activities and events will include films, talks and an ‘artist village’ featuring painters at work.

-- Suzanne Muchnic