Opening Night at the Hammer

Nine Lives artist Lisa Anne Auerbach shares her reflections on Los Angeles, art-making and commuting by bicycle in this weekly blog.

Opening Night at the Hammer

Saturday, March 7, 2009

Nine Lives opened this weekend and there were tons of people at the opening. Thanks to everyone who schlepped out to Westwood Saturday night. Midway through the evening someone said it was SO crowded that they had to park all the way down on P6! That's pretty deep. Here are a few pix from the opening. I was eating mini-cupcakes and drinking beer all evening, except when I was in the gallery, where food and drink is banned.

I wore a No on 8/Octomom sweater in black and white with red trim. Chic!

Hundreds of people wove their way through my sweaters and skirts, which were hanging from the ceiling on mannequin torsos built to look like my body. The "Please Do Not Touch" signs were pretty big, but no one seemed to notice them.

Shelley and Walt from the Mannequin Gallery came to the opening to see their handiwork. They made those hanging torsos that no one could keep their hands off of. Walt did the carving of the body the mannequins were cast from. I wanted it to be my body because the sweaters are made to fit me, and there aren't really any mannequins in my shape available commercially. I went to Pacoima to be measured a few months ago and then I sent over some nearly naked photos of myself for them to work from. Yes, I felt weird about that but first of all, they are professionals, and secondly, I blurred my head so it just looked like something off some random voyeur website anyhow. Whatever. Walt kept trying to make me bustier than I am; thanks but no thanks. We finally got the ladies flat enough and the sweaters look great on them.

And speaking of ladies, what would the International Women's Day March be without a sighting of Miss Maynard Monrow?

I also found International Women's Day supporter, my mom, at the march, and I dragged her inside the museum to look at the show.

The only thing that could have made a delightful evening even lovlier was my cats, but, despite the name of the exhibition, kittens, like beer and cupcakes, are not allowed in the galleries. I was absolutely thrilled to see Daisy and Clyde when I returned home, and even more thrilled to get those painful but beautiful shoes off my aching feet.