Simone Forti to launch and sign 'The Bear in the Mirror' at Hauser & Wirth LA

Saturday, November 17 at 2PM, Hauser & Wirth Los Angeles presents a reading and book signing of The Bear in the Mirror—the latest publication by multi-disciplinary American Italian artist Simone Forti. She will be reading with long-time collaborator Terrence Luke Johnson.

ABOVE: Simone Forti, "A Free Consultation" (2016), HD Video, 17 min 35 sec. Courtesy the artist and The Box, LA. Cinematography: Jason Underhill.

The Bear in the Mirror is a collection of stories, prose-poems, drawings, photos, letters, notes, and memories that dives into the history of Forti’s family and of the woolen mills they once owned. A sub-theme of the book is her interest in bears.

On this occasion, the afternoon will include a teaching and presentation of one of Forti’s seminal Dance Constructions—"Huddle" (1961)—a work involving a group of interlocking bodies, bridging the gap between sculpture and performance, as well as a screening of Forti’s 2016 video work, "A Free Consultation."

This event is a collaboration between Hauser & Wirth, The Box LA, Vleeshal Center for Contemporary Art, and ARTBOOK.

Complimentary food and drink by Manuela.

This event is free, however, reservations are recommended. Click here to register.

SIMONE FORTI (born 1935), is an American Italian Postmodern artist, dancer, choreographer, and writer. Forti first apprenticed with Anna Halprin in the 1950s and has since exhibited, performed, and taught workshops all over the world, including performances at the Louvre in Paris, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles. Her innovations in Postmodern dance along with her contributions to the early Fluxus movement, have influenced many notable artists, including artist Yvonne Rainer and the Judson Dance Theater in New York.

TERRENCE LUKE JOHNSON has been improvising for thirty-eight years, performing Contact Improvisation since the mid-70s and improvisational dance since the mid-90s. Johnson has worked with choreographers Monica Favand, Dana Hirsch, Rudy Perez, Kristen Smirowski, Shel Wagner, and Caroline Waters. In 2001, he began separate long-term collaborations with Simone Forti, Carmela Hermann and Caroline Waters, and from 2005-2010 was a member of The Sleeves, a performance group led by Forti. In 2014 he performed in work by artist Emily Mast at LACMA and the Hammer Museum. Johnson holds a Ph.D. in English Literature from UCLA and periodically leads writing workshops which combine reading the work of gay male writers and producing original work.