So there’s this “art” event called GLOW happening on the beach in Santa Monica this Saturday, but I went to GLOW two years ago when it started and the art all looked pretty damn corporate to me. So corporate that we ended up on the SM Pier drinking tequila gimlets on the rickety roller coaster (that combo made the art look better). If you want a dose of some very non-corporate art before you head to GLOW this weekend, then check out the opening of a brand spanking new gallery in lovely Venice, California. NYC’s L&M Arts chose Venice for its west coast location and halleluja to them – there’s no such thing as too many art galleries. Not in Los Angeles at least.

L&M is bold enough to open their doors with an exhibit of work by deranged multi-media artist Paul McCarthy. If you saw his Tokyo Santa Santa’s Trees installation at MOCA last spring, then you know just how vulgar this guy’s work can be. When I walked away from Tokyo Santa I felt dirty, pissed off, and I really wanted to go home and take a shower. I mean, the nerve of this guy taking photos of himself as a bloody, murderous, sexually depraved Santa! It was like walking through a slasher film. Then ten minutes later as I was staring at a blank white canvas with a yellow dot on it, I found myself saying, “Let’s go back and walk through the Santa thing again.” McCarthy’s work ain’t pretty, but it gets under your skin. I like that.