Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/666019
David Wilfert embraces all things alternative at L.A.'s new Maitland Foley gallery. INTERVIEW BY MICHAEL SLENSKE PORTRAIT BY JEFF VESPA HOME GROWN "The seeds were sown for Maitland Foley in 2015 when I left New York for the golden light of California. I knew from curating shows under The World's Best Ever over the past year that I eventually wanted to open my own gallery, but realized that it had to be different from the traditional models to make an impact. So when Rama Mayo presented the opportunity to show art inside an alternative space situated between a marijuana dispensary and a foot massage parlor in the shadow of LACMA on Wilshire Boulevard, all of the dots began to connect. His agency, Heavy Lifting, provides the operational and logistical support, which allows me the time to develop a fresh program and take some risks. Because of our surroundings, we began consulting with Green Street, a cannabis agency, to find a way to carry the contemporary conversation into this burgeoning green space. Our first show with Chris Cascio, on view through June 4, is a reflection of this, and includes his weed maps and wristband quilts. We'll follow that up with new figurative paintings by Death Grips front-man Stefan Burnett and a multidisciplinary conceptual installation by Bert Rodriguez. While keeping an eye toward experimentation, we're creating a cultural dialogue for emerging and mid career artists in L.A." —David Wilfert Wilfert with Chris Cascio's Drug Map (Cannabis), 2014 128 culturedmag.com