It’s the first day of the World Series and while the Dodgers are in Toronto to face the Blue Jays, fans in L.A. can check out Dodger art just downhill from the stadium. Doubleplay, a joint show from L.A.-based artists Billy Kheel and Pat Riot, opened earlier this month at Eastern Projects in Chinatown and it’s on view at the gallery through November 22.
Technically, Doubleday isn’t all Dodgers art. In fact, the show isn’t 100% baseball-driven either, but the boys in blue dominate the small gallery, kind of like Shohei did last Friday night. A large mosaic of Fernando Valenzuela, made of reclaimed tile, greets visitors upon entering Eastern Projects. To the left of it, right underneath the show sign, is a felt tapestry of Kiké Hernandez and Gavin Lux’s “crotch bump,” a viral moment from last year. Both pieces are by Kheel, whose work you’ll see in the first segment of the exhibition.
Kheel’s felt appliqué tapestries are incredibly interesting. The felt is layered and embroidered, which adds a lot of depth and movement to the images and lends a sculptural element. With scenes like The Invention of the High Five: Dusty and Green, which depicts Glenn Burke giving Dusty Baker the first high five back in 1977, the action pops off the canvas.
Also, the felt adds a softness to the hyper-masculinity of sports, which might be the point, given that the athletic images in the foreground are juxtaposed with roses in the background. Plus, the subject matter play with and often challenge male stereotypes. In Bird & Magic, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, famed ‘80s basketball rivals who were said to be friends off court, appear alongside the phrase “Respect & Love.” In Decoy Ohtani, Shohei is seen not mid-pitch or swing, but holding his dog Decoy.
Pat Riot’s contributions to Doubleday center around his bubblegum series, where he uses chewed gum and aluminum panels to create portraits of baseball players. It’s a concept that references the sticks of gum that comes with packs of baseball cards made with a technique that is derived from pointillism. Fernando Valenzuela appears in the center of a large wall near the back of the gallery, with Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts’ portraits on either side. Nearby, is Freddie Freeman.
If you’re walking clockwise around the gallery, you’ll end up in what resembles a cross between a museum gift shop and a baseball card shop. Prints of the Riot’s bubblegum portraits are displayed here alongside his Discards, which are packages of actual baseball cards that have been altered by Riot. A collection of individual cards are laid out in a display case. Across from that are Kheel’s small felt portraits of Vin Scully, Sandy Koufax and Tommy Lasorda.
This is the sort of show that you do need to see in person because photos really flatten the images. Zoom in on a photo and you still aren’t going to catch the textured details of the bubblegum portraits or the felt tapestries. Since the gallery is small, it won’t take long to go through the entire show. Eastern Projects is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from noon until 6 p.m. and it’s located on the Broadway side of Blossom Plaza, which is the complex next to the Chinatown A Line station. The address is 900 N. Broadway, #1090, Chinatown 90012. For more info, head to the Eastern Projects website.
Liz O. is an L.A.-based writer and DJ. Read her recently published work and check out her upcoming gigs or listen to the latest Beatique Mix. Follow on Instagram or Bluesky for more updates.
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