Datebook: Photographic collages, haircuts by psychics, zine of zines

Minimalist dance by an important New York choreographer, the wry collages of late L.A. artist Robert Heinecken, the work of a Japanese American Abstract Expressionist Matsumi Kanemitsu, as well as dance, performance and zines. Here’s what’s happening in L.A. and beyond this coming weekend:

Robert Heinecken, “Object Matter,” and Jim Hodges, “Give More Than You Take,” at the Hammer Museum. The Hammer has a couple of good ones opening up this week. The first: Heinecken’s “Object Matter,” a survey of the late photo collagist’s work, previously shown at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, reveals the playful ways in which he combined shape and form, often that of women’s bodies. (I saw the show in New York and it is pretty terrific; Heinecken was a keen manipulator of pop culture.) Also on view is an exhibition of work by Jim Hodges, an artist who creates works that ride the divide between dramatic and fragile: a wall of silk flowers, a shining chamber made of canvas and gold and roiling abstractions produced out of saliva and charcoal. Both shows opens Friday; on view until Jan. 18. 10899 Wilshire Blvd., Westwood, hammer.ucla.edu.

“Yvonne Rainer: Two Works,” at the Harold M. Williams Auditorium at the Getty Museum. The renowned choreographer, known for her minimalist productions, and for including other media in her work (such as film), is staging a pair of new dances (including one work-in-progress), which explore themes of aging and death. Wondering what you should do this weekend? Start here. Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., 1200 Getty Center Dr., Brentwood, getty.edu.

Matsumi Kanemitsu, “Metamorphic Effects,” at the Mistake Room. A second-generation Abstract Expressionist who associated with figures such as Franz Kline and Willem de Kooning and later taught at Chouinard Art Institute (now known as CalArts), Kanemitsu was an artist who worked in various media: Japanese ink drawing, watercolor, painting on canvas and lithography. The show at the Mistake Room gathers works from the 1950s through the ‘80s (Kanemitsu passed away in 1992), including a series of pencil and ink drawings that feature erotic forms and political themes. Opening reception Sunday at 1 p.m.; on view through Dec. 20. 1811 E. 20th St., downtown Los Angeles, tmr.la.

“Step and Repeat” at the Museum of Contemporary Art. It’s the final weekend of MOCA’s month-long performance series. On the lineup are comedian Neil Hamburger (an expert at trolling giant corporations on Twitter), DJs from Dub Club (the roots reggae night at Echoplex), and L.A. writer and performer Geneva Jacuzzi. Saturday at 6 p.m., at MOCA Geffen, 152 N. Central Ave., downtown Los Angeles, moca.org.

Doug Aitken, “Sign-Spinning Performance,” on Santa Monica Boulevard in Hollywood and Regen Projects. Those sign spinners who advertise everything from tax services to super sales are now being harnessed in the name of art. L.A. artist Doug Aitken will have street sign performers on a two-block stretch of Santa Monica Boulevard this Saturday afternoon for a show that should play well to passing cars. It’s all part of Aitken’s “Still Life” show at Regen Projects, which is on view through Oct. 11. Performance is Saturday, 4 to 8 p.m., Santa Monica Boulevard between Highland and Las Palmas avenues. This will include a book-signing by the artist at 6 p.m. at Regen Projects, 6750 Santa Monica Blvd., regenprojects.com.

Finishing School and Yucef Merhi, “Psychic Barber,” at the Riverside Art Museum. Get a psychic reading. Then have that psychic give you a hairstyle based on that reading. That is “Psychic Barber,” a collaboration between the arts collective Finishing School and the digital artist Yucef Merhi. Wondering what haircut you should have based on what a complete stranger can deduce about you? Well, now’s your chance to find out. Friday (today) at 7 p.m., 3435 Mission Inn Ave., Riverside, riversideartmuseum.org.

“Non Stop Poetry: The Zines of Mark Gonzales,” a book release party at Pizzanista. Gonzales is a skater and an artist, or, more appropriately, he’s an artist who skates. This collection, issued by Printed Matter, gathers elements of Gonzales’ myriad zines, with their cryptic doodles, into a single 400-page volume. There are essays and interviews with a whole array of artsy scenesters, from Kim Gordon to Aaron Rose to Harmony Korine to Tom Sachs. Sunday at 5 p.m., 2019 E. 7th St., downtown Los Angeles, pizzanista.com.

Find me on Twitter @cmonstah.