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Wednesday, September 21st, 2011

Samuel Bayer Transitions @ Siren Studios

Transitions features large-scale still-life photographs and video installation by photographer/director/cinematographer Samuel Bayer. In this latest body of work Bayer uses both video and photography to explore consequences of man-made actions and natural occurrences. Bayer uses the butterfly to argue that complex structures and vexing situations are a dramatic catalyst in building depth, character and ultimately, beauty. Bayer does this by staging magnificent creatures on the outside of a cocoon while inside, a transforming event occurs. The event within is at times violent, painful and tragic. Yet Bayer believes that dramatic transitional experiences are keys to yielding beauty, creativity and achievement beyond belief.

The video installation is based on a documentary film Bayer is currently directing about a young man named David Anguiano. At a very young age David was severely injured. Since that injury David has been through a world of physical and emotional trauma yet, somehow, has managed to maintain an uplifting spirit and has literally found his voice through the arts. David, now 20, has taught himself how to play the guitar and is an accomplished actor. For the past five years David has written and directed plays for hospitalized children. Because of his involvement with The Art of Elysium and their volunteers, David has had the opportunity to direct a variety of actors including Eva Mendes, James Franco, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Kristen Dunst and many others in his annual Christmas play. They all call him a genius.

Samuel Bayer
Transitions
Thursday, September 22, 2011
6:00 to 9:00pm
Siren Studios
6063 Sunset Blvd. Hollywood
Benefiting The Art of Elysium
In conjunction with The Art Reserve

 

Monday, July 25th, 2011

Pirovino KAWS Collection

Hypebeast and HighSnobiety recently unveiled a view into the KAWS collection I’ve been focused on building for the past several years, including an interview that covers a bit of the journey up to this point. Shot by Brandon Shigeta, the photos present works in a variety of mediums including ink, watercolor, pastel, acrylic, bronze, resin, wood, and vinyl. Here are some exclusive photos that were reserved for this space:

Posted by pirovino | Filed in Collections, Los Angeles, Sculpture, TACVault | 1 Comment »

 

Tuesday, June 7th, 2011

Internally Yours :: Nouar @ Helford

Nefariously clever Nouar is on the eve of letting us taste her latest visual treats at the Corey Helford Gallery, Culver City’s jewel. We’ve been fans for years, having interviewed the artist when she exhibited with Jonathan LeVine Gallery. Today, her evolution continues to provide delectable interplay of a highly personal narrative. The works in “Internally Yours” feature three-dimensional sugary confections, gelatin dessert molds and a bright, beguiling color palette that lure the viewer in. However, like Jeff Koons’ brightly-colored balloon animals, the characters have a significance beyond their deceptively innocent appearance. “For this show,” Nouar says, “I used food as a visual metaphor to symbolize how dangers are hidden, and how we don’t see them coming until it is too late.” For example, in her painting “Sweet Entrapment,” a bright-pink gummy bear smirks at the doe-eyed brunette trapped inside its stomach.

‘“Internally Yours” represents the idea of confinement, submission and eternity,” Nouar explains. “Sometimes, we find ourselves in situations we don’t want to be in. It feels like the world has swallowed us up whole.”

The techniques used in this exhibition were inspired by the 2009 group show at Corey Helford Gallery,“The Multi-Plane Show”, for which artists were asked to paint transparent panes in order to achieve a three-dimensional effect. “For my submission, I wanted to utilize the idea of actually being able to see through an object to see what is inside or behind it,” Nouar says. “After several attempts to tint the glass, I realized I would have to create a new transparent layer altogether. Thus I begun experimenting with sculpting and casting resin to achieve the effect I wanted in the final finished piece.”

Don’t miss the special ‘takehome’ tidbits on opening night.

Corey Helford Gallery
8522 Washington Boulevard
Culver City, CA 90232

Opening Reception Saturday, June 11, 2011 from 7-10pm
On View June 11 – June 29, 2011 Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by pirovino | Filed in Los Angeles, Openings, Sculpture | Comment now »

 

Monday, November 1st, 2010

On the Move with a Still Life :: TAC Visits Erik Parker in the Studio


(All images and text © Jeff Newman/TheArtCollectors)

Life for Erik Parker is far from still. Last year the artist broke from the text and icon based glyph-like paintings that had guided him through successful solo shows in NY, Europe and Japan, unveiling new works with Paul Kasmin Gallery that were at once reminiscent of the dazzling colored psychedelia of Rick Griffin and portraiture somewhere between the twisted faces of Francis Bacon and the surreal-like heads of 16th century painter Giuseppe Arcimboldo. Now on the verge of his first museum exhibition, the Brooklyn based artist tackles yet another stylistic departure with a Los Angeles gallery show that is once again bound to surprise those familiar with his work. Earlier this month I paid Erik a visit in the studio to chat as he was putting the finishing touches on his newest paintings.

JN: Your upcoming exhibit reaches back to some of your work from several years ago, while also exploring new ground with still life paintings. Do you actively think about your next move professionally and where you are headed artistically, or take more of a Taosit approach and let the current take you where it may?

EP: That’s a good question! With the new body of work the idea was to make  paintings that were “pretty” and speak not of the grotesque but the good looking shit in life, so I looked to the still life.

JN: Interesting. I was wondering if any of them were specific references to other know works, but I think you said mostly they were from random, unknown Google searches?

EP: Yea, I did get some of the images from Googling but I also looked to Rousseau and Braque.

JN: For me the still life paintings were a surprising departure in content, while unmistakably still your own. It made me think back to some painters who all tackled this motif at points in their careers. Lichtenstein and Leger were the first to come to mind. Were you thinking about this dialogue at all?

EP: For sure man, absolutely!

JN: Did you get a chance to check out that massive Lichtenstein still life show that Gagosian had this past year?

EP: That Lichtenstein show was mind blowing. I love how his still lifes are his style but really honest too. I think he wanted them to be pretty on his own terms and that’s where i am coming from too.

JN: With the majority of the show focused on new material,  My Inventory is more reminiscent of your work on paper from a few years back.

EP: Word! My Inventory is the first of it’s kind on canvas. I just wanted to see if that type of work could be carried over onto canvas. It was sort of a personal challenge. That body of work and working that way is always fun and rigorous, so I do a few ever year and push them into diferent directions over a long period of time. The one on canvas had killer results. It became more graphic and illuminated in a post-pop kind of way.

JN: From the new paintings, it also struck me as the most personal piece.

EP: Right! But they are all a bit personal at the end of the day. There is no way out of that with me.

JN: Well, not to get too personal, but great record collection. It’s nice to see a fellow vinyl addict! What have you been listening to in the studio lately?

EP: Glad you asked man! I have been into heavy stuff for the last couple years. Off the top of my head, the Melvins, Sleep, Pissed Jeans, Hawkwind, Fela, Rolling Stones’ Sticky Fingers, Orange Goblin, Radio Moscow, Ghostface, and Children have been on a lot.

JN: So you grew up in San Antonio and went to college in Austin at the University of Texas, right? Were you in with the punk and indie scene down there?

EP: I think being Texan and being exposed to all that music and that kind of “fuck you, we’re from Texas” attitude had a big impact on me. That mixed with studying with Peter Saul definitely help me find my own voice as an artist.

JN: Right on! On that note, you’re about to have a bit of a homecoming with your first solo museum show. What’s the deal with that?

EP: I met the curator of the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth through my gallerist Honor Fraser in L.A. and  we hit it off right away. I’m stoked to being doing a show there!

Erik Parker – Endless Anytime runs through December 18 at Honor Fraser, Los Angeles. Focus: Erik Parker opens at The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth on December 5 and runs through February 6, 2011.


(All images and text © Jeff Newman/TheArtCollectors)

 

Friday, September 10th, 2010

Mark Dean Veca @ Western Project

TAC, in conjunction with KERF, present a look into Mark Dean Veca’s final preparations on the eve of his first Los Angeles solo gallery show. The exhibit is at Western Project, opening 18 September 2010. Consisting of six brilliant large-scale paintings, the stage is set for a tremendous homecoming for Veca. For many years, MDV lived in Brooklyn, treating NYC to some of the finest artwork imaginable. This time, the visual symphony will be conducted on LaCienega.

Mark Dean Veca
“When The Shit Hits The Fan”
Western Project
Opening 18 September 2010

Posted by pirovino | Filed in KERF, Los Angeles, Openings, Spotlight, TAC | 3 Comments »

 

Thursday, July 29th, 2010

Retna @ Rivera & Rivera

Retna

Los Angeles’ art scene is all the more elevated by the emergence of Rivera & Rivera Gallery, located downtown. Their latest offering features Retna, an artist on the cusp of an explosive career trajectory. With underlying major critical support, Retna is shifting to the foreground of museums and serious collectors alike. In a bold move, Rivera & Rivera utilizes their entire gallery space in a thunderously glorious installation that signifies the magnitude of Retna’s voice. Every inch is transformed by the majestic visual landscape. In a fabulous knock-out of an exhibition, Retna and Rivera & Rivera are clearly ushering in a definitive art show.

OPENING DATE: Thursday July 29, 2010
TIME: 8:00PM -11:00PM
RSVP: rsvp@riveraandrivera.com

Posted by pirovino | Filed in Los Angeles, Openings | 1 Comment »

 

Monday, July 12th, 2010

Basel 41 Art Salon Talks Now Online

Videos for all the Art Salon Talks from Art 41 Basel Switzerland are now available to view or download on the fair’s website here. The above conversation, “Collector Power – Who Has It and Who Doesn’t,” between  Josh Baer, art advisor and publisher of the Baer Fax art industry newsletter, and heavyweight collector Adam Lindemann is worth a watch (click pic to launch video).

Posted by ATARMS | Filed in Los Angeles, Museums | Comment now »

 

Monday, June 7th, 2010

LACMA to host Baldessari Retrospective


John Baldessari –Sediment: Leg and Shirt, 2010, Inkjet print and acrylic on canvas. (Image: © Margo Leavin /John Baldessari)

American art icon, John Baldessari, is the subject of a new retrospective set to open at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art on June 27.  From pioneering conceptual text-based works of the 1960s, to his photographic amalgamation of film stills that helped to inform the art of appropriation, Baldessari has been at the forefront of multiple contemporary practices. John Baldessari: Pure Beauty will feature over 150 pieces, highlighting early works as far back as 1962, up to his most recent.  The retrospective will also feature a special installation conceived especially for the occasion.

The museum will hold a free conversation with Baldessari and curator Leslie Jones at 2pm, opening day. Tickets for the event will be available on a first-come basis, one hour prior to the program.  In addition, new 324 page exhibition catalog is available now in LACMA’s online shop.

Pure Beauty first debuted at the Tate Modern, London, in October 2009, before traveling to the Museu d’Art Contemporani in Barcelona. After LACMA, the exhibition will continue on to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY, this coming October.

Baldessari also has a new series of photographic works, entitled Sediment, on view through July 10 with Margo Leavin, Los Angeles. A work from the series is pictured above.

 

Friday, April 9th, 2010

Banksy’s ‘Exit Through The Gift Shop’

There was anticipation in the air in the first of a three night series of press screenings in Los Angeles, after having made a major splash at Sundance. Undoubtedly, Banksy’s EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP presents a truly engaging story about some of the artists behind one of this generation’s most exciting movements in our culture – street art. However, much of the film, directed by Banksy, focuses on Thierry Guetta, aka Mr. Brainwash. Only an artist with the utter swagger as Banksy would be comfortable enough to actually elevate a newcomer like MBW, eclipsing himself in the process. Well crafted, the documentary explores Banksy’s legacy and contextualizes many events in ‘street art’ history, chronicling of some of the most important moments in Banksy’s career, as well as others, like Shepard Fairey. It’s both a comical glance at how art is about perception – and now more than ever – showmanship – while also poignantly substantiating the passion at the core of this form of expression.

The film is uniquely entertaining. With our highest recommendation, it will be very worthwhile seeking it out in your local market as it rolls out. It opens on April 16 in many cities across the USA. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by pirovino | Filed in Film, Los Angeles | 1 Comment »

 

Thursday, February 11th, 2010

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art has just launched an online reading room, where they are gradually making available a full range of electronic facsimiles of museum publications spanning their history. LACMA’s initial offering comprises ten early exhibition catalogues, mostly from the 1960s, and serves as an invaluable academic resource.

Posted by ATARMS | Filed in History, Los Angeles, Museums, Publications | Comment now »