I Missed You Too

Sorry for being MIA. I have been busy with my internship, work, V-Day, and being too stressed. But I promise I will make it up to you. So here is a recap of the past couple of Saturdays.

Benson Simmonds- Saturday Feb 5th- Now- Blue 5
It was all Kosher- no seriously everything was kosher. From energy drinks to cheese pies, the entire menu was kosher. Benson is a devout Orthodox Jew who is highly creative and talented in various forms of art. With that said, Benson incorporated both aspects in his painting by of course painting and having all his work blessed. I found this to be quite interesting. I am not Jewish and have been raised Catholic, so I found the blessing of an painting to be unusual but completely spiritual. I guess I could relate this to Catholicism- but lets not dive into religion because it's rude.

Enough about the artists, Benson's paintings are like music- or at least like the music I listen to. Chaotic, structured, and playful.The application of paint is rough to where each stroke appears spontaneous. Most of Benson's paintings are vibrant in color- with the exception of a certain few. Bensons other paintings are moodier due to his use of warn and rusty reds and grimy greens. Overall I favor his use of pink and soft blue- which I categorize under vibrant, or happy. I am not really a pink girl, (although my college portrait begs to differ) but I enjoyed seeing the feminine color all over a male's canvas. Raw! I am talking about a LOT of pink. Love it! And you should too.

Speaking of pink...

Ann Mccoy- Feb. 15th- Bliecher Caporale Gallery

So Ann teaches at Yale- yes I call her Ann- we are best friends(kidding). No but she is brilliant, totally liberal and open to blasting on her previous employers. Oh how we all wish we could all get away with that... Or have a $70,000 sculpture at the MET.

The exhibition was amazing so her goes my jargon!

Ann McCoy in her solo exhibition The Alchemist of Pfaueninsel takes viewers on a journey through a tale inspired visiting Pfaueninsel(Peacock Island). On the island McCoy was brought to a ballroom once belonging to a 16^th century alchemist who was known for making rare ruby glass. During her visit, McCoy was mesmerized by shards of red glass found lying on the floors of the island. The glass had been left behind after the alchemist’s glass work was burned down. The history of the island and mystery of the alchemist fascinated her. As a result, she wrote a folkloric fairytale about an alchemist, a king, and a moor. Through her fairytale McCoy is able to unravel the underpinnings of early chemistry and investigate psychological transformation in a time prior to psychoanalysis. 

Through the use of watercolor, pencil, and paper, McCoy captures the various hues of red found in the ruby glass of Pfaueninsel. Each painting and sketch is left with a pale gray or white background bringing further emphasis to red and other jewel-like colors. McCoy refers to her red as ‘rubelo’, one of the basic stages alchemic transformations. Rubelo, according to McCoy, is used throughout her exhibition to resemble, “Eros, passion, and pneuma (spirit).”

McCoy applies elements of her fairytale story when creating a catalog archetype of the glass found on the island. Complimenting every ruby glass is a bird, a known symbol for the alchemic transformation of substances. The bird signifies the change which occurs between the king and the moor that in her fairytale.  While at the mercy of the alchemist, the king and moor are transformed into one being. Both conflicting characters are forced to live the same life which consequently causes them to a new rule. 

By combining the rule of two tyrants, McCoy is further implementing the change and restructure which occurs in a person after psychoanalysis. Due to the morphing of both rulers, McCoy incorporates the rebirth of Pfaueninsel by introducing life through an image of Venus and a rose. 

The incarnation of Pfaueninsel is hopeful. The exhibitions last piece is of fetus/embryos shown being graced by the presence of a ruby red rose. By factoring in a new life form, McCoy is reminding viewers of circulatio, the circular process of alchemy. According to McCoy, alchemists acknowledge and embrace the highs and the lows that occur during a chemical transformation. McCoy’s exhibition follows the alchemist’s process and incorporates it into a person’s psychological development in that human being must acknowledge depression and struggle in order for there to be a positive change.     

Anachronious Mind Tree

Anochronius Mind Tree
West Los Angeles, CA
Caropale Bleciher Gallery

Anachronious Mind Tree, a group exhibition featuring an array of Los Angeles-based artists uses Lizzy Waronker's Magic Forest instillation as a launching point for innovation and creativity. Inspired by neurocognitive connectionist modeling, curator Airom Bleicher draws together artists such as Julia Schwartz, Lizzy Waronker, Emily Ulmer, Courtney Reid, Blanca Caporale, Mike Saijo, Joella March, Caleithia De Conto and new artists in creating an interpretive and perceptive gallery exhibition.  

With a strand of yarn curator Airom Bleicher connects Waronker’s central instillation to the responding artworks found on the gallery’s wall.  Connecting these pieces together further emphasizes the communication occurring between artists. Inspiration and criticism is addressed to the viewer through a visual language rather than written words. As artists contributions began to number, the exhibition evolves causing a shift in dialect.

Although Waronker’s Magic Forest may have become a diluted and lost influence, the continuity and integrity of her core instillation is found across the gallery’s wall. The exhibition was formatted to resemble the trees in Magic Forest. Every piece is shown linked together to creating a tree with branches stretching across both ends of the gallery.

Due to the influences of each artist’s predecessor, the creation of art was unable to develop organically. Beginning with a forest and ending with an artificial exhibition, Anachronious Mind Tree caused a community of Los Angeles artists to coalition together in creating a visual model of artificial intelligence.

When You Try To Write, You Can't

 On the day I actually feel like writing, my next door neighbor decided to do some remolding which means a lot, a lot, a lot of noise. Yes it's brutal but I do not blame them. Remodeling your house is wonderful. Everyone should do it when they have the extra cash.

Aside for my neighbors racket, my day is not going in the direction I imagined. Although I do have black coffee steaming right beside me, I do NOT have wheat bread. And on top of that I can not find my hair brush. So.. that's why I am not writing. Right? If this doesn't sound like an excuse I do not know what does.

This week I plan on writing some responses to the work I have seen from interning at a gallery. I would also like to write about art and architecture I have not seen in person. Over time I will incorporate fashion and music to this blog.

Barragan and Water

The pool in San Cristobal is perceived as having underlying majestic qualities. From first sight, viewers are filled with a child-like scene of wonder. Surrounding the pool are pink, red, and orange walls. Each hue responds harmoniously with blue skies evokes feelings of tranquil and relaxed.  Extending horizontally from one of the walls is a fountain which expels water into a shallow, outward stretching pool. The pool's white stone lining creates a pronounced reflection of images and colors surrounding the pool. This mirroring effect and water’s natural tendency to ripple charmingly resembles the painterly qualities found in contemporary art forms. These tiny waves manipulate the reflected scenery causing the image to distort like layers of oil paint caked onto a canvas. In this moment, the pool becomes an oil painting laid out across the floor.