Art

Another great show runs at Gabba Gallery through June 18th – Connect, featuring four very different – yet connected in terms of their visual intensity – artists. The four solo shows also connect with their audience: these are immediate, exciting, stimulating works that grab the eye and poke at the heart.

Jeff Kravitz’s Photography for the Soul is this fine arts photographer’s first solo show. “It’s a labor of love, it’s what I do for a living. I put everything through Photoshop. I want my work to be colorful. I see everything in bright color and I really like to accentuate that.”

Originally shooting on film, he’s gone digital, using Nikon gear, for the last fourteen years. He’s captured historical moments of all kinds, noting self-deprecatingly that he’s “witnessed incredible iconic moments.” And captured them perfectly.

“I’ve been working on this a long time. I have photos I shot in high school. I’ve been working on building a body of work I felt comfortable enough to show the world.”

Jules Muck’s Available made the artist herself feel edgy.

“I usually do street art. Having a gallery show is a little uncomfortable, so I wanted to do something fun with it.”

Her idea, fully realized: to set herself up in the center of her exhibition room with a tattoo gun and many willing participants. “I do tattooing every now and then. This is something I felt could really reach people.”

Along with tattoo art, Muck’s exhibition features large scale, hyper-realistic pieces painted in oil.

Stormie Mills’ A Fish Tale exhibition is both witty and dark, a Tim Burton-esque take on life created in mixed acrylic, including spray paint.

“Ultimately the work is about connection, it’s a tool for communication, an outlet that facilitates communication which leads to connection,” he says.

The Australian artist has created an insightful body of work that tells a riveting story about a man and his friendship with a fish. The story is based on the writings of filmmaker Mark Strong who was himself inspired by Stormie’s work “I miss my friend, I want him back.” In short, the subject of this show is also its purpose – inspiration and connection. Overall, the show has the look of a lushly detailed dreamscape.

Across the street from the gallery, Mills has created a gorgeous wall-size piece of street art. It’s not a permanent mural installation – “it’s like a bunch of flowers, it will only last so long,” Mills attests. More reason to hurry to the gallery and see the show as well as the art visible through it’s windows.

Noah Emhurt’s The Doheny Challenge is a body of intimate, poetic work created on acrylic. The artist sourced much of his material from 1960s era magazines and fashion magazines, creating a template for figurative work and images transfers in a chaotic yet delicate atmosphere.

“When I was younger, I would write a lot of poetry, I would write my ideas. A lot of my work is translating words into sketches into painting to get that look of writing ideas into a painting. I want people to look at each piece and find something new all the time,” Emhurt says.

His love of travel and other cultures is also on view. Having spent time living in Japan and New York, the influence of these locales is very evident in his work. “I stole a wine list from a French restaurant,” he notes. “I’ve incorporated that menu into my work, too.”

Emhurt’s work absorbs his surroundings and experiences, and the viewer absorbs his experiences through his work, connection as cultural zeitgeist.

Go ahead and plug in: this solo show runs through June 18th, and the Gabba Gallery is located at

3126 Beverly Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90057
(310) 498-2697

Gallery Hours are Wed-Saturday 12- 3 or by appointment.