Jeffrey Sklan: His ELEGY Rocked Kopeikin Gallery and Rocks On

Posted on by Diversions LA

64996366_2308635859244429_1461606958858502144_n

Photographic artist Jeffrey Sklan presented a stellar exhibition at Kopeikin Gallery in the Culver City arts district last week. ELEGY offered beautiful and poignant images as a call to action against violence and mass shootings, and offered that call with grace and resonant, delicate botanical imagery. At his June 22nd opening, the gallery was packed with supporters for a lively opening.

Filled with a glowing light and using a deep, rich color palette that reflects the artist’s love for Baroque-era artists such as Rembrandt and Caravaggio, Sklan pays tribute to lives lost in mass killings and murders. The works are both radiant and lovely, solemn yet ethereal.

60979933_1001285550067162_1314540565609578496_n

The artist first exhibited this series at Photo LA in January; at Kopeikin, he added new images including those dedicated to Parkland student Sydney Aiello, Nipsey Hussle, (above) and celebrants of both Easter in Sri Lanka and Passover in Poway, California. They are glorious images, quietly lush.

65196431_10217451915396998_4285704168234024960_n

Sklan’s inspiring works are now moving on,  he says. “I’m starting to design a book of the images,” he relates. “And we are going to hang the show after July 12th at Finishing Concepts in Monterey Park.” While the exhibition is on display at that location, a documentary short film will be made about the work.

64723804_10217451912836934_5734934053547671552_n

Designed as a traveling show, Sklan relates that ELEGY will “most likely be exhibited at a university on the East Coast in the fall, and in North Dakota in the spring or summer of 2020.” As plans solidify, Sklan hopes ELEGY will continue to find new venues for future exhibitions. To defray  shipping and installation costs, limited edition fine art prints are for sale so that “even more people can view it, and, ideally, be inspired to remedy the wrongs they perceive in the communities where they live.” He adds “The message is simple: we are each, in our own way and according to our capacity, capable of affecting change.” 

The project began with a single image created after the Pulse nightclub shootings in Orlando, Fla. in June 2016, it truly took form for the artist following the July 2016 Bastille Day celebration in Nice during which 87 people were killed. He continues to add images as an homage that serve as both evocative rumination on the fragility of life, and an affirmation of the beauty of life itself. Filled with solace and beauty, Sklan’s photographs are filled with his passion for life as well as his awareness of how brief life can be.
65514507_10104346365076645_2249083792331374592_n

The artist explains “This project is no longer mine. It belongs to every community memorialized. It belongs to the families whose loved ones are honored. It belongs to those who want to change their world. There has never been any other motive for me in this. The edition of prints is intentionally small: my net proceeds will always go back to defray transportation, insurance, and exhibition costs.” He suggests viewers reach out “if your school, entity, or gallery would be a good fit to exhibit this.”

Finishing Concepts, where the show will next be viewable in the Southland, is located at 1230 Monterey Pass Rd.; stay tuned for updates as to hours and dates. For more information on purchasing prints and supporting the exhibition, visit the artist’s website store, here. Or contact the artist direction at jeffreysklan@aol.com

– Genie Davis; photos Genie Davis, and provided by the artist.

Edge to Edge Series Connects U.S. and Estonian Artists at ViCA

Posted on by Diversions LA
IMG_5560
Above,Curator/Artist Juri Koll points out the political elements of work by Estonian artist Leohnard Lapin
The Venice Institute of Contemporary Art’s Edge to Edge, a series of art exhibitions, has been holding forth at ViCA’s San Pedro location since May. Closing this weekend, the group exhibition features a vibrant collection from both U.S. and Estonian artists. The interplay between the two groups of artists creates a tightly curated show featuring a diverse body of work, one that depicts the culture of and iconic images from both countries.
IMG_5556
Above, the opening night crowd gathers around a sculpture by Pablo Llana (Mexico) 
According to curator Juri Koll, whose own Estonian roots played a part in the show’s strong interdisciplanary exchange of art and ideas, “The work emphasizes a prescient, mutual place in time and mind, a desire to push boundaries at every edge… An exhibition of different artworks from the very opposite ends of the western world create a coherent voice and experience in time and space, full of contrast, tension, and unanimity.”
AllikEdgetoEdgeweb
Above, from Estonian artist Peeter Allik.

Participating artists include, from Estonia: Toomas Kuusing, Anonymous Boh, Taje Tross, Pusa, Tönis Laanemaa, Leonhard Lapin, Terttu Uibopuu, Raul Meel, Peeter Allik, Hillar Tatar, George Koll and Serge Koll. From the U.S.: Bradford J. Salamon, Sonja Schenk, Doug Edge, Gloriane Harris, John Hancock, Sulamit Elizondo, Robbie Conal, Lilli Muller, Mb Boissonnault, Juri Koll, Cosimo Cavallaro, Lil’ Mikey Coleman, Lilli Muller, Robert Nelson, William Turtle, Catherine Ruane, and Pablo Llana.

65166874_2333490223400625_8468970115168206848_n

Above, the graceful trees of Catherine Ruane.

From the colorful abstract seascapes of Harris to Conal’s highly political art, Ruane’s lush graphite images of trees so real you could touch them, to Schenk’s exciting cut-out-based painting studies, and Salamon’s viscerally real all-American images, the exhibition offers vibrant artists that contrast and compare in a pitch-perfect visual dialog with their Estonian counterparts’ work.

Artists participated in an art talk last weekend that engaged both local artists live, and those from Estonia via video.

IMG_6080

Above, Signe Krikmann, Consul of the Consulate General of Estonia in New York, studies the artwork.

The exhibition is not only fascinating artistically, but as a step toward global cultural inclusion. The plan for the exhibition is that the ViCA gallery exhibition is just the start. Next, it will travel to Estonia in a cultural exchange to promote freedom of speech, activism, and peace as a new way to see and express each culture. A published catalog will follow the exhibition.

JurionFakeShaketoJaak

Above, Koll points out elements of his latest work to Jaak Treiman, Honorary Consul of Estonia in Los Angeles, and artist Robert Nelson, whose exciting low brow pop realism work is included in the exhibition. 

Several artworks in the show date from the Soviet era, and serve as a commentary on the on-going struggle for independence and freedom of expressiong, Koll notes – and that commentary is prescient both in Estonia, as it celebrates its 100th anniversary of independence, but in the U.S. as well. Estonia and other Baltic states emerged as free, democratice countries 1918 through 1919. 

LeohnardLapin1

Above, work from Estonian artist Leonhard Lapin, whose ideas about machines’  providing pleasure as well as production are the basis of his Machine, Man Machine, Woman Machine series, an example of which is above. Lapin’s interest in the subject was an outgrowth of his translation of the revolutionary book The Non-Objective World into the Estonian language.

After the exhibition closes in Los Angeles on June 29, Edge to Edge will be presented with works from additional artists as well as several new works from those already participating from North America in July at the Tartu Art House within the framework of the Tartu Graphic Festival (July 22 – August 18) and at the Pärnu IN Graphics Festival in Pärnu City Gallery opening on August 10, and the Fahle Gallery in Tallinn from July 27 through August 30th. These locations are all within Estonia.

BradfordtoTajeEtoE

From left: “Midnight Snack” by Bradford Salamon; collaborations by Anonymous Boh (Estonia) and John Hancock (US), “Dude Descending the Staircase” by Bradford J. Salamon, and “Performance Formula I” by Taje Tross.

It doesn’t get much more iconic-Americana than the Dude or a giant burger. Salamon, as always, kills it with his intensely rewarding realist style.

For a look at this seminal exhibition closer to home, closing is Saturday the 29th at ViCA, located at 401 S. Mesa Street, San Pedro, CA 90731

  • Genie Davis; photos provided by Juri Koll

Nagisa Kamae: Adorable and Poignant Creatures Reach Out at Gabba Gallery

Posted on by Diversions LA

AAAAAAAAAADDAgAAW4NWg1iDZYOAXQ0Kg2+BW4NXg4eDkz0xLjAxDQoNCluIypJ1gV6DVINDg1ld DQqKSo5uWD0wLjANCopKjm5ZPTAuMA0KlZ09NjAwLjANCo2CgrM9ODQxLjANCg0KW4NYg0yDg4OT XQ0Kg0qDiYFbPTANCoOCgVuDaD0wDQqDWINMg4ODk5WdPTMwLjANCo9kgsuNh4LtgrmVnT0yMA0K j2SCy42Hgu2CuZW9i8+Juz0wDQqJ8JGck3g9NjAwDQoNCluQRpKyleKQs10NCoNug0ODiYNDg2c9 MjU1DQqDVoODg2iDRT0wDQqDdYOJg0ODZ4Nsg1g9MA0Kg1KDk4Nng4mDWINnPTANCoNLg5ODfZXi kLM9MS4wMA0KDQpbg0qDiYFbg2iDiYNDg3VdDQqDVoODgVuDdoNsg1g9MA0Kg0+DjIFbg2+DiYOT g1g9MA0Kg4yDk4NXleKQsz0wDQqOqZOug0qDiYFbg2+DiYOTg1g9MA0Kg2yDSz0wDQpJQ0ODSoOJ gVuDdoONg3SDQINDg4s9MA0KDQpbg3eDYoNolZRdDQqO5ZGWjbiIypJ1KFgpPTAuMA0KjuWRlo24 iMqSdShZKT0wLjANCo/jibqIypJ1KFopPTAuMA0KjFiOzopwk3g9MA0KDQpbjLSNZZHkXQ0KifGT XYpwk3g9MA0KDQpbjPWMuZWUXQ0KjPWMuZDdkug9Mg0KiUWRpIz1jLmIypJ1PTAuMA0KiUWRpIxY js6KcJN4PTANCo22kaSM9Yy5iMqSdT0wLjANCo22kaSMWI7OinCTeD0wDQqM9Yy5iMqSdT0xDQoN CluQ3ZLog3SDQINDg4tdDQqDSoOJgVuSspCug3SDQINDg4s9QzpcUHJvZ3JhbSBGaWxlcyAoeDg2 KVxOZXdseVxNQUNILU5BMTYwXFdvcmtcQ29HYW0ubmNjDQo=

Japan-based artist Nagisa Kamae creates adorable, touching images of small creatures. Rabbits, kittens, puppies, squirrels – Kamae realizes her images perfectly, touching them with a delicate brush of the whimsical. Both magical and moving, her lovely little beings are, she says, “very personal…every piece has a story behind it and a deeper meaning. They come from my experiences and things I observe in everyday life.”   

The richness of her work is on view at Gabba Gallery through June 22nd, in a delightful exhibition titled Sharing is Caring.

cannot sleep Koala

Kamae started working as an artist full-time in 2017, when she moved from the U.S. back to Japan. “I used to paint on tiny canvases, but I slowly worked my way up to bigger pieces. But then and now, I have always painted cute fluffy animals with food.”

corgi

While that description is true as far as it goes, these cute animals are more than she describes. They’re eminently alive, beautifully detailed, and exude the artist’s passion for her subjects.

Her inspiration comes from small animals she finds them at the zoo, pet stores, and even in vintage animal picture books, she says; her accompanying food images are as likely to come from packaging as from vintage cook book illustrations.

bunnies with a whole cake

“My favorite animal to paint is a rabbit, because I have fond memories of my pet Moko, a grey bunny I had when I was little,” she says. But each of her creations exudes an inherent love and respect, which is part of the attraction of her work. As to the candy images, she swears she doesn’t particularly enjoy the taste of American candies and snacks, but she loves the packaging.

“I used to decorate my room with American items when I was in high school,” she laughs. “I even taped M&M chocolate and gummy worms packages on my wall – I was just obsessed.”

popsiclePenguin

Kamae lived in the U.S. for ten years, and says she never got tired of living here. Among the activities she most enjoyed, “Going to American chain grocery stores, the 99 Cent Store, looking at interesting items in the cereal aisle, and unhealthy looking Jello in the fridge sections – that was one of my guilty pleasures.”

flying squirrel tootsie roll

Kamae’s current solo show at Gabba is exciting for her. The gallery has showcased Kamae’s work before, and she has a wide range of American fans, but this is her first solo.

Her  heart-meltingly appealing work includes pieces larger than those she’s presented in the past.

“It was intimidating to paint on bigger panels at first, but it gave me the opportunity to explore more complex narratives and new concepts. I feel proud that I could get out of my comfort zone with the bigger pieces.” Kamae’s modesty aside, her charming works are a pure pleasure to take in.

flying squirrel snickers

The prolific artist is now planning an illustrated book directed at children of all ages – and art loving readers regardless of age. Her proposed title matches this exhibition: Sharing is Caring.

“The basis for the book, this current painting series, features a group of animals sharing food and a single animal having food by himself.  At the end of the book, the animal shares his food with others.”

swan and the baby

She adds “My favorite kind of book is a picture book with almost no words, because it leaves more to the imagination and you can create the story using your own interpretation. My favorite book from my childhood is Ennichi, which means Japanese summer festival.  This book has no words. but has super-detailed fun images, and the colors are beautiful.  I checked this book out over and over again from the local library. Thirty years later, I found it again, and had to buy it immediately.”

In short, she notes “Some people are affected by reading books, but powerful artwork and images have had a more lasting impression on me ever since I was little.”

It was perhaps the same sort of lasting impression her jewel-perfect little animals make on viewers now. One is never too old to take a long look at magic.

IMG_1254

Above, artist Kamae.

Gabba Gallery is located at 3126 Beverly Blvd. View Kamae’s work in Sharing is Caring through June 22nd. The gallery is also exhibiting solo shows from Morley, All Things Aspire Madly, and Jeremy Novy, A Queer Examination.

  • Genie Davis; photos courtesy of the artist

 

 

Forest Bathing Takes Root at Loft at Liz’s

Posted on by Diversions LA

60359713_10217147392304111_2537891845879365632_n

Memory Tree by Catherine Ruane, above

Through June 17th, take a walk in a forest of art with Forest Bathing, now at Loft at Liz’s. Curated by Betty Brown, the exhibition is a celebration of nature. Paying homage to the Japanese practice of Shinrin-yoku, the exhibition takes the idea of mindful discovery and peace through nature and transforms it into an experience in the gallery through paintings, drawings, sculptures, and photography, as well as mixed media installations. 17 artists create their own depictions of nature, and it is worthy of a long, deep forest-bath.

60180099_10217147438585268_6138521319920107520_n

Above, artist Catherine Ruane.

Catherine Ruane’s brilliantly realistic graphite drawing, “Memory Tree,” draws viewers within its massive, comforting branches.

60464905_10217147392704121_755321779127320576_n

Lyrical and wondrous, the work feels tactile, as if the branches were embracing the viewer.

60194657_10217147578348762_7824692400491593728_n

Bibi Davidson, in contrast, gives us brightly colored trees in a surreal world that leads viewers into a dream-like state. Viewing her work is a fabulous adventure.

60226690_10217147398384263_8344621573474353152_n

Linda Vallejo’s graceful paintings of the oak trees around Topanga Canyon exude peace.

59866936_10217147441105331_510837586210586624_n

Hung Viet Nguyen’s richly textured tributes to the trees of the Ancient Bristle Cone Pine Forest outside Big Pine, Calif., seem magical and beyond this world.

60069985_10217147440265310_8015423574460334080_n

His thick paint and vibrant palette add to the sensation of having entered a new realm.

60198166_10217147580228809_8177184055851220992_n

Speaking of a different world, Marthe Aponte takes over the Projects Room, with “Sacred Trees,” using drawing, embroidery, and paint and picote, a traditional, painstaking, and delicate form of French paper art.

60359336_10217147580468815_325503777383645184_n

60227280_10217147399904301_2273217887877464064_n

To enter the room is to step into a different dimension, a hushed and holy and strange place that glows. In the back of the room, a Joshua Tree of slightly different construction stands, as if watching over the viewers who enter the room, a guardian of a reverent place.

60226925_10217147397464240_6500211553982218240_n

Another mixed media work comes from Dave Lovejoy and Susan Feldman, who have created a contemporary grotto in one of the gallery’s stairwells, one made of wood and thread, shaping trees that are instantly recognizable as such, and yet deconstructing the shape of limbs and trunks. The use of lighting, the evocative green glow of this dimensional installation, make the work seem like a portal. It beckons, fecund.

60015238_10217147579788798_1656396417360461824_n

Also contemporary: Chenhung Chen’s 3-D tree constructed of electrical cords and wires: using this detritus of technology, she’s created a poetic and lovely reduction of the essence of “treeness.”

60138778_10217147399704296_8280690426927644672_n

Another true stunner is Samuelle Richardson’s white wood tree, occupied by cacophonus crows. You can almost hear them.

60475843_10217147443145382_1355542346346790912_n

Her fabric sculpture is evocative and haunting, but at the same time, she’s managed to convey a sense of whimsy in the work, as if one had entered a fairy tale.

60234243_10217147577988753_4136108623363309568_n

Above, glittering trees from Hermine Harman.

There are many other wonderful works taking root in the gallery forest as well. Exhibition artists include in all: Marthe Aponte, Chenhung Chen, Bibi Davidson, Barbara Edelstein, Susan Feldman & Dave Lovejoy, Renee Fox, Maria Greenshields-Ziman, Hermine Harman (whose glittering trees explode with color above), Joanne Julian, Sant Khalsa, Alberto Mesirca, Hung Viet Nguyen, Samuelle Richardson, Catherine Ruane, Jill Sykes and Linda Vallejo.

59910993_10217147577748747_7069128475403091968_n

Above, beautiful, elegatic photographic work from Sant Khlasa.

If the words dream, other worldly, mysterious, and haunting have come up in this review – and they have – it is because entering the gallery, one must give up a sense of the “real world:” the noise of the street, the crowds on the stairs at the opening, and instead embrace the sensory experience of stepping into a forest of art, one that is indeed all of those things.

From the most realistic to the most fantastical renderings, Brown has shaped a forest that embraces and explores natural beauty and our perception of it, soaking us in the shadows, serenity, and life force that is inherent in these artistic woods.  Emerge from this forest refreshed, yes, but also expanded: let these images of nature and wonder slip into your soul, and feel the better for it.

You’ll need to hurry in – but once you’re there, bask. Loft at Liz’s is located at 453 S. La Brea in mid-city. The exhibition closes June 17th.

59973425_10217147442145357_5553345701015977984_nAbove, curator Brown introduces the artwork and artists to the opening night crowd.

 

  • Genie Davis; photos: Genie Davis, Susan Feldman installation photo courtesy Cheryl Henderson.