Jason knits, spins, surfs the Net and contemplates. Now also finding his way around the contemporary art world.
We had our very first Sunday opening reception a week ago for our group show For Your Pleasure. We had no idea what a Sunday crowd would be like. It turned out pretty good! We might consider doing more Sunday receptions in the future. Here are some pictures to share with you:
Phew! That’s a lot of pictures. There are more here!
And here are a few photos of the monthly Downtown Los Angeles Art Walk:
Yes, time for a new show, For Your Pleasure. Opening reception is this Sunday, 4 – 6 p.m. But, it’s already installed and ready for viewing starting today! Here’s some copy from the newsletter that we sent out:
CB1 Gallery proudly presents the work of ten gallery artists, all of whom will be showing in solo exhibitions at the gallery over the next two years, in a group exhibition entitled, For Your Pleasure. These ten artists work in media ranging from paintings and drawings to photography, from sculpture to installation. The exhibition opens on August 6, 2010 and closes on September 4, 2010. A reception for the artists will be held at the gallery on Sunday, August 8, 2010, 4 – 6 p.m.
The artists in For Your Pleasure include Los Angeles based artists Martin Durazo, Chris Oatey, HK Zamani and Tameka Norris, recently transplanted from LA to New Haven, CT. The gallery is also pleased to present work by several New York artists whose work has not been seen in LA galleries in recent years–Chuck Agro, Larry Mantello, Mira Schor, Susan Silas and Amy Yoes. Plus, Belgian painter Hilde Overbergh will be showing new paintings following her successful participation in “The Story of O” at Otis College of Art and Design this past spring.
There’s also a Flavorpill preview of For Your Pleasure by Shana Nys Dambrot.
Here is a small sampling of the artworks that are in the exhibition:
And, there’s more, a very big welcome to Lisa Adams who recently joined the CB1 family! Here are several of her paintings:
The fourth and final artist talk video for “The art that dare not speak its name.” features Edith Beaucage. First, a little about her work:
Character and abstraction are linked on the canvases of Edith Beaucage in a way requiring no other narrative outside of these two elements. Reflecting emotions with paint, backgrounds often disappear and, in contrast to the characters, the “abstractions” play a variation of roles in the images, oftentimes behaving as portraits.
Edith Beaucage’s Artist Talk from Jason Chang on Vimeo.
Third artist talk video features Alexander Kroll. Here’s the paragraph from the show card that introduces Alexander’s work in “The art that dare not speak its name.”
Alexander Kroll’s modestly scaled abstract paintings are simultaneously structural and intuitive. The layers of painterly information both highlight and obscure previous ideations leaving the viewer an artwork that is at once a highly specific painted object and a record of an activity, a subjective engagement with painterly space.
Alexander Kroll’s Artist Talk from Jason Chang on Vimeo.
Second video of the artist talk for “The art that dare not speak its name.” Here’s the paragraph from the show card that gives a little description of Lily’s work:
Lily Simonson’s paintings of invertebrates seek to evoke transcendent states of being in which the boundaries between the self and the external world are breached and transgressed. Simultaneously anthropomorphizing the creatures and highlighting their otherworldly ambiguities, her paintings represent liminality, transformation, and human experiences of mystical and erotic ecstasy.
Lily Simonson’s Artist Talk from Jason Chang on Vimeo.
So happy to get the first video for “The art that dare not speak its name.” artist talk. Thanks Catherine! This one is Matt Lifson’s talk on his work. To remind you a little about Matt’s paintings, here’s the short description from the show card:
Exploring narrative through juxtaposition and psychological metaphor, Matt Lifson is interested in the cinematic element of painting, where there are paused moments that linger somewhere between clarity and ambiguity. Charged with sexuality and humor, his paintings draw inspiration from youth subculture, ritual and exploration.
Matt Lifson’s Artist Talk from Jason Chang on Vimeo.
We got reviewed by the Los Angeles Times! Ours was the lead review and Matt’s painting was featured across 4 columns. (Yay Matt!) I feel that the review is mostly positive with the exceptions of the writer’s view toward the title and Alexander’s work. She felt “The art that dare not speak its name.” protested too much in defense of paintings. We of course set out to show the works of these four painters to be superb examples of fine paintings. But, we actually chose the title to have a little fun with the notion that paintings are over the hill, not in the spirit of protest.
As for her review of Alexander’s work, I can say that each individual has their own preferences. I am glad to say that many of our visitors respond positively to Alexander’s work. All four artists have their fans. However, I do take issue with her characterization of Alexander’s work as “overworked and all over the place.” He plays with the perception of space and dimension, using grids, layering, texture, gradation to achieve particular results. To me each of Alexander’s pieces was mindfully constructed to fulfill his vision. Spend time in front of them, and you will discover layers of visual stimulation.
In graphic design you don’t fill up a page with objects when you want to achieve simplicity. The opposite is also true. You can’t show complexity with just one cleanly drawn circle on an otherwise blank page. I imagine there are also different approaches to painting.
Everyone walks away forming their own opinions and that’s that, it’s good for discussions. And this post is based on this newbie’s point of view. 
Anyway, I’d put the whole review here for you to read, but I think it’s only fair to have you head over to Los Angeles Times’ website so that they get the traffic. All this is fantastic publicity for CB1 Gallery! Woohoo!
Alexander Kroll, Untitled, 2010
