Their humble, down-to-earth demeanors make a virtue of ambiguity. Each seems to be an expansive landscape and a tabletop still life. “Untitled (15)” evokes Morandi and sand castles. “Untitled (12)” brings together the beauty of the Taj Mahal and the pleasure of a long hot bath. Others turn tiny details — four blades of grass, three lime-green lumps and a slithering pink line — into worlds of possibility.

– David Pagel

Read the entire review on Los Angeles Times.

Added at 11:52 AM, and I forgot about this article in the local Bunker Hill Magazine. It talks about the gallery, about CB and HK’s show. The printed copy is quite nice, pick one up if you can get to them.

HK Zamani

In-between Air, Land and Sea

May 22, 2011 – July 2, 2011
Opening Reception: Sunday, May 22, 5 – 7 p.m.

CB1 Gallery is pleased to announce its first solo exhibition of the work of Los Angeles-based artist HK Zamani, In-between Air, Land and Sea. Zamani’s work over the past 20 years can be located within the extended field of painting, ranging from paintings and objects to site specific, multi-media installations—often including performances. The artist’s new paintings will be on view from May 22 through July 2, 2011. A reception for the artist will take place on Sunday, May 22, 2011 from 5 p.m. – 7 p.m.

HK Zamani’s images in this series of new paintings grow out of or away from their predecessors—they are sometimes devils, then angels. Some are on land, in the air or sea, occasional remnants, reformed or transformed over multiple applications of paint. The artist’s dome paintings from recent past exhibitions were portraits, perhaps even self-portraits, fragile portrayals. Some were ruins, some were vessels that transport— chrome and against corrosion—DeLorean, stellar. Many of the artist’s dome/tent paintings were more about the image than paint. The artist’s new paintings over the past 2 years, including the paintings in his current CB1 Gallery exhibition, are most definitely about paint.

In an LA Times review of For Your Pleasure, CB1 Gallery’s August 2010 group exhibition, David Pagel wrote that “Zamani’s meaty paintings come from the no-man’s- land between sleep and wakefulness, when consciousness is not fully functional and every little detail is more mysterious than usual. Cartoons form the backstory of his boiled-down compositions, but abstraction comes to the forefront in his idiosyncratic pictures that hover on the cusp of recognizablity.”

Iranian-born American HK Zamani (Habib Kheradyar Zamani) is a Los Angeles based artist and curator. His work is guided by multi-cultural influences ranging from ascetic Islam to psychedelia. He performed in the 2006 Prague Quadrennial and has exhibited at venues such as Kulturzentrum bei den Minoriten, Graz, Austria; Hohenthal und Bergen, Berlin; Pierogi, New York; W139, Amsterdam; ARC, Vienna; Kampa Museum, Prague; and Lincart, San Francisco. His work is in the permanent collections of LA County Museum and Berkeley Museum of Art. He received a C.O.L.A. Grant in 2004, and a California Foundation Getty Grant in 2005. Zamani is the founder and director of POST (1995-2005), and its recent renewal, PØST, a subversive venue for contemporary art in Los Angeles, where he has hosted over three hundred exhibitions.

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:

Not being a knowledgeable art person, I am really just taking on a supportive role in this venture. CB has the leading role. The idea of running an art gallery had been floating around for years, but CB didn’t give it much thought. Since moving to Historic Downtown Los Angeles (Old Bank District), a friend of ours who’s heavily involved in building and promoting Downtown got CB to start attending neighborhood meetings and getting involved in event planning. One thing lead to another, a vacant gallery space was available. Our friend asked CB to organize a pop-up show. The space turned out to be gorgeous. The landlord wanted to make a deal to move in a new gallery before Chinese New Year. It all happened so very fast, we signed the lease and we have a gallery!

Our inaugural show is up now until 3/14/2010. Check out our website cb1gallery.com.