Artist Kelsey Grina celebrates the opening of her latest exhibit, SFUMATA, with a reception at Studio 347, located at 347 S. Clarence St. in Boyle Heights, from 5 to 10 p.m. on Thursday, June 24.
SFUMATA, an Italian term that translates to “vanished gradually like smoke,” is a collection of larger-than-life paintings and mixed-media pieces that explore Grina’s social and romantic interactions before and during the pandemic. Created in concentrated sessions of fervid emotion, SFUMATA communicates the turbulence of the Los Angeles dating scene, both normally and intensified by quarantine.
With the use of eccentric hues, Grina capitalizes on color theory to project her vulnerabilities, ideas of self worth and interpersonal experiences through piercing gazes, unapologetically feminine figures, exposed skin and fleeting smoke.
Following the opening reception, SFUMATA will be available for public viewing by appointment between 10 a.m and 6 p.m. daily from Friday, June 25 through Wednesday, June 30.
Opening reception RSVPs and viewing appointments may be made by emailing Kelsey Grina at kelsey.grina@gmail.com.
About Kelsey Grina
Kelsey Grina is a contemporary painter, multimedia artist and crypto artist who uses color theory to explore cultural contradictions and the rebellious female. Grina was raised in Kuwait, where her early cultural education consisted of sexual censorship and conservative gender roles. At the age of 16, Grina moved to California where she experienced, by comparison, a radically sexualized world. Later becoming a transplant in Rome, Italy, Grina was further exposed to profound historical and modern-day admiration for the female figure, romanticism and sensuality that directly contrasted the Middle Eastern mentality. This mélange des cultures catalyzed her early interest in the ways time and geography navigate the acceptance of sexuality. Her artwork now acts as a therapeutic exercise in untangling the contradictory world views she absorbed early on.
Grina’s signature style is characterized by vibrant, extroverted color palettes and rough, textured strokes that shape femme figures and portraits. Grina currently resides in Los Angeles, continuing her cultural explorations within Los Angeles’ Arts District as a full-time artist, specializing in large format oil paintings, murals and crypto art.
For more information about Kelsey Grina, visit ArtByKelseyGrina.com and Instagram @KelseyGrina.
About Studio 347
Studio 347 is a mixed-use space and art gallery prime for creative collaborations and events. Located at 347 S. Clarence St. in Boyle Heights, Studio 347 is an expansive 6,500-square-foot loft-style warehouse with bowstring truss-style architectural features. Studio 347 features 24-foot ceilings, an iconic silver submarine sitting area, full kitchen, mid-century dining room, multiple spaces for entertaining and large, west-facing 8’ by 16’ arched windows overlooking the Los Angeles Downtown skyline.
For more information on Studio 347, visit https://www.peerspace.com/pages/listings/5994878742c2b43302df7ee9 and Instagram @Studio347_.
