About Face
July 1 – 28, 2023
Opening: Saturday, July 1, 2023, 4:00 – 6:00 PM
Artspace Warehouse presents About Face, a thought-provoking group exhibition that basks in its flatness. Through a curated selection of works that are both physically and visually flat, this show challenges the viewer to consider the role of dimension and depth in our perception of beauty and form. Given the rise of high-quality printers and AI-generated art, flat paintings get misconstrued as artificially created and may even be considered of lesser value without the presence of the artist’s hand. Despite these notions, these artists have perfected their painting techniques, giving rise to a pristine flatness in their work, which can only be achieved with each artist’s individual aplomb.
With an emphasis on geometry and color within his artworks, British artist Paul Westacott takes inspiration from the sunny California landscape to create his abstract paintings. The dialogue between color, form, line, and repetition is the vocabulary that explores visual relationships. The rainy climate of northern England where he grew up shaped his appreciation and captivation with the light and color of Southern California. When creating his works and choosing colors, he seeks to have the colors themselves inspire joy and transformation. In addition to being an artist, Westacott has enjoyed a career as a creative designer in the film and entertainment industries as well as working as a Disney “Imagineer.”
Born in New York in 1964, Jodi Fuchs is an award-winning contemporary abstract painter living in St. Petersburg, Florida. Her education about color and pattern came on the job while working as a decorative painter for 20+ years in Los Angeles. Fuchs creates modern abstract expressionistic pieces that have an undeniable energy. Her medium is acrylic on canvas or panel, and she often uses spray paint, ink, and oil stick to enhance the work. It is Fuchs’ fascination with the pure creative force: understanding it, harnessing it, and expressing it, that fuels her painting process. Years of inquiry into the metaphysical aspects of life have influenced her studio practice.
Experimentation is a central part of Julie Naima’s practice. Naima pulls inspiration from the magical places of the world, both real and fable, experienced in her travels and through her inner child’s imagination. From here, Naima imbues good intentions and positive emotions onto her canvas through her focus on color and shape. Her works are glimpses into her playful imaginary world where Naima invites the viewers to connect with the painting through their emotional response and answer the invitation to a dialogue about hope and happiness. Julie’s work can be found in private collections throughout Canada, Europe, Australia, and the USA.
Will Beger’s contemporary-minimalist paintings take on a new approach to southwest art. Influenced by his youth and inspired by nature, he effortlessly captures a vibrant, bohemian aesthetic that is unapologetically true to his inner child. His modern Southwest artworks feature a mix of mid-century modernism and landscape motifs with an emphasis on desert minimal design. Through stark contrasts between bold, monochromatic backgrounds and subject matter, Beger paints for himself, while also seamlessly connecting with anybody and everybody.
Danny Brown is a first-generation American artist born in Los Angeles. Danny Brown’s artworks allocate an intrinsic connection between himself and the diverse communities occupying Los Angeles. Brown’s art coalesces youth culture, art history, fashion, and American consumerism and melds them all to create his unique style. Instantly relatable and recognizable, his cathartic paintings represent contemporary issues as well as a demographic that is traditionally underrepresented in fine art. Through his experience with graffiti, Brown became fluent in the use of color blocking and translating rougher imagery into something vibrant. His works speak to young Americans and inspire a whole new generation of art collectors and admirers.
Combining her love for abstract art and the act of finding beauty in everyday life, local artist Courtney Simone creates cheerfully inspired abstract figurative artworks. Within her work, she walks the line between relatable day-to-day scenes and the fantastical. Her intuitive mark-makings and stylistic distortion of her female subjects marry the concepts of familiar comfort and discovery. As she creates each distinctive painting, she gives herself permission to explore and play with colors, subject matter, and composition leading to artworks full of joy and whimsy.
Since the opening of Artspace Warehouse in 2010, the gallery continues to be an industry leader in affordable, museum-quality artworks making collecting art accessible and budget-friendly. With one gallery in Zurich and two galleries in Los Angeles, Artspace Warehouse specializes in guilt-free international urban, pop, graffiti, figurative, and abstract art. The expansive 5,000-square-foot space offers a large selection of emerging and established artists from all over the world.
