EXPANSION JOINT opens this Saturday, April 29-, 7-10 pm
Please join us for the reception.
Curated by Hagop Najarian & Stephanie Sherwood
Artists: Gretchen Batchellar, Carsten Bund, Kim Garcia, Larry and Debby Kline, Hagop Najarian, Stephanie Sherwood, HK Zamani
Expansion Joint is an investigation on space by Los Angeles artists whose works are influenced by the particular nature of space both vertically and horizontally in Southern California. LA as a city is unique in that it has both vast open spaces such as deserts and compressed vibrant spaces like its downtown areas. Taking inspiration from the architectural element known as an expansion joint, this exhibition includes works that expand out into the gallery space as well as works that compress space within the picture plane.
Expansion Joint features artworks that both expand and compress, creating spatial interactions throughout the gallery. These expansions also create surreal and challenging environments for the viewer to navigate.
In her series “Stationed”, Gretchen Batchellar’s paintings are made of compressed layers of images that explore her childhood memories and nostalgia of growing up as the daughter of a U.S. Navy fighter pilot and living in Japan. Sherwood’s series of painted furniture is inspired by the often accidentally artful ways that discarded items are piled onto the streets of LA, with a color palette that mirrors the warm sunsets in the city. HK Zamani’s work conflates three-dimensional and two-dimensional forms, and in his new work paintings actively converse with their sculptural counterparts. Larry and Debby Kline’s piece, The Dark Side of the Moon (Phase 3), consists of an eight-foot square ink drawing as well as sculptures of anthropomorphic rabbits, which seemingly emerge from portals to step out of the artwork and into our physical space to speak about the Earth’s looming environmental disaster. Inspired by the technology and innovation of Silicon Beach and the artist’s own personal history with new technology, Carsten Bund’s AI Painter deals with psychological compression and expansion into the digital realm by painting in real time. Hagop Najarian narrates stories that create ambiguity between figure and ground, focusing on a spatial interaction of images and abstraction, which together summon the emotive powers of memory, euphoria and nostalgia. Kim Garcia’s sculptural works expand out into architectural space with ropes, handmade elements and hardware, in the bright palette of LA street vendors who supply dresses and decorations for quinceañeras.
