It is no stretch to say that the COVID-19 pandemic – principal among several other tragedies, injustices, and horrors over the past year – has fundamentally altered the way we see our world. It has revealed inequities more sharply than any other time in recent memory, and has left in it’s wake unimaginable anger, fear, and death. In The Midst of All That Is, the newest show at the gallery Band of Vices from artists Kaye Freeman and Tiffanie Delune, portrays the only two perspectives that seem to exist in the world of pandemic: the broadly global and the intensely personal.
Freeman’s work catches the eye with her frenetic, expressive style. The paintings appear like snapshots, capturing a brief instant of chaotic energy and motion. They move quickly, and won’t wait for you to catch up. There are recognizable landmarks in her works, from cranes and skyscrapers to the Capitol building, boasting shadowy figures in front of the landmark in an example of artistic clairvoyance.
What shines through most in Freeman’s work are the elements of construction or reconstruction (perhaps even deconstruction.) It’s reflective of the transitory period in which we find our country. There has been an unimaginable amount of loss in this past year, and yet for those of us who remain there exists the incredibly important task of building ourselves up to what we’ve believed ourselves to be for so long.
Delune’s work is, by contrast, introspective to the degree of being auto-biographical as she draws on her Belgo-Congolese heritage. In her absolutely enchanting paintings, figures, such as the young black girl in Hot Pepper, are lost in a mystical land. Some are cautiously present, or else composed of something entirely different to their environment and thus set apart. This is the case for the figures made of embroidery floss, which unravel themselves for their own amusement.
As opposed to Freeman’s chaotic aesthetic, Delune’s works are remarkably structured. In its Kandinksy-esque freedom, elements appear to have settled on the canvas in the most natural of orders, and not a leaf or flower is out of place. This month in Los Angeles, there is hardly better painting to see than works from Tiffanie Delune.
Band of Vices
5376 W Adams Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90016
Appointments can be made by email
Thank you for pointing out. The copy has been amended.
This article is difficult to take seriously. It is poorly written with little to no fact-checking (artist names aren’t even spelled right), and there aren’t even photos of both artist’s work. Would have been nice to get a more picturesque representation instead of pure favoritism. Clearly, the curator and gallery put these artist’s works together because they tell a story. Cole unfortunately just seems to be incapable of grasping that. Shame to not have any better coverage given the state of the world right now. Quite surprised Artillery.
Editor’s Note. Our Pick of the Week column is purposely short and more of a recommendation by the author, not a full-fledged review, hence only one photo. As Cole’s editor, I just want to state, I am not ashamed of his writing, his choices or his approach—-in fact, quite the opposite. Pick of the Week is on our website to encourage readers to go see the show before it ends. That’s all. Sorry you were disappointed, but we can’t please all. We hope you were alerted by this writing to more fully explore Cole’s recommendation. Thank you for being a reader of Artillery and expressing your feelings. –Tulsa Kinney, Editor.