In these bright, gestural paintings, Laura Larraz explores ranging depictions of femininity, from notions of purity and domesticity to the idea of witches. At first glance, her paintings have a clear sense of humor; in Beware of Holy Whore, two pink cherubs hover over a black-line painting of a woman wearing sunglasses and smoking a cigarette, her breasts and long nipples askew and her frizzy pubic hair poking out. The contrasting painting styles of the subjects brings a comical element to the work but, paired with the other paintings in the show, the group examines how women have historically been perceived and labeled, whether in art, history or pop culture. Weird Sisters features the character of Snow White’s Evil Queen as an old witch, and Newborn yet Archaic, a neon pink bulbous woman, immediately evokes de Kooning’s depictions of women, with its violent, frantic brushstrokes. Larraz’s translated title for a painting of a frenetic black cat says it all—“Witches don’t scare me, what scares me are sons of bitches.”

On view through September 2nd, 2023
Chris Sharp
4650 W. Washington
Los Angeles, CA 90016