From CONTINUANT, January 13 – February 17, 2019
Carolina Miranda of the Los Angeles Times featured CONTINUANT on her best of the week Datebook blog.
Curate LA listed CONTINUANT as a top “Must See Art Events in LA” for the week of the opening, as well as including the show in their list of weekly events and provided an in-depth listing of the show.
In addition to listing CONTINUANT as a “Must See Art Event” for the week, Art and Cake writer Lorraine Heitzman provided an in-depth review of the show and included plenty of documentation of the work. Here’s an excerpt from her article:
“Like most of [Camilla Taylor’s] work, Spider is wonderfully expressive and is able to achieve a great depth of emotion in an economical way.”
“The more Barbour infuses into her collages, the richer they become and the more they succeed.”
“In Sydney Mills’ prints, she exults in the fleshy malleability of the human body. Although her medium is two dimensional, she manages to capture the weight and feel of the corporeal body in photographs that are in turn fetishistic and didactic.”
Read the full article here.
Asymmetric Magazine listed CONTINUANT as their “Top 10 Must-Sees in LA This Week”.
Jonathan Neil, Los Angeles faculty and business art expert at Sotheby’s Institute of Art named CONTINUANT one of “3 Shows to See Next Week” on February 8, 2019. Also listed that week were Mateo Lopez at Case Kaplan Gallery and Andy Warhol at the Whitney Museum, New York City.
Artforum, Artillery Magazine, and Artweek all prominently featured CONTINUANT in their calendar listings.
From Fool’s Gold, September 16 – October 14, 2018
Carolina Miranda of the Los Angeles Times featured Fool’s Gold on her best of the week Datebook blog. Excerpt from the first week’s blurb:
“A show that looks at the fine divide between illusion and reality could not be more suited to this moment or to this gallery’s location — just off of Hollywood Boulevard. This includes paintings by Jessica Williams, photos by Ryan Harrison Gould and sculpture by Camille Schefter.”
Art and Cake writer Genie Davis provided an in-depth write-up of the show and included plenty of documentation of the work. Here’s an excerpt from his article:
“Works that ask viewers to read between the lines – of the art presented and of the artiface we are faced with constantly, an onslaught of myth in our everyday lives.”
Read the full article here.
Asymmetric Magazine listed Fool’s Gold as their “Top 10 Must-Sees in LA This Week”.
From Let’s Play War! by Nathan Vincent, February 18 – March 17, 2018
Carolina Miranda of the Los Angeles Times gave Let’s Play War! a good deal of love, featuring the show on her best of the week Datebook blog. Excerpt from the first week’s blurb:
“An immersive installation turns childhood toys — plastic army men — into a series of large, child-sized sculptures made out of crochet. Objects of violence rendered in materials generally reserved for all things domestic.”
Contemporary Art Review Los Angeles (Carla) writer Aaron Horst provided a thoughtful and engaging review of Vincent’s show:
“In utilizing mid-century toy soldiers rather than, say, drone technology, Vincent is perhaps pointing to the long lost innocence of valorizing war as a nationalistic pride. The archaic character of the soldiers, clad in Vietnam-era uniform with similarly dated weaponry, points to the particular childhoods of a particular generation—one source of the ongoing “toxic masculinity” to which Vincent and the press materials allude.”
Read the full article here.
David S. Rubin of Visual Art Source provided a thoughtful background of Vincent’s work and his process in Rubin’s Editor’s Roundtable column:
“Posed in combat positions and almost life size in scale, the soldiers were clustered together in Noysky Project’s small darkened space like two teams-in-training practicing war games before going into combat. Strangely uncanny in the same manner as Méret Oppenheim’s Surrealist fur-covered teacup, Vincent’s soldiers made of yarn possess just enough shock value to stir up some healthy questioning, not only relating to masculinity and gender expectations, but also about violence and war. All of these topics have become increasingly relevant in the current political era.”
Read the full article here.
Art and Cake writer Patrick Quinn provided an in-depth write-up of the show and included plenty of documentation of the work. Here’s an excerpt from his article:
“At this scale, these soldiers are the size of teenage boys, the age when children outgrow their toys. Childhood imagination finds itself taking a backseat to reality. The notion of owning a gun or joining the military is only a few years away from being a viable option. It’s also the age when sexuality rears its confused head. Not just from a hormonal aspect, but questions of identity come into play. By wrapping these toy soldiers in something as stereotypically feminine as knitting, the artist blurs the line between the perceived roles of boys and girls”
Read the full article here.
UPDATE: Patrick Quinn later listed “Let’s Play War!” one of the most “Memorable Art Events of 2018” on Art and Cake. Read more here.
Curate LA listed Let’s Play War! as a top “Must See Art Events in LA” for the week of the opening, as well as including the show in their list of weekly events and provided an in-depth listing of the show.
The international art magazine, Art Week, featured the show prominently on their homepage and provided a more detailed preview:
“By using accessible materials and iconography, Vincent juxtaposes a hyper-masculine fireteam of army men with soft crocheted yarn — a stereotypically feminine medium. Let’s Play War! fosters a duality that exists outside perceived stereotypes, exploring deeply embedded codes of conduct while highlighting some of the challenges to overcoming toxic masculinity. ”
Asymmetric Magazine listed Let’s Play War! as their “Top 10 Must-Sees in LA This Week” and included Vincent’s image as their primary teaser for the week.
Artillery Magazine provided a mention on their calendar listings page, as well as a thorough write-up of the show with some additional images.
From A Narrow Passage, October 14 – November 12, 2017
Carolina Miranda of the Los Angeles Times gave A Narrow Passage a good deal of love, featuring the show on her best of the week Datebook blog. Excerpt from the first week’s blurb: “A group show at the Hollywood space has put together a range of works that deal with themes of “constriction, compression and concealment.” Expect works that are bound, wrapped and contain hidden layers.”
Curate LA listed A Narrow Passage as the number two “Must See Art Events in LA”, included the show in their list of weekly events, and provided an in-depth write-up of the show.
In addition to listing the show as one of as one of their “What’s Hot in LA” calendar listing for the week, Art and Cake also provided a thoughtful review of the show by acclaimed writer, Genie Davis. Here are a few excerpts from the piece:
Thematically, it explores highly personal themes of concealment, compression, and constriction; mysteriously transformative in its use of materials, the exhibition evokes images of bondage, gestation, and recreation.
Used to foraging and repurposing used materials, artist Megan Mueller says that she “frequently works with objects such as trophies and plaques” among the found objects she creates with … The artist references gardens and the concept of time in her statement about her practice; the viewer is plunged into something that appears to be alive, contained within a visual form but ready to burst free, take over, swallow, capture. The untitled work, with its coconut bra and rich visual image of a fecund green-scape brings to mind the female; “SSSS” with coiled rope and square frame has a more masculine energy.
The title of the exhibition, A Narrow Passage, gives the viewer pause – that passage may be our own perception, or it may be the way in which we are given to constricting, confining, and altering our own lives and that of other living things.
Read the full review here.
The international art magazine, Art Week, provided a preview of the show on their homepage, as well as provided a blurb preview of the show: “Some of the works in A Narrow Passage relate to the quirks of the body, straddling the line between fragility and rigidity, using irregular, organic forms. Others have used tension to reveal internal conflict, illuminating our efforts to adapt to our new political realities.”
Asymmetric Magazine listed A Narrow Passage as one of their “Top 10 Must-Sees in LA This Week”
Bay Area-based digital publication, Venison Magazine, provided a thorough preview of the opening, with numerous images on both their website and via their official Instagram page.
Artillery Magazine provided a mention on their calendar listings page, as well as a thorough write-up of the show with some additional images.
Kathy Leonardo’s LA Art Party also called A Narrow Passage a top pick for the week of October 14, with an in-depth description of the work.
DoLA provided a robust listing for the opening, promoting the show on their home page, via email blast, and social media platforms.
From Everything Must Go By Don Porcella, June 4 – July 1, 2017
Carolina Miranda of the Los Angeles Times gave Everything Must Go a good deal of love, featuring the show on her best of the week Datebook blog and provided a special call-out on Twitter. Excerpt from the first week’s blurb: “Porcella has created tchotchkes inspired out of personal memories and crafted them out of materials such as pipe cleaners, cardboard and puffy paint. Over the course of the exhibition, objects will be continuously restocked in a nod to capitalism’s ebbs and flows.”
Art and Cake writer Patrick Quinn provided an in-depth review of the show: “Don Porcella’s solo show Everything Must Go is a funny and clever nod to the neighborhood the gallery is a part of. Part 7-11, part Dollar Store, and part Hollywood gift shop, the work is hung casually and as with real life, the stock is always changing. As stated in the press release, the show illuminates America’s obsession with nostalgia, the lure of the tourist industry, and the manipulation of desire.”.
Read the full article here.
Contributor Larry Gipe of Whitehot Magazine wrote a pithy review of Don’s show: “Porcella uses his recent medium of choice – the humble pipe cleaner –to compile a staggering array of simulacra. In Everything Must Go, he seems to take on most “everything”, from pop references that run purposefully shallow to autobiographical riffs that cut deeper”.
Read the full article here.
MP Knowlton of Art Blitz Los Angeles wrote a thorough write-up of Porcella’s show, which featured an in-depth profile of the artist and his work.
“This exhibition gives the travelers to the Hollywood strip a refreshing alternative to the trinkets and nicknacks peddled along the walk of fame. A tourist who finds the standard options unappealing can pick something up from Noysky Projects which has laid out its collection in a grid to mirror the layout of its neighboring shops. In this exhibition patrons can buy pieces off the wall and take them home right then. The sold objects will be replaced on the spot from the extra supply of Porcella’s pieces in the back room.”
“Everything Must Go is quirky and relatable. Familiar objects express Porcella’s personal memories but allow for open interpretation. They are human objects made for the human experience. If the mass-produced plastic trinkets found all over Hollywood Blvd aren’t for you, check out the incredibly unique and meticulously made objects at Noysky Projects.”
Read the full article here.
The international art magazine, Art Daily, picked up Porcella’s show, providing a good deal of coverage and was displayed prominently on their site. The article was picked up at news organizations around the country, including the Dallas Art Dealers Association and News 9 Denver.
Curate LA included the show in their list of weekly events and provided an in-depth write-up of the show.
Artillery Magazine included the show in their list of weekly events.
From Hexon/Hexoff, March 4 – April 1, 2017
Curate LA called Hexon/Hexoff one of “This Week’s Must See Art Events in LA”, saying the show “channels a specific outcome, while creating portals that reveal the deepest, most instinctual layers of the human condition. The works include ritualistic talismans, altars, and iconography, using ancient and modern techniques.”
Art and Cake writer Anna Garner wrote a detailed review of the show, saying of Silgnena/Berger’s piece, Kingdom of Rhythms: “It conveys the continued importance of storytelling in contemporary life and the often-unfelt psychic influence of ones own cultural and religious history. It is powerful, smartly filmed and edited, and a well-thought account of the connections between the magical and the political.” An extended cut of this piece will screened for the closing party, Saturday, April 1.
Carolina Miranda of the Los Angeles Times gave Hexon/Hexoff a good deal of love, featuring the show two weeks in a row on her weekly “Datebook” blog. Excerpt from the first week’s blurb: “The show includes a film set in a mythical Haiti by Ilona Berger and Jamson Silgnena, animated GIF pieces by Theo Eliezer and the sculptural, bewitched-looking hair masks created by the artist Ciriza.”
Artillery Magazine included the show in their list of weekly events.
Asymmetric Magazine called Hexon/Hexoff the “Top 10 Must-Sees in LA This Week // February 27-March 5”.
“Hexon” received a several of mentions from UCSD’s Arts and Humanities Department newsletter for alumna Vabianna Santos’ addition to the show.
Kathy Leonardo’s LA Art Party also called Hexon/Hexoff a top pick for the week of March 4, with an in-depth description of the work.
From The Origin of Species, November 3 – December 3, 2016
During one of her courses at UCLA, South Korean artist Eunhae Grace Yoo was challenged to step outside her comfort zone and create a work of performance art. She used the assignment as an opportunity to explore the psychological pressures she lives under as an undocumented immigrant.
For DREAM act, Yoo laid a large piece of fabric across the floor and covered it in hollowed-out, ink-filled eggs. As she walked across them, the eggshells broke, covering the fabric in ink-stained footprints. With each step, she recited the text of the Dream Act Application form.
A relic of that performance — two large curtains of fabric covered in broken eggshells and ink blots — now hangs in the windows of a tiny gallery hidden just off the main tourist strip in Hollywood. It is on display as part of “The Origin of Species,” a show curated by an immigrant, in a gallery run by an immigrant and featuring the works of 10 immigrant artists.
Noysky Projects is the creative playground of artist couple Sean Noyce and Katya Usvitsky, who use the space as a studio between shows. It’s a unique location. Situated on Hollywood Boulevard between Highland and Vine, the neighborhood is dominated by kitschy tourist shops filled with airbrushed tees and gimmicky restaurants specializing in overpriced beers and bad burgers.
To find the gallery, you’ll need to enter a small walkway off the main strip that leads to a surprisingly idyllic, century-old courtyard with a small fountain. The secret garden walkway is home to an eyebrow-threader’s shop, a used record store and Noyce and Usvitsky’s small gallery.
READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE
Carolina Miranda of the Los Angeles Times gave The Origin of Species a good deal of love, featuring the show two weeks in a row on her weekly “Datebook” blog. Excerpt from the first week’s blurb: “Touching on the theme of immigration is a group show at this relatively new gallery space in Hollywood. The exhibition presents the work of 10 immigrant artists dealing with issues related to identity, acceptance and discrimination.”
Christine Ziemeba of LAist named The Origin of Species one of the top 20 Thing to Do in Los Angeles the weekend of November 3, 2016. From the featurette: “A multidisciplinary exhibition that hopes to balance out the anti-immigrant vitriol of the election climate. For the show, 10 immigrant artists illustrate “personal struggles dealing with cultural identity, social acceptance, legal limitations, expected gender roles, and discrimination“ through drawing, photography, ceramics, video and performance.””