This upcoming weekend you can expect most LA galleries to open big to start the year. Some open significant solo shows while others do the group thing. New Image Art opts for the group vibe, selecting a handful of female photographers to display their gelatin.

Photogrpahers in the show include:  Alex Prager, Alma Márquez, Amanda Marsalis, Ashira Siegel, Brandy Eve, Cheryl Dunn, Deanna Templeton, Jeaneen Lund, Kassia Meador, Laura Flippen, Lauren Dukoff, Rebecca Wright, Susanne Melanie Berry and Taylor Brittenham.

“Put Your Finger on the Button”
Saturday January 9th, 7-10pm
New Image Art
7908 Santa Monica Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA 90046

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This past Saturday evening, New Image hosted the work of Clare Rojas, Andrew Jeffrey Wright, and the infamously pseudonymous Lydia Fong for American Realities.  Perhaps as a result of the artist’s friendships with one another,the show feels like a cohesive whole rater than three collections of work shown side by side.  Rojas’ installation of her inviting folk-like art in the front room, Lydia Fong’s vibrantly colorful geometric pieces, graff photography, and caricatures, and Andrew Jeffrey Wright’s mad, whimsical, and politically outspoken side-room install featuring Furbys, photography – all share a genuine warmth and an emphasis on people and their relationship to one another.

Finally, a word about Lydia Fong’s work – it’s the small touches that really set her (or should we say him ) apart – such as the use of real dreadlocks to form “Lydia Fong” on the wall.  It’s art that seemingly flows easily and naturally without the hint of calculated or strategic directions. If you’d like to know more about Lydia Fong, definitely worth doing some research.

New Image Art
7908 Santa Monica Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90046
323.654.2192

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Looks like Barry McGee is picking up his alter-ego again with his Lydia Fong persona. This should be an interesting show and DD hopes to see some collaborative projects between the three.

New Image Art
SATURDAY, MARCH 28, 2009
AMERICAN REALITIES
Clare Rojas, Andrew Jeffrey Wright, and Lydia Fong

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After a busy day at artLA, we headed to the 15th Anniversary Show at New Image Art. A big congratulations to Marsea for building a great program over a decade and a half! The gallery actually rented out the adjoining space for the show, as Cleon Peterson had his show up next door in the actual gallery.

Met up with neighbors Kinsey and Jana of Kinsey/DesForges, and was able to catch up with a bunch of artists that had put work into the huge group show. The lighting was a bit rough…so don’t be too upset with my off color photos. The gallery was packed quickly with artists, collectors, hipsters and people wishing Marsea well. With artists like Barry McGee, Clare Rojas, Faile, Shepard Fairey, Neckface, The Clayton Brothers, Kelsey Brookes, and many more on the walls…

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Lots of art this weekend in LA.

First and foremost are the two big art Fairs – artLA and the LA Art Show happening in downtown and Santa Monica. Check the earlier post about the shows for details.

Also opening:

Joey Remmers + Devin Crane
Sat, Jan. 24th 7-10PM
Corey Helford Gallery
8522 Washington Blvd in Culver City

“15th Anniversary Show”
Sat, Jan. 24th 7-10PM
New Image Art
7908 Santa Monica Blvd. in Los Angeles
New work from Faile, Bast, Jeff Soto, Judith Supine, Deanna Templeton, Megan Whitmarsh, Antonio Diaz, Rich Jacobs, Skullphone, Caroline Hwang, Neck Face, Jamie Williams, The Date Farmers, Kelsey Brookes, Jo Jackson, Anthony Lister, Cleon Peterson, and David Ellis.

Not quite as many openings this weekend, but here are a few worth dropping in on.

Aaron Rose
Sat, Jan. 17th 7-10pm
Hope Gallery
1547 Echo Park Ave in Los Angeles / 323.782.9221

Cleon Peterson
Sat, Jan. 17th 7-10pm
New Image Art
7908 Santa Monica Blvd. in Los Angeles / 323.654.2192

“Fairytale of Berlin” Group Show
Sat, Jan. 17th 7-10PM
SCION Gallery
3521 Helms Ave in Culver City / 310.815.8840

…and if you missed the Richard Prince opening last night, go stop by Michael Kohn Gallery.

New Image Art opens 2009 with artist Cleon Peterson, who works in the Studio Number One stable under Shepard Fairey. His hyper-violent paintings are meant to reflect the anxiety of our times. The clashing figures in the works symbolize a struggle between power and submission in the fluctuating architecture of contemporary society.

In addition to his upcoming solo show, Mr. Peterson has been busy creating propaganda for the street cred worthy Saks Fifth Avenue under the direction of Mr. Fairey. Power to the privileged!

Kelsey Brookes opened his first USA solo last night (11.1.08) to a packed house @ New Image Art on Santa Monica Blvd. Brookes’s new work increases the sense of awe and wonder found in his signature style with a “loosening” of the rendering  – where once the female forms had sharply defined contours and rendered details, they are now symbolic canvases for his seemingly limitless constellation of brightly colored micro scenes and characters.  This is art that you can stare at for hours – from a far the small characters, shapes and patterns read as a more or less abstract swirl of color.  Up close, the smiley faces and characters engaged in all sorts of activity reward the careful viewer with a clear sense of joy.

This large body of new  paintings features two particularly notable large round disc-like pieces.  Placed side by side near the gallery entrance, these pieces rotate continuously – a fitting display for Brookes’s work which encourages prolonged viewing from multiple angles – both physical and perceptual.

The two large installations and the additional decorative flourishes added to the gallery make this show a definite must-see.  An elaborate white wooden shrine in the main room features a  mildly grotesque skeletal creature with an animal skull suspended with ornamental yarn charms. Candles flicker at the base of the shrine amid scattered petals obscure a very abstract painted form.

Towards the back of the gallery there’s a towering white fur creature with a circular spoke yarn pattern piece which evokes native american imagery.  In contrast to the almost chilling vibe of the large shrine piece, this installation conveys a serene and perhaps cheerful mood.

Between the two installations, lies the gallery’s side alcove which has been covered completely from floor to ceiling in tapestries.   The white wood ornamental piece framing the top of the entrance ties back aesthetically to the front shrine.

In addition to Kelsey’s art, live music rounded out the opening reception. Artichoke Heart Soúffle kicked off the evening and was followed  towards the end of the evening by  Glasser whose performance included interpretative dance.  Beautiful vocals and clever choreography made for an entertaining interlude.

If you’re a fan or collector of Kelsey Brookes, this is a must-see show.  If you’re not familiar with his work, now is an excellent time to get acquainted.  We’re pretty sure you’ll be seeing plenty more from Mr. Brookes. The show runs until December 3rd.

New Image Art
7908 Santa Monica Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90046
323.654.2192

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New Image Art has released new info and work-in-progress pics (after the jump) for Kelsey Brookes’s I Love Your Bones solo which we blogged about earlier this week.  For his first US solo, Brookes presents a large body of new work focusing on spirituality broadly and specifically the enigmatic nature of creation.  Evenfrom these high-resolution JPEGs, the scale and raw energy of this work is plainly obvious and rather impressive.  In his own words Brookes explains the process of discovery behind the show which opens on November 1st (7-10 PM).

“Everything in the universe comes from something more fundamental than it self, united with accident and out of this union creation and novelty are born.

Conscientious has 2 states of being in this world, aware and unaware.  Awareness is the state you are in at the moment if you are reading this, unaware is what you were before and what you will be after you are aware.  These paintings represent the only exception to that rule. Creation exists beyond the scope of physical parameters and universal constants, unseen by tangibility and rationality. A place where rules are fluid and dynamic, forever changing in accordance to the unknown. These paintings are a product of this place, this limbo between 2 worlds. When I close my eyes and travel to this place these paintings are what I see.

I hope that what is brought back might help keep the world lively and help add to the flexibility that it needs to endure.”

New Image Art
7908 Santa Monica Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90046
323.654.2192

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Kelsey Brookes took an unusual path to his art career with a detour as a biochemist. His arresting vibrantly rainbow-hued paintings combine beautiful women, wild animals, quilt patterns and reglious symbols.  Brookes will present a new body of work for his new solo opening on Saturday November 1st @ New Image Art.  Going by the flier image , Kelsey continues to add layers to his style – the once well-defined female forms are becoming loose containers for a free-flowing constellation of intricate smaller images.  We’re curious to see if more abstract rather than figurative approach will carry over throughout the new work.

New Image Art
7908 Santa Monica Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90046
323.654.2192