Sour Harvest

We just posted opening night photos from our current March exhibitions – ‘Refuge’ featuring new works from Armsrock and Imminent Disaster plus ‘Nurturing The Uneased Soul’ from Tran Nguyen.

View the full set of pics from the opening night festivities for both exhibits here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thinkspace/sets/72157623521686729/

This week/weekend is your last chance to catch these amazing shows in person. We have to take the exhibits down a couple days earlier than planned due to our upcoming move to Culver City, so this Sunday is the last day to view our March exhibitions before we close up our Silver Lake location for good.

Join us this Thursday through Sun from 1-6PM – the final days of our current location! The end of an era here in Silver Lake and time to start the next chapter in our history.

Thinkspace
4210 Santa Monica Blvd (in Silver Lake area of LA)
www.thinkspacegallery.com

On April 1st, 2010 Thinkspace will relocate to an upscale new space (formerly the home of Kinsey DesForges and BLK/MRKT) at 6009 Washington Blvd in the heart of Culver City, one of LA’s leading art districts. The move is bittersweet as we loved our time in Silver Lake and rocked things at our space there for almost four years, but the time has come to take things to another level both in terms of presentation and profile. With this move we aim to enhance our ongoing program and provide an ever-growing base to some of the most exciting emerging contemporary artists from around the world.

The premiere exhibitions at the new Thinkspace will open to the public on Fri, April 9th with an opening reception from 7-10PM with several of the artists in attendance. The exhibitions will remain on view through April 30th.

NEW ADDRESS:
Thinkspace
6009 Washington Blvd
Culver City, CA 90232
Wed-Sat 1-6PM
www.thinkspacegallery.com

Anthony Pontius
“the caped cobra and his merry band of riders”

The debut LA solo exhibition from NY based artist Anthony Pontius.

Check out a sneak peek from Anthony’s studio here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thinkspace/sets/72157623393134393/

Also on view in our project room:
“Hunt and Gather” group show and book launch curated by Tina Ziegler
Featuring 12×12″ works from: Aaron Kraten, Andy Council, Deseo One, Carrie Ann Baade, Charles Wish, Chelsea Lewyta, Dave Pressler, Diva, Elizabeth Mcgrath, El Gato Chimney, Emilio Subira, Jshea9, Plastic God, Scott Belcastro, Scott Campbell, Scott Radke, Tanner Goldbeck, Tessar Lo, Tiffany Liu, Timothy Lee, Victor Castillo and many more

Plus on display in our office:
“Vision” featuring new works from Pakayla Rae Biehn, Stella Im Hultberg, Linnea Strid, Adam Caldwell, Liz Brizzi, Jennifer Nehrbass, Craig ‘Skibs’ Barker, Jacub Gagnon, David MacDowell, and Jeff Ramirez

Exhibitions Run: April 9th -April 30th, 2010
Opening Reception: Friday, April 9th, 2010 7-10PM

www.thinkspacegallery.com

Fri, March 19th 7-10PM
Gallery Nucleus
210 E. Main St., Alhambra / 626.458.7482
‘The Untold Want’ featuring new works from Jared Andrew Schorr and Sean Chao
(On view through March 29th)
www.gallerynucleus.com  

Sat, March 20th 7-10PM
Carmichael Gallery of Contemporary Art
5795 Washington Blvd in Culver City
‘Life’s Flavor’ featuring new work, an installation and sculptures from Nina Pandolfo
(On view through April 18th)
www.carmichaelgallery.com  

Sat, March 20th 5-8PM
Richard Heller Gallery
2525 Michigan Ave, Space B-5A at Bergamot Station in Santa Monica / 310.453.9191
‘Relics Where…’ featuring new works from Ernesto Caivano
(On view through April 24th)
www.richardhellergallery.com

Sat, March 20th 7-10PM
LeBasse Projects
6023 Washington Blvd in Culver City / 310.558.0200
‘Is Everybody Happy?’ featuring new works from Alexandros Vasmoulakis
(On view through April 17th)
www.lebasseprojects.com  

Sat, March 20th 7-10PM
New Image Art Gallery
7908 Santa Monica Blvd. in West Hollywood / 323.654.2192
‘Desaturated’ featuring new works from Retna
www.newimageartgallery.com

An interview with Tran Nguyen

Tran’s statement on her latest series of works for ‘Nurturing The Uneased Soul’:
Human distress and weariness of the soul are prevalent illnesses we’ve all encountered in our existence. It is ubiquitous to say that life is hard and it’s even harder to relieve ourselves of this chronic disquiet. It is my hope that the milieus portrayed in Nurturing the Uneased Soul pay homage to those who are facing everyday-life difficulties – you, your family, friends, neighbors, acquaintances, or even strangers.

The visual metaphors that are depicted in my paintings capture our emotional turmoil. They embody someone that we can contemplate with, something that reorganizes our cluttered mind. It’s somewhere that nurses the unattended thoughts we’ve tucked away, deep inside our psyche. My imageries serve as a reservoir for the mind to collect itself, replenish itself, and resolve itself from its emotive tension. My hopes are that once the viewer has plunged into my oeuvre, they are able to emerge from the pilgrimage with a new, untarnished mindset. With whatever existent hardship you may be enduring, I deeply hope it can help nurture your exasperated soul.

For more, check out the following interview I just conducted with Tran last week…

Please talk a lil’ bit about the general concept behind your new series of works for “Nurturing The Uneased Soul”.
The new series of work furthers my exploration into therapeutic imagery. Each painting depicts a particular milieu of apprehension that conveys many of the prevalent distresses we frequently come across in life. Uneasiness such as ridding ourselves of wayward thinking or living a burdensome life can be abrasive to our soul, but these heavyhearted situations are what makes life even more precious. The adversity we deal with day to day are conducive to meaningful living. Thus, the intent of Nurturing the Uneased Soul is to act as a buffer or, as some have described it, “a squishy mattress” in overcoming these hardships.

Do you use much photo reference or pretty much just rely upon your imagination?
Half and half — it’s used when needed. When I want a “real” feel to my figures, I’ll rely on photo references to capture those humanly imperfections or natural postures. I do try to limit myself from relying on them too much or else my surreal illustrations would end up overly “realistic.” So when I want to diverge from this tendency, I’ll let my imagination/artistic intuition resolve the rest of the painting.

Your work is filled with visual metaphors, please elaborate a bit if you can. Any significance to the recurring diamond pattern present in much of your work?
You’ve probably noticed that trees, birds, and other ornamental forms frequently reoccur in many of my paintings. I use the motifs to help embed the content’s general tone. Shapes such as the iridescent gold diamonds are not only used for aesthetic purposes but also to convey the duality of the complex emotions — the strenuous as well as triumphal aspect of confronting a tribulation. The haphazard of patterns also help create an ambiguous void for the figures to be cast into which furthers the surreal essence of my paintings.

What was the driving force in your life that led you to this particular direction in your narrative content?
Thus far, I’ve been fortunate enough to have had an easy life but I can’t say the same for others. I’ve witnessed many people that’s had their share of hardship, particularly my mom. I can’t help but feel compassionate to those whose life deviates from what they had hope for. I’ve always been interested in the welfare of others but didn’t necessarily know how to apply it to my career. Then, I came across Bruce Moon’s Art and Soul: Reflections of an Artistic Psychology, and his writings guided and synthesized my endeavors in a more concrete way.

What/who do you consider your biggest overall influence?
The people (and their situations) I cross paths with act as my muse. Their tense emotions and tribulations inspire me to compassionately illustrate these ineffable human conditions.

What’s your favorite thing about living in Georgia? What do you miss most about home?
Besides the fact that my family and friends are here, Georgia has a moderately paced lifestyle. Where I’m from, there’s a lot of the countryside and a little of the city side, which has been pleasant to be raised in. I live about five minutes from a vast corn field and the feeling I get from driving by it is overwhelmingly profound and unexplainable. Though it’s inevitable that I’ll venture to other places for work and personal reasons, in the end, I know I’ll come back home. It’s true what they say — “home is where the heart is.”

If you had an unlimited budget and time was not an issue, what grand artistic vision would you look to bring to life?
I’d open a public art studio that offers a variety of free workshops for people who like to draw, paint, print-make, sculpt, etc. In another section of the studio would be an open exhibit filled with a collection of art created by therapy patients — a kind of art that requires us to close our eyes and open our heart and soul.

What have you got coming up in terms of shows after your solo show with us?
I have some group shows that I’ll be participating in and an awesome collab show next year with a fellow artist. For now, I’m just taking it easy.

Tran Nguyen ‘Nurturing the Uneased Soul’ (in our project room)

Exhibition run dates: March 12th – April 2nd, 2010

Check out the works from ‘Nurturing The Uneased Soul’ here:
http://www.thinkspacegallery.com/2010/03/project/works.php

* This will be the last show at our Silver Lake location. We will relocate to Culver City this April.

Thinkspace
4210 Santa Monica Blvd. in Silver Lake area of Los Angeles (near the Sunset Junction)
www.thinkspacegallery.com

Fri, March 12th 7-11PM
thinkspace
4210 Santa Monica Blvd in Los Angeles
‘Refuge’ featuring new works and an installation from Armsrock & Imminent Disaster + ‘Nurturing The Uneased Soul’ featuring new works from Tran Nguyen – final show at Thinkspace’s Silver Lake location before they make the jump to Culver City in April
(On view through April 1st)
www.thinkspacegallery.com  

Sat, March 13th 7-10PM
Cactus Gallery
4534 Eagle Rock Blvd in Eagle Rock
‘Decked Out’ featuring works on skate decks with featured artist Michael Pukac and a group show featuring works from Hans Haveron, L. Croskey, John Park, Spectr, Tommii Lim, Yuki Miyazaki, Patrick Haemmerlein, Walt Hall, Delphia, Mike Russek, Max Neutra, and many more
(On view through March 27th)
www.eclecticcactus.com  

Sat, March 13th 8-11:30PM
Copro Gallery
2525 Michigan Ave, Space T-5 at Bergamot Station in Santa Monica
‘Hi-Fructose 5th Anniversary Exhibition’ featuring works from Amy Sol, Kris Kuksi, Mark Ryden, Audrey Kawasaki (pictured above), Martin Wittfooth, Lori Earley, Mia, KMNDZ, Shag, Annie Owens, Candice Tripp, Chet Zar, Greg ‘Craola’ Simkins, James Jean, Jeff Soto, Harma Heikens, Jonathan Viner, Junko Mizuno, Kathie Olivas, Attaboy, Sas Christian, Jesse Hazelip, Scott Musgrove, Alex Pardee, Kevin Cyr, Chris Mars, Thomas Doyle, Yosuke Ueno and many more + ‘Return Of The Nephilim’ from Michael Page + ‘Second Passage’ from Eric Fortune
(On view through April 3rd)
www.copronason.com  

Sat, March 13th 7-10PM
Corey Helford Gallery
8522 Washington Blvd in Culver City
New photographic works from Chris Anthony
www.coreyhelfordgallery.com  

Sat, March 13th 2-10PM
East Hollywood Art Cycle
Intersection of Santa Monica Blvd & Madison
Join us as artists will take over the street in celebration of the art and culture of East Hollywood – this year the event will be held on Santa Monica Blvd between Vermont & Virgil, right by the Metro Red Line (Santa Monica & Vermont) in the heart of East Hollywood and on Historic Route 66 – more than a dozen galleries, theatres, creative venues and artist live/work spaces will open for a celebration of everything East Hollywood – hop on a bike to take a tour of some of East Hollywood’s finest galleries, like Synchronicity, Thinkspace and Junc + tons of live painters, live screen printing, DJs, and much, much more – check site for all the action
http://www.easthollywoodartcycle.com/  

Sat, March 13th 6:30-10PM
GR2
2062 Sawtelle Blvd in Los Angeles
‘Patchwork’ featuring small works on fabric from Christopher Bettig, Ryan Bubnis, Susie Ghahremani, Dan-ah Kim, Saelee Oh, Ashira Siegel, Ryan Jacob Smith, Esther Pearl Watson, Phil Lumbang, David Horvath, Mark Todd, Cupco, and many more
(On view through April 7th)
www.gr2.net  

Sat, March 13th 7PM-Midnight
Smoking Mirrors Gallery
565 W 2nd Street in Pomona
‘Callejeros’ group show curated by Vyal One featuring works from Zore, Yuji (Japan), Yescka (Oaxaca), Willie Herron, Werc, Vyal Reyes, Tony Uno (Chi), Stan Corona, Spencer, Skept, Ricardo Estrada, Retna, Pint, Pewee, Nani (New Mex.), Mr. JJ, Michael Alvarez, LOD Crew, Lil Tokyo Jiro, Lil Roy, Libre (Mex.), Kofie, Joel “Rage.One” Garcia, Jeyd, Jack Rudy, Hyder (Chi), Horichuy, Hex, Eyeone, Evan Skrederstu, Deffer, Cuca Refugia (L.V.), Chuey Quintanar, Chucho (Chi), Chris Brand, Chose, Chaz Bojorquez, Brandi Collins, Axis, Asylum, and Antonio Mejia y mas
www.myspace.com/smokingmirrorsgallery  

Sat, March 13th 8PM-Midnight ($20 donation at door / auction ends at 11PM)
X-Bar
2025 Ave Of The Stars in Los Angeles
Viva La Art’s ‘For A Cause Spring ‘10’ special benefit party featuring works up for auction from the likes of Allison Sommers, Anthony Clarkson, Buff Monster, David MacDowell, Francesco LoCastro, Johnny ‘KMNDZ’ Rodriguez, Jullian Callos, P-Jay, Fidler, L. Croskey, Sarah Joncas, Tom Haubrick, Sophia Gasparian, Michael Page, and many more – 100% of proceeds benefit Homeboy Industries – a charity assisting at-risk youths in Los Angeles
www.vivalaart.org