Thinkspace is pleased to present Delisha ‘Sweet Dreams & Beautiful Nightmares.‘ The “BEAUTIFUL MONSTER” acts as a security blanket to help us navigate life’s problems and tune out the harshness of the world. It’s easier to tune out the judgement, the abuse, the neglect, and doubt while wrapped in the comfort of scarves. A BEAUTIFUL MONSTER manifested from a cold world, and is also a reminder to embrace fear, because you may find comfort in uncovering what’s really there.
Our interview with Delisha shares her rituals to stimulate her creative flow, her creative influences, and how she likes to enjoy her downtime.
What themes were you exploring in this body of work?
Mostly the idea of fear, the fear of individuality, the fear of another persons perception of you. I wanted to tell a story from three different perspectives; from the perspective of the viewer, the subjects in the paintings, and of the Beautiful Monster’s. The viewer sees a weird creepy thing, but inside the monster there’s an innocence there. The painting’s subjects ignore the Beautiful Monster all together.
Did you have a piece that was particularly challenging?
I feel the theme was more challenging. To create a monster that was fun but also a little creepy and weird, that really encapsulated the creative spirit was the most challenging. It definitely came from my own experiences with social anxiety of being called “different”.
What does a day in the studio look like for you?
A typical day in the studio, for me? Lots and lots of work! I’m usually working on 4-5 projects at a time. Which is dope, because I remember a time when things weren’t as busy. But, a typical day is VERY focused from 9am-5pm.
How do you structure your days?
I’m learning to have 3 days in one day. I split my days in thirds so that I’m sure to have personal time, and to keep my interests on whatever I’m creating at that time.
Do you have any rituals that help you tap into a creative flow?
This answer goes back to timing and planning my days right. Personal time is very important to me so I’m usually up before the sun rises to meditate, medicate, and meal prep (make lunch for my daughter).
What is your most favorite and least favorite part of the creative process?
Showing my work is nerve wrecking. I get immortalized in my thoughts, so when I show to the public I’m wondering if they can feel what I felt, when making them.
Who are some of your creative influences?
Creators: Bill Watterson and Jim Henson Artists: Frida Kahlo, Jean Mitchell Basquiat Photographers: James Van Der Zee and Annie Leibovitz. Writers: Ayn Rand and Encyclopedias.
Why do they inspire you?
They inspire me for their passion. How they truly lived, and are living, through what they’ve created. The encyclopedia has always been a staple, now that’s been replace with YouTube lol. Just as inspiring.
If you could have any skill or topic downloaded into your brain, what would you want to be able to do/ be an expert at?
Everything. I love learning new things/skills.
What do you hope viewers take away or experience while viewing your work?
A need to see more!
How do you like to enjoy your time outside of the studio?
Spending time with my daughter, with friends or dreaming.
Do you celebrate the completion of a body of work?
Sometimes. Sometimes the reward is to do nothing.
Exhibition on view April 1 – April 22, 2023 at: Thinkspace Projects 4207 W. Jefferson Blvd. Los Angeles, California 90016
Thinkspace Projects is honored to present Ezra Brown ‘Trying To Keep It Together,’ our debut solo exhibition with Ezra Brown. In this exhibit, Ezra encapsulates his many experiences, emotions, and feelings using his character ‘Happy the Clown’ as a reflection of himself to portray his message. His character, ‘Happy’, is often portrayed as the opposite of his name in Ezra’s work, as his image is instead used as a way to cope with events in the world around us today. Ezra encourages the viewer to use his work as a device to tap into their own feelings, and connect on an emotional level.
“My creative process is really simple, I feel something sad and I paint and vice versa. Creative ideas usually come from personal emotions. So in reality I’m sharing my feelings with the viewer through my paintings. It’s sort of a visual diary of my personal thoughts.’ – Ezra Brown
Our interview with Ezra Brown shares his most challenging piece, which crime shows he loves to listen to to tap into his creative flow, and which artists had a really deep impact on his art career.
What themes were you exploring in this body of work? Did you have a piece that was particularly challenging?
For this body of work I really wanted to tell a story of a failed relationship and how one deals with the emotional rollercoaster.
Yes this was the first time I actually had someone fabricate something for me. The piece is called ‘I’m sorry’ and it depicts my character having his spirit leave his body. This piece was originally going to be a huge wood cutout but then my friend Carmen Acosta had mentioned to me why not try making the spirit portion a see-through piece that is separate from my characters body? That way it would give it a little more depth and really convey my message. So we bounced around with how it would look and finally I sent out the digital rendering to get fabricated. I honestly was nervous because as an artist you have a certain vision and when you work outside of your circle it’s scary, you never know if that person or company is going to encapsulate that same feeling you have as an artist. I just want to give a huge shout out to Pretty In Plastic they really did an amazing job of capturing the look and feel of what I was going for.
What does a day in the studio look like for you? How do you structure your days?
My days are really unpredictable, my studio is located in my house and honestly sometimes it’s hard to stay focused. I have a 17 year old daughter that I take to school in the morning and then I have to pick her up in the afternoon. So trying to cram in as much time to work on my projects is really challenging not to mention the fact that going back to bed or just lounging on the couch and watching tv has not crossed my mind once or twice. Keeping a schedule helps me really stay on task and my wife also making sure I stick to that schedule is a plus she truly is my boss and runs a really tight ship.
Do you have any rituals that help you tap into a creative flow?
Funny enough I love listening to old crime shows from the 1930’s like ‘Yours Truly Johnny Dollar’ or ‘Rocky Jordan.’ Honestly I myself don’t know how that all started but I just love the way those actors voices sound and the faint crackling of the radio just soothes me. If I’m not listening to those shows then I’m listening to jazz music it really amazes me how beautiful that music is. I’m mean it tells a story but in sound like take for instance Bill Evans playing those somber notes on Blue Green or Doris Day hitting the perfect pitch on ‘Again’ it really makes me feel a type of way that I can honestly say without a doubt my work comes to life.
What is your most favorite and least favorite part of the creative process?
Coming up with the idea for an art piece is what I love. Most of my artwork deals with a lot of emotional struggles and really capturing that feeling is so important to me. Once that’s all said and done then comes the hard part putting that idea onto paper or canvas and bringing it to life. Raw emotions are tough because people know what some sad looks like but making that saddens turn into a melancholic whirlwind is another thing. I really want to dig into peoples own feelings and that takes a whole lot of energy. When you see my work I want you saying to yourself man I can really relate to this.
Who are some of your creative influences? Why do they inspire you?
My father was my first creative influence, as a child I would sit and watch him paint these beautiful landscapes. I would just marvel at how effortlessly he would create these pieces. As I got older and started exploring my own artistic style I began to look at the works of Windsor Mcay, Ub Iwerks, Max Fleischer, Al Columbia, and of course Walt Disney. All of these artists have had a really deep impact on my career as a creative individual. The craftsman is very evident in their work. Quite honestly they pioneered the way for a lot of the cartoons we see and love today. So I always have strived to have that same level of passion and dedication in my pieces as well.
If you could have any skill or topic downloaded into your brain, what would you want to be able to do/ be an expert at?
Learning how to speak different languages. I speak Spanish and English but I just feel if I could learn every language I could connect to people on a much more personal level. Especially working with galleries overseas this would be a big help when it comes to setting up shows or even doing projects. For me taking the time to understand someone’s native tongue just shows that person that you truly respect them and want to make them feel comfortable with you.
What do you hope viewers take away or experience while viewing your work?
Honestly I hope they walk away knowing that the most amazing thing about us as people are our own personal experiences. Whether it be a break up or feeling angry about life or simply just trying to make it through the day without having a nervous breakdown. I want those feelings and experiences to connect us and make us understand we are not alone, we are all going through it together even though sometimes it feels no one is there for us but I see you and I get you.
How do you like to enjoy your time outside of the studio? Do you celebrate the completion of a body of work?
Spending time with my family is important to me being an artist most of your time is spent alone creating. So whenever I get a chance to step away from my work I like spending it with them.
I try to take a vacation if possible just to relax and clear my mind. It’s always important to me hitting that reset button once I’ve completed a big body of work. Plus it helps me transition into the next thing I have on my list.
Exhibition on view April 1 – April 22, 2023 at: Thinkspace Projects 4207 W. Jefferson Blvd. Los Angeles, California 90016
We’re excited to be able to offer ‘Cigs and Sweaty Possums’ as a limited edition giclee print on 290gsm paper, printed by our friends over at Static Medium.
On view April 26 through May 25, 2023 at: WOAW Store 5 Sun Street, Wanchai Wan Chai Hong Kong
Thinkspace Projects is honored to be partnering with WOAW to present the debut solo exhibition in Hong Kong from the duo Giorgiko. Known worldwide for their enigmatic oil paintings depicting the bold innocence of their childlike protagonists, their universe continues to draw in new fans at an alarming rate.
In this new body of work, Giorgiko presents 25 new oil paintings and ink drawings featuring the artists’ exploration of the search for peace in its different forms and the costs of obtaining it.
Is peace born of conflict, or found in the absence of inner and outer turmoil? Humanity has sought control over themselves, others, and their environments in its pursuit of peace. But if this search for control has not brought us closer to peace itself, perhaps peace can’t be forcefully taken or manufactured. Perhaps it needs to be planted gently.
‘The Seed of Peace’ follows the journeys of childlike characters through scorched lands, tumultuous storms, and wild dogs in search of shelter. A divine seed that grows into a pure white olive tree stands in gentle contrast to the chaos of the environment, offering the children the peace that they seek. The artist duo draws inspiration from the sacred story of Christ’s self-sacrificing death and resurrection to bring peace to many – a story paralleling the death and rebirth of a seed, which grows into a new plant and offers shade to all who would rest under it. The artists invite viewers to join them and their characters as they contemplate their own sources of peace in its temporal and lasting forms.
About GIORGIKO: Giorgiko (pronounced jee-OR-jee-koh) is the moniker of husband-and-wife artists Darren and Trisha Inouye. Giorgiko’s work deals with the affective dimension of the human experience through their childlike characters and mysterious dogs who represent the innocence and carnality of the human spirit and soul.
The moniker ‘Giorgiko’ is a play on the artists’ middle names: George and Songyi. Giorgi means ‘farmer’ or ‘earth-worker’ in Greek, while ‘-ko’ is the Japanese suffix for ‘child’. The resulting meaning of ‘earth-working-child’ represents Giorgiko’s ethos of depicting emotions through the eyes of a child.
Giorgiko’s work combines the simple sweetness of Trisha’s characters with Darren’s street influence, classical painting techniques, and playfully anachronistic elements, allowing their characters to transcend space and time. Through the harmonious blending of classical and contemporary in their paintings and drawings, Giorgiko explores recurring themes of feeling displaced, discovering empathy, holding onto hope, and retaining innocence. Characters in urban clothing seem stranded in the wilderness, while characters with historical attire loiter in apocalyptic urban landscapes. Long-forgotten space dogs dream of home, and so do pink-haired girls. Through moody landscapes and childlike characters, Giorgiko hopes to create a universe paralleling our own that opens a window into seeing ourselves and others sincerely and truthfully in all of our flaws and beauty.
Darren and Trisha first met during orientation at their alma mater ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, California. Trisha hails from a Korean immigrant family in the San Francisco Bay area and was always drawing instead of doing homework. Meanwhile, Darren is a 4th generation Japanese-American from Los Angeles who fell in love with street art in his youth. They sat next to each other in Design 1, and the rest is history. The creative duo resides in the greater Los Angeles area with their twin children.
Giorgiko has exhibited their work in North America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Australia.
About WOAW Gallery: WOAW Gallery is a contemporary art gallery established in 2019 by Hong Kong-based entrepreneur, fashion designer, and collector, Kevin Poon. Fueled by Poon’s love for art and inspired by the years of building relationships and realizing collaborative projects around the globe, WOAW presents itself as a dynamic, flexible and multifaceted hub for artists, curators, galleries, and entrepreneurs.
From its original location in Wanchai, over their second space in Hong Kong Central, and the latest large venue in Beijing’s iconic Blanc Art Space, the gallery is focused on presenting artworks by established and emerging international artists with a fresh perspective. Regularly collaborating with leading experts and taste makers from around the globe as well as organizing their own exhibitions, WOAW is adding Hong Kong and Beijing into the wider conversation about the cutting edge contemporary art scene.
About Thinkspace Projects: Thinkspace Projects was founded in 2005; now in LA’s burgeoning West Adams District, the gallery has garnered an international reputation as one of the most active and productive exponents of the New Contemporary Art Movement. Maintaining its founding commitment to the promotion and support of its artists, Thinkspace has steadily expanded its roster and diversified its projects, creating collaborative and institutional opportunities all over the world. Founded in the spirit of forging recognition for young, emerging, and lesser-known talents, the gallery is now home to artists from all over the world, ranging from the emerging, mid-career, and established.
The New Contemporary Art Movement, not unlike its earlier 20th Century counterparts like Surrealism, Dada, or Fauvism, ultimately materialized in search of new forms, content, and expressions that cited rather than disavowed the individual and the social. The earliest incarnations of the Movement, refusing the paradigmatic disinterest of “Art” as an inaccessible garrison of ‘high culture’, championed figuration, surrealism, representation, pop culture, and the subcultural. By incorporating the ‘lowbrow,’ accessible, and even profane, an exciting and irreverent art movement grew in defiance of the mandated renunciations of “high” art. Emerging on the West Coast in the 90’s partly as a response to the rabid ‘conceptual-turn’ then championed on the East Coasts, the Movement steadily created its own platforms, publications, and spaces for the dissemination of its imagery and ideas.
Though the New Contemporary Art Movement has remained largely unacknowledged by the vetted institutions of the fine art world and its arbiters of ‘high culture,’ the future promises a shift. The Movement’s formative aversion to the establishment is also waning in the wake of its increased visibility, institutional presence, and widespread popularity.
Thinkspace has sought to champion and promote the unique breadth of the Movement, creating new opportunities for the presentation of its artists and work. Though still very much invested in the elevation and exposure of its emerging talents, the gallery, now in its 13th year, has come into its own with a roster that reflects this maturity. An active advocate for what is now one of the longest extant organized art movement’s in history, Thinkspace is an established voice for its continued growth and evolution.
The gallery has in recent years expanded its projects beyond Los Angeles, exhibiting with partner galleries and organizations in Berlin, Hong Kong, London, New York City, Detroit, Chicago, and Honolulu among many others, participating in International Art Fairs, and curating New Contemporary content for Museums. Committed to the vision, risk, and exceptional gifts of its artists, the gallery is first and foremost a family. From the streets to the museums, and from the “margins” to the white cube, Thinkspace is re-envisioning what it means to be “institutional.”
