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Thank you to all those who came out to see our September 2022 exhibitions spanning four gallery spaces and our viewing room. ‘Habitat’ in Gallery I showed new works from Kevin Peterson, Kisung Koh, Jacub Gagnon, and Anthony Solano.
Erik Mark Sandberg’s ‘Golden Pacific’ was presented in Gallery II with Sarah Joncas ‘Washed Ashore’ in the Viewing Room. And Gallery III & IV features ‘Amplify,’ a group exhibition highlighting 34 artists who provide a window into the New Contemporary art movement at this moment.
Exhibitions are on view now through September 24, 2022
Erik Mark Sandberg’s ‘Golden Pacific’ was presented in Gallery II with Sarah Joncas ‘Washed Ashore’ in the Viewing Room. And Gallery III & IV features ‘Amplify,’ a group exhibition highlighting 34 artists who provide a window into the New Contemporary art movement at this moment.
Exhibitions are on view now through September 24, 2022
On view September 9, 2022 to January 29, 2023 in the SRP Room
Opening Reception: Friday, September 9 from 6-10pm
Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum One East Main Street Mesa, Arizona 85211
Dark Matter explores the invisible forces behind the decisions we make and the narratives we create. The dark matter hypothesis proposes that 85% of all matter in the universe is unseen. Astronomers have observed that galaxies seemingly do not have enough mass to account for the gravitational forces needed to hold them together in clusters. However, there is evidence of a nearly undetectable, or “dark” matter that generates binding forces in the universe while remaining a complete mystery.
In their new body of work, the artist duo Giorgiko play with the idea that a significant percentage of our lives may be made of a different “dark matter”, one of untold stories, hidden agendas, and powerful feelings; which plays an equally significant force on our lives and our relationships with others. With so much unknown, what is perceived with the senses may only reveal a part of the story. Through seven oil paintings and 13 special edition sculptures, Giorgiko invites viewers to consider what we really know, what we don’t, and the mystery that holds us all together when, theoretically, we should be flying apart.
About the artists:
Giorgiko (pronounced jee-OR-jee-koh) is the product of a collaborative experiment between Darren and Trisha Inouye melding minimal, expressive character illustration with large-scale classical painting. Conceived in 2012, the Giorgiko universe is home to lost boys and wayfaring girls, and explores the stories of their wanderings and their dreams of being found again. Urban and classical youth are portrayed in city and nature scenes as part of their journeys through the world.
The husband-and-wife team first met while studying art at ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, California. Darren was attracted to Trisha’s authenticity and quirkiness, while Trisha was drawn to Darren’s dashingly good looks. Trisha hails from a Korean immigrant family in the San Francisco Bay area and was noticed at an early age for her talent in drawing. She brings a cuteness and sweet innocence to Giorgiko’s characters. Meanwhile, Darren is a 4th generation Japanese- American from Los Angeles who fell in love with hip hop dancing and graffiti in his youth, and the underground influence is evident throughout the Giorgiko universe. Darren and Trisha’s work blends street and cute to create relatable images for wanderers of all ages.
Darren and Trisha are parents to identical twin boys who keep the young artists occupied with finger foods and baby babble. Their greatest accomplishment to date is keeping their children alive.
On view September 9, 2022 to January 29, 2023 in the Project Room
Opening Reception: Friday, September 9 from 6-10pm
Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum One East Main Street Mesa, Arizona 85211
There is an idiom that says “it’s written all over your face,” which gave me an idea that regardless of what we say, our true feelings can still be emancipated by our facial expressions. For me, it’s a silent way of communicating something without noise. It’s where I find the inspiration to literally remember those facial expressions and create artwork out of it. This mix of facial expressions with different symbols and patterns have led to the development of characters known as “ohlala” dolls.
We humans have the same mold. We all have the same attributes. What differentiates us is the circumstances that we were born into. And one thing that I want to emphasize is the amount of detail each ohlala artwork has. Like humans, some have little while some have more.
In many of my works, I discreetly take on socio-economic classes. Some people are born rich, some are born middle
class, some are born poor. But the common ground for everyone is, we all have to deal with it.
I cover all the ohlala dolls heads with canvas cloth to give a freedom to paint their own symbols on their heads; as if they are designing their own fate. I guess that’s what we all have in common; the power to make things happen for ourselves.
Acrylic, oil, and aerosol paint are my choice of medium in painting. Many times, I let accidents like drips, smudges and splatter help me to decipher what to do next. I start with very loose abstract figures to overcome the fear of an empty canvas staring at me.
In this collection of work, I try to become as personal as possible, using ohlala as my main character to depict some of my experiences that led me to where I am right now as an artist.
About the Artist: Born in Paris, France, Filipino artist Reen Barrera didn’t have a lot of toys during his childhood in the 90s. He vaguely remembers owning two or three action figures but considers himself a “toy deprived” kid. Out of sheer boredom, he started repurposing materials, like wood and fabric, into mixed media figuartive sculputures and paintings.
Barrera studied fine arts and majored in advertising in college. Before becoming a full-time working artist in 2014, his professional work consisted of sculpting bobble-head portraits, graphic design and illustration. He has shown in numerous solo and group exhibitions all over the world. He currently lives in the Philippines.
Excited to share full details on our “No Dice” unique variant edition with Michael Reeder.
This special unique variant edition is a thing of beauty and has been in the planning and development stages for well over a year as we worked out all the best ways to present this incredible idea for his loyal fans. Inspired by the Colorforms series that’s been popular with children for over 60 years now, we wanted to create a work with Reeder that his fans could change on a regular basis for their viewing pleasure.
‘No Dice’ features two solid steel plates at its core. The base steel plate is custom painted by Reeder (each piece is a unique variant / no two are alike) and the other steel plate has been laser cut and custom painted by the team at Fine Art Solutions.
Each edition comes with a collection of nine screen-printed, laser-cut custom shapes thanks to the teams at Serio Press and POV Evolving. Each laser-cut piece has a custom-shaped magnet on the back, allowing for numerous configurations and viewing options for your ‘No Dice’ work.
Each variant is housed in a custom-painted walnut frame that holds the steel layers together with a perfect fit and arrives ready to hang with a hand-made French cleat from the team at Fine Art Solutions. The paint scheme of each custom walnut frame matches up with the second painted cutout layer, making for a finished and polished look just like Reeder’s gallery works.
This edition is deluxe in every sense of the word, and each work will come housed in a wooden crate with all parts custom fit into laser-cut foam enclosures to ensure a safe arrival to your home, along with white gloves for handling and installation.
Photographs are shared below of each colorway plus examples of some of the many possible configurations.
MICHAEL REEDER No Dice – Acrylic and aerosol on steel and walnut with screen printing on MDF – Edition of 25 unique variants / Five different colorways of five each – Within each colorway, each will be numbered 1 through 5. – Colorways: Blue | Yellow | Green | Pink | White + Grey (AP edition) – Each set comes with 9 magnetic backed laser cut pieces for unlimited display possibilities – Overall Framed Dimensions: 25.5 x 32 x 31.5 inches / 66 x 81.2 x 7.6 cm – $5,500 each
Thinkspace Projects is pleased to present Habitat, a group show featuring the work of Kevin Peterson, Kisung Koh, Jacub Gagnon, and Anthony Solano. The gallery is thrilled to bring together four of their surreal naturalist painters for one impactful exhibition. Each artist has delivered new work for the show, pushing the boundaries of their previous creations, ultimately creating some of their strongest pieces to date.
Nevada-born Kevin Peterson spent his childhood in many places from Nevada to Michigan to Washington, finally arriving in Texas in 1996, where he studied both Fine Art and Psychology. With a varied background in both mental health and art, Peterson infuses each of his pieces with complex and layered emotion. His own struggle with drugs and alcohol is what led him back to art, which he now immerses himself in fully. It is this deep connection with and passion for his work that is undeniably apparent in each piece.
South Korean artist Kisung Koh uses his art to open gateways into nature’s spiritual dimensions and explores the intimate connections he has built with wildlife during his lifetime. Drawing heavily on the memories and dreams provided to him by the sheer awe-inspiring spectacles he has witnessed in the great outdoors, Koh pays tribute by creating imagery that is suggestive of the metaphysical energies and bonds which can exist between two living creatures, even when interacting from a distance. Through his art, Koh captures the essence and beauty of the natural world, reminding his audience that their own relationships with it are precious and rewarding.
Jacub Gagnon is one of Toronto’s great emerging contemporary artists, known for his curious backgrounds of void space, whimsical representations of naive fauna, and their juxtaposition with human objects. Through the use of meticulous blending, layers, and remarkable detail, Jacub tells the story of a world that is sweet as well as disturbing, showcasing how humans manipulate and borrow from nature. Using small brushes and handling them as he would a pencil, Jacub is able to achieve an illustrative quality that edges into the peculiar world of Pop Surrealism. This colorful, almost child-like fantasy renders the troubling issues that face the habitats and species of our time into otherworldly depictions that capture the imagination.
Having spent his childhood years between California and Guadalajara, Mexico, artist Anthony Solano turned to art at a young age, seeing it as both a source of escape and comfort. In high school he was exposed to painting for the first time, sparking what would become his life’s passion. Anthony, a self-taught painter, now resides in Portland, Oregon and credits the local landscape for a major creative shift, from abstract painting to the surreal genre that he currently practices. His work explores today’s environmental conflicts, communicated with vibrant hyper-realistic imagery and thought-provoking storytelling. A sense of optimism and hope within his work allows the viewer to experience a complex, emotional response.
These artists and their works display an apparent harmony, complimenting each other with elements of the natural world and surrealist attitudes.
