The Thinkspace family would like to congratulate Ezra Brown on the recent write up on Flaunt Magazine of his April solo show ‘Trying To Keep It Together.’
Click for more: https://flaunt.com/post/ezra-brown-trying-to-keep-it-together
‘The 9th Annual Exploring The New Contemporary Movement’
May 10 – May 13, 2023 in Honolulu, Hawai’i
Opening Reception: Wednesday, May 10 from 6-10pm
Open Thursday through Saturday from 1-6pm daily
Palama Settlement
810 N. Vinyard Blvd.
Honolulu, HI 96817
We’ll be donating 10% of all proceeds to various cancer charities to help fund the research for a cure for this horrible disease.
Featuring new work from:
123Klan
Ador
Antonio Ainscough
Alex Face
Langston Allston
Jordi Alos
Balloonski
Blic
Philip Bosmans
Brek
Ezra Brown
Cryptik
Rene Cuvos
Preston Daniels
Aaron De La Cruz
Dredske
Leo Eguiarte
Sofia Enriquez
Kamele Eskaran
Jordan Ferguson
Ken Flewellyn
Liz Flores
Kolten French
Thao Huynh French
Gian Galang
GATS PTV
Giorgiko
GoopMassta
Kris Goto
Kamea Hadar
Ha Haengeun
Daniela Garcia Hamilton
Hendra “HeHe” Harsono
Anjastama Hp
Lucinda Hinojos(aka La Morena)
Humbly
Andrea James
Haylie Jimenez
Sydnie Jimenez
Oscar Joyo
Kapitan
David Kaye
Jason Keam
Jana Lam
Huntz Liu
Dan Lydersen
Al Marcano
Marie Claude Marquis
Danny Martinez (aka Van Dam One)
Steve Martinez
Jay McKay
b. Robert Moore
Kristy Moreno
Jesse Morsberger
Mr. B Baby
Baby Mueller
Iker Muro
Janina Myronova
Bell Nakai
Guillaume Ollivier
JT Ojerio
Chaz Outing
Perez Bros
Gustavo Rimada
Roja
Mia Scarpa
Boz Schurr
Byun Sehee
Jeremy Shockley
Jack Shure
Alex Solis
Stom500
Floyd Strickland
Yuta Tamura
Madeleine Tonzi
TRAV MSK
Melly Trochez
Shar Tuiasoa
Daisy Velasco
Casey Weldon
Woes
Manuel Zamudio
Zeye Oner
Thinkspace Projects presents:
BRIAN ‘DOVIE’ GOLDEN
Hard Candy
JIMBO LATEEF
Chronicles of Life
Opening Reception:
Saturday, May 6 from 6-10pm
On view May 6 – May 27, 2023
Thinkspace Projects
4207 W. Jefferson Blvd + 4217 W. Jefferson Blvd.
Los Angeles, California 90016
#310.558.3375 | Tues. – Sat. noon to 6pm
Collector Preview will be shared on Monday, May 1
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GALLERY I:
BRIAN ‘DOVIE’ GOLDEN
Hard Candy
On view May 6 – May 27, 2023 in Gallery I
A study in contradictions, Hard Candy underscores the struggle of preservation. With a hard exterior and a soft heart, Brian “Dovie” Golden relates to the sweet treat, calling attention to the internal strife caused by human duality.
Thinkspace Projects continues their ongoing relationship with the visual artist, presenting their fourth solo show together, and the largest to date for both the artist himself and the partnership. Using painting and drawing to better understand issues of identity, race, gender, and mental health, the Chicago-based African American contemporary artist attempts to reconcile the harsh realities of life.
Golden wields thought-provoking, emotionally-charged portraiture and abstract line sketches as a tool for facilitation conversation, inviting others to examine complex and even uncomfortable topics. His imagery is personal, incorporating realism amongst cartoonish inclusions ranging from angels to devils, ropes to ribbons, claws that cling, and bared teeth, each in pursuit of a balanced composition.
In this particular collection, Golden presents the world through his own eyes. Often taught to “toughen up” and “be a man,” the show is a reflection of the artist’s personal experiences as a Black man navigating emotions, family, faith and life. His childhood love of drawing shines through in pop culture elements and vibrant colors. Nodding to both pop art and photorealism, Golden presents something fresh to the new contemporary art scene
About Brian “Dovie” Golden
Brian Dovie Golden is a visual artist who uses painting and drawing as an introspective tool for understanding issues of identity, race, gender and mental health, as well as an attempt to reconcile the harsh realities of life. His imagery is personal, incorporating realism through portraiture with cartoon style inclusions. Golden was born and raised in Chicago and studied Graphic Design/Multimedia Production at the International Academy of Design and Technology, earning his BFA in 2007. He has exhibited at various galleries including Thinkspace Gallery, Elephant Room Gallery, Vertical Gallery and Line Dot. Golden was awarded 1st Place at the Black Creativity Expo at the Museum of Science & Industry in Chicago in 2018 for his painting “Promises… Promises”. He currently lives and works in the Chicago-land area, continuing to expand his body of work through exhibitions, commissions and projects.
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GALLERY II:
ARMANI HOWARD
Songs of Dawn
On view May 6 – May 27, 2023 in Gallery II
Affording viewers the opportunity to view transitional phases through the mind and eyes of whimsical beings, Armani Howard’s Songs of Dawn captures growth in a remarkable way. Filling Thinkspace Projects’ Gallery II, Howard encourages a dialogue of mysticism–the emotional and physical conduit that occurs when a body has a new experience.
Creating a form of contemporary folklore, Howard reimagines his existence and experiences as a black body into a visually sizable body of work. Dream-like and at times bewildering, his work is expressive of narratives unbounded in time.
Hoping to aid future humans in navigating internal dialogue surrounding identity and heritage, Howard provides the space to question American traditions. His work, which is layered with compositions of abstract figuration, loose gestural marks, and an evocative usage of color, upholds the antecedents of the African American dialogue before him. He cross-examines the roles of memory, nostalgia, and folkloric narratives in the creation and preservation of identity. His nebulous, conceptually layered compositions depict an intersectional space between objective reality and the more speculative mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of life.
About Armani Howard
Armani Howard (b.1993, Chicago, Illinois) is an African American-Thai contemporary artist, working primarily in painting and drawing. His work explores the themes of preservation of identity, escapism, pop culture, self-discovery, mental health, and loss of innocence. Howard’s paintings are often depicted with allegorical or symbolic features. The physical environments they inhabit are heavily abstracted and obscured, suggesting a realm outside of time in which dream life, memory, and imagination coexist with materiality.
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GALLERY III:
AUSTYN TAYLOR
Cookie Monster
On view May 6 – May 27, 2023 in Gallery III
With a collection named for famous authors, Thinkspace is excited to present their debut solo exhibition with Austyn Taylor. Cookie Monster is inspired by the meanings behind people’s names.
What started as Taylor’s assignment to art students years ago has become the inspiration for this collection of sculptures. With varied influences, each piece is full of personality. With lovable characters and vibrant colors, the sculptures are endearing. This effect is only magnified by the researched history and inspiration behind each work.
Taylor’s panpsychist humorist narrative has led her to create a world of familiar characters–bear, bull, horse, deer, lion, duck, predator, prey etc. Each piece is a declaration, a statement, and an optimistic reframe from the rampant psychological banalities of human narrative.
The sculptures marry Taylor’s view on contemporary design with pop culture. Drawing on both ancient and contemporary sources, she creates works of “folk-pop” that lie somewhere between “hype” and “hope.” Inspired by American animation, Austyn’s art calls back to our animist history where wandering spirits found refuge in masks and idols.
About Austyn Taylor
Austyn Taylor was born in 1984, Rochester, New York. Since obtaining an MFA from Alfred University in 2016 she has pursued life as a nomadic sculptor traveling and lecturing regularly in studios around the world. Residencies include Aout Gallery, Beirut, Lebanon; Guldagergaard, Skælskør, Denmark; China Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing, China; Northern Clay Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota; Sonoma Ceramics, Sonoma, California; Midwestern State University, Wichita Falls, Texas; VARDA residency, Sausalito, California; and currently she is in her second year at the historic Mendocino Art Center in Mendocino, California.
Her work has been exhibited internationally and throughout the States, notably at Art Basel (Miami), Art Taipei, UNVT Fair (Madrid, Spain) and SOFA in Chicago.
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GALLERY IV:
JIMBO LATEEF
Chronicles of Life
On view May 6 – May 27, 2023 in Gallery IV
Calligraphic marks blend with portraiture to make up Jimbo Lateef’s latest body of work. With Chronicles of Life, Lateef reflects on his Yoruban heritage, as well as the ideas of identity and history to weave together an image of daily life. Drawing on everyday activities and the series of events that can make up a person’s life, he presents a show inspired by Pablo Picasso’s blue period.
Opting for vibrant reds and oranges he leans into the monochromatic, merging multiple calligraphy strokes and realism painting techniques to reproduce familiar daily life events. The calligraphic markings demonstrate Lateef’s role and his hand as the artist, bringing a personal layer to the relatable scenarios.
With the creation of each piece bringing the artist peace and tranquility, the paintings are both a therapeutic exercise and a breathtaking creative output, serving as containers for narratives from the deeply unique to near mundane. Using calligraphy as a means of expressing emotion within the body, Lateef is able to reflect on both the mental and physical elements of his life and the life of his subjects.
About Jimbo Lateef
Jimbo Lateef (b. 1999 Nigeria) started to learn about art at a very young age, after which he went to study art at Yabatech College Of Technology. The artist explores the use of modern calligraphy to create his character, combining the calligraphy with portraiture in digital-like works that stare back at the viewer. His distinct style, functional inscriptions, and designs represent the various manifestations of his subject. Painting people around him, Lateef demonstrates how we all carry ancient ideas with us, touching on the concept of culture and how it is passed down from one generation to the next.
Thinkspace presents a virtual tour of ‘Trying To Keep It Together’ featuring new work from EZRA BROWN showing in Gallery I and the CAROLINE WEAVER‘S ‘A Gummy Wormhole In The Sugar Dimension‘ in Gallery II. Along with DELISHA‘S
‘Sweet Dreams & Beautiful Nightmares’ in Gallery III and WILLEM HOEFFNAGEL‘S
‘Similarities’ showing in Gallery IV.
Explore the virtual tour here: https://players.cupix.com/p/am0nvxmj
All exhibitions are on view at Thinkspace Projects now through April 22, 2023.
Virtual tour created by Birdman.
Thinkspace is pleased to present ROJA ‘Asco‘ where time is organized around damage. Moves across, an undaunted predator. An animal eating from our heart, and against which we react with nostalgia or with the burning gesture of revenge. But here there is no yearning. There is fury, there is rage, there is nastiness. And the alternative -both its poignancy and its affliction- that the work seems to suggest, is: facing the annihilation of time, self-destruction; facing its nightmare, hallucination.
Our interview with ROJA shares how she fell in love with embroidery as her medium, the biggest challenge for her with this exhibition, and what her favorite apocalyptic landscape would be.
Can you share a little about your background and how you first heard of Thinkspace?
I got to know the gallery through Imon boy, an incredible artist whom I admire very much. He helped me to get to know you and you to get to know me.
I feel that this expansion that you offer me in terms of my work is very important to me, and you have a very nice working dynamic. For that I’m very grateful and flattered; I’m excited about everything that can come with Thinkspace.
Do you have any rituals that help you tap into a creative flow?
What does a day in the studio look like for you? How do you structure your days?
Every time it’s different, I don’t know if I would call it a ritual, but I produce in the morning: I prepare a mate, turn on the radio, listen to music or a podcast. It also helps me a lot if there is order, cleanliness in the environment; that clarifies my ideas.
And if there is creative flow: I don’t stop.
I have my studio at home, in the city of La Plata, but I am also quite nomadic, and I live the same amount of time in the city of Buenos Aires, so I always take my embroidery from one place to another and I set up my “studio” in different places (friends’ houses and houses of kittens I take care of). I usually spend a week in one city and a week in another. At the moment this is the way it is.
When the work is just underway and I know what I’m going to do, I move the frame and threads to wherever I’m going to finish it. The task and the work can be carried without much hassle, depending on the piece, but I can almost always carry everything in a backpack.
My days are generally unstructured. It depends on the amount of work I have, embroidery times are very slow, and I can spend more than a week on a small piece, so I try to work as many hours per day as possible. My favorite time to produce is in the mornings, and I usually stay up until the evening advancing on a work, although this is not always the case, because I also have to divide myself between other jobs that require time (and don’t give me as much satisfaction as embroidery or drawing).
What inspired you to explore embroidery as your artistic medium?
I have always drawn, made ceramics, engraving, and sometime I have painted (something I am taking up again these days). But when I started embroidering, that’s all I did.
I think I really started to feel that something was finished when I put the thread on it. I think with embroidery I was able to finish finding my style. Or rather, it gave me confidence in it and allowed me to be freer in my drawings.
I am very attracted to details and meticulous work, the task of embroidering for so many hours can be therapeutic and sometimes I feel abstracted from everything and I love that. I enjoy it very much.
What was the most challenging piece in this exhibition? How did it help you grow as an artist?
I think all the pieces were a challenge, each piece has its moments, its emotion, I live with them a lot, I love them a lot and I also get angry with them. What made me grow the most in this case, I think, was learning to manage my time, my chaos, my organization and my anxiety. I found a healthier way to produce, knowing that it was hard work and I think it finally made me trust myself more.
Who are your creative influences? What about their vision inspires your artistic voice?
Well, my creative influences change a lot. They can be ephemeral, of the moment, I see a lot of things on the internet. I always find some artist that I really like and I can take something from them, but I don’t feel like I have a mentor, or a beacon that stays there.
I’ve always been very inspired by the cartoons I watched as a kid, like The Simpsons, Dragon ball, Rocco, Hey Arnold, and the ones I still watch, like South Park, Family Guy, Rick and Morty….
There are things I read that I know get ideas and motivation going, for example certain horror stories. Or movies, situations with friends… But mostly I’m influenced by my nightmares.
If you could collaborate with any artists in any sort of medium (i.e. movies, music, painting) who would you collaborate with, and what would be making?
I would like to illustrate a book or do embroidery for the horror stories of Mariana Enriquez, the Argentine writer. Or take those stories to videos, short films… and do the art direction. I feel that there may be an aesthetic affinity, a certain shared universe with her writing… or at least that’s what I like to think. Short stories, taking a story to a video instant.
I would also like to illustrate Aurora Venturini’s Las primas. They are books that leave images stuck in my mind and I think my drawings would go very well with her descriptions. The descriptions of deformity in Venturini are great.
Your work explores self-destruction, annihilation, and an imaginative interpretation of an apocalyptic landscape. What is your favorite dystopian downfall of humanity? And would you want to live through it or be taken out early?
There is a contradiction in survive or be taken out, I am fascinated by the fact that I can see the end and at the same time I am terrified of dying, but I guess if all of humanity is going to be annihilated it wouldn’t bother me so much. I definitely want to see it and for all possible catastrophes to happen at the same time. That contradiction between the beauty of mass extinction and the terror it brings, all in one, is hard to describe.
Many times I have dreamed of giant, glowing metal structures falling from the sky. That might be a favorite apocalyptic landscape; I don’t know if it’s possible, though.
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?
I would like to be an ice skater.
What is one of your most memorable meals? It could be because of the food you ate or the company you dined with, but it is a meal that has stood the test of time
I remember some noodles I ate in Greece with my cousin Sara, after getting lost for hours in some wastelands full of kittens, we sat down in the first place we saw. I don’t know if there was anything special about them, I think they were just regular noodles. But I was very hungry and enjoyed them too much.
Photos courtesy of @BirdManPhotos.
