Our July exhibitions marked the expansion of Thinkspace with four simultaneous shows that juxtapose and complemented each other perfectly. Thank you to all those who came out to see, Ryol’s (Ryo Laksamana) ‘Ready Known,’ Mwanel Pierre-Louis ‘Memories and Manifesting,’ Sentrock’s ‘Crash Course’ and group exhibition ‘Growth.’ It was the first opportunity for people to explore over 8,500 square feet of exhibition spaces and our fully landscaped 15,000 square-foot courtyard that connects the two spaces. Music was provided by DJ Mr. NumberOnederful all evening, along with refreshments, a video installation from Michael Allen, live painting with Goopmassta, and installations from Balloonski and Spenser Little.
Video tour and reception of ‘AHORA‘ curated by Thinkspace Projects and Tlaloc Studios showing at Muzeo Museum and Cultural Center. The exhibition brings together two of LA’s most revered incubators for emerging artists and showcases the work of 44 contemporary artists from around the world, with a focus on Southern California.
This special exhibition is being curated by Ozzie Juarez from Tlaloc Studios and Andrew Hosner from Thinkspace Projects. Each curator has chosen a vast array of creatives across various mediums, each with that special something that places them firmly in the current zeitgeist.
What is your most favorite and least favorite part of creating a mural? What is your most favorite and least favorite part of working in the studio?
My least favorite part of painting a mural is the prep work that goes on before I can actually start painting. It could be from getting a concept approved to buffing the wall.
Once that process is done, then we can actually get into the paint, which is the best part. Seeing how the wall comes together and interacting with people in the street during the process is what makes it all worth it. In the studio, it’s pretty much the same. I really enjoy the creative process, but I struggle having to be indoors, confined to a space for long hours.
Do you have any rituals that help you tap into a creative flow? Are you still a night owl when it comes to working?
Coming up with ideas is probably the hardest step for me. Sometimes, the best way to get the creative flow moving is to sit in my living room for a few hours without any music, noise or distractions. If I sit long enough my mind will eventually get bored and wander off, which can slowly get that little hamster wheel churning. I think this is what you call modern meditation? And yes, I still hoot at night.
‘Real Life is Fragile’ is a special group show bringing together ten creatives from West Africa. Curated in co-operation with artist Ken Nwadiogbu, this exhibition serves as a spotlight to help expose just a fraction of the amazing talent coming out of West Africa, in particular the countries of Nigeria and Cameroon. The artists featured offer a vast array of visual languages, all coming together to tell their stories in unique ways.
Featuring new works from: Ayanfe Olarinde, Boris Anje, Chigozie Obi, Eshinlokun Wasiu, Elizabeth Ekpetorson, Jimbo Lateef, Ken Nwadiogbu, Michelle Okpare, Patrick Akpojotor, Yusuff Aina Abogunde.
A video tour of Julio Anaya Cabanding’s ‘Past and Present’ at MOAH Cedar.
On view July 10, 2021 – September 19, 2021
“In one room will be all classic works up till Mannerism. All works will represent religion, mythology, and the Creation. In the other room of MOAH’s Cedar location there will be works from Modernism up to a work of Edward Hopper. In this room I will talk about the present through some works which really talk to us about the pandemic situation, poetically.” – Julio Anaya Cabanding
The relentless passage of time, its impact, and the constant change have been explained by classical philosophy through the concepts of the “past”, the “present”, and the “future”. It is their linear interchange that generates the unstoppable stream we all experience as life, an ongoing process which we had a chance to reexamine to great extent in the past year and a half of the global pandemic. Such historically unequaled premise prompted Julio Anaya Cabanding (1987), to conceptualize a showcase that will talk about human life history through the exploration of the history of painting, with an accent on the most recent period of lockdowns, quarantines, and social distancing. Channeling his personal concerns and experiences through his vast knowledge and love for the medium of painting, and materializing it through an impeccable conceptual and technical ability, Malaga-born artist is introducing his poetic vision of the Past and Present.
