Thinkspace is pleased to present Matthew Grabelsky’s ‘Animal‘, group exhibition curated by Ken Flewellyn ‘Tapas, and Gustavo Rimada’s ‘Florescentia‘.
November 14, 2020 – December 5, 2020
Matthew Grabelsky – Animal
We are excited to welcome back Matthew Grabelsky for his fifth solo exhibition with our gallery. Animal will feature the largest collection of new oil paintings to date by Los Angeles-based artist Matthew Grabelsky. His works combine a hyperrealistic painting technique with a surreal penchant for unlikely juxtapositions. Raised in New York City, Grabelsky uses its subway’s underground world as the setting for his unlikely pairings.
Grabelsky’s works depict his subjects traveling on subways, often nonchalantly reading magazines or newspapers, while the protagonists in these dyads are strange, quasi-mythological human hybrids with animal heads. Deer, bears, elephants, tigers, and everything in between, make a suited appearance in rush hour. By contrasting the platitudes of the day-to-day with the presence of the extraordinary and unlikely, Grabelsky stages the unexpected within the most unassuming of circumstances. In Animal, the artist’s subjects find themselves coming above ground and exploring city centers and expanding their world view.
The appearance of the animal head feels distantly totemic, an archetype for something primordial, ancient, and psychologically motivated. Fascinated by the persistence of animal imagery in mythology and communal cultural imaginaries, Grabelsky superimposes its presence onto his depictions of the contemporary world. For the artist, the animal becomes a manifestation of the inner workings of the hidden subconscious, literally revealing the latent identities and motivations lurking beyond the composure of the human mask.
Technically inspired by 19th Century academic and naturalist painters, Grabelsky creates these unlikely, surreal scenes with a staggering degree of realistic detail. The contrast created between the visual verisimilitude of the works, and the surreal improbability of their content catches the viewer in a prolonged moment of convincingly suspended disbelief.
View Available Works from ‘Animal’
‘Tapas’ curated by Ken Flewellyn
Tapas showcases a collection of small works from 60 new contemporary artists and marks the curatorial debut of our long time gallery director Ken Flewellyn. We’re excited to give Ken this opportunity and are thrilled with the collection of works he has helped to bring together. All the works in this special exhibition are 8 x 8 inches (20 x 20 cm) or smaller in size. Many of the participating artists have also contributed more than one piece. Much like the show’s namesake, these works may be small in size, but they still pack a powerful punch.
Featuring New Works from:
Arthur Brouthers | ABCNT | Alex Garant | Allison Reimold | AngelOnce | Anthony Clarkson | Ariel Deandrea | Bier en Brood | Bri Cirel | Brian Mashburn | Chloe Becky | Dan Lam | Darcy Yates | Daria Aksenova | Drew Young | Dustin Myers | Erik Siador | Ernie Steiner | Frank Gonzales | Fumi Nakamura | Giorgiko | Goopmassta | Gustavo Rimada | Huntz Liu | Jacub Gagnon | Jessica Dalva | Jolene Lai | Kathy Ager | Kelly Vivanco | Kelsey Livingston | Ken Flewellyn | Lauren Mendhelson-Bass | L. Croskey | Linnea Strid | McKenzie Fisk | Molly Gruninger | Mwanel Pierre-Louis | Naoshi | Nate Seubert | Rachel Strum | Perez Bros | Scott Listfield | Sean Bannister | Sergio Garcia | Sloppy Seconds (aka Kiki Cuyler) | Spenser Little | Steve Martinez | Stephanie Buer | Tati Holt | Telmo Miel | Terry Arena | Vakseen | Wiley Wallace | Yu Maeda | Yusei Abe | Zachary Schoenbaum
View Available Works from ‘Tapas’
Gustavo Rimada – Florescentia
Florescentia is Gustavo Rimada’s debut solo show at the gallery and will feature seven vividly colored and highly detailed acrylic paintings. Characterized by graphic aesthetics, Rimada often works with bold color palettes and stylized subjects. His paintings intermingle Mexican visuals, art history and contemporary tattoo culture. Mexican born, but California based, this coupling melds the bridge between his ancestral heritage and his current life in the United States. Oftentimes, Rimada can be found portraying his subjects as both historic and cultural icons laced with symbolic and organic elements such as flowers, skeletons and butterflies. A dynamic dance of history, color and representation that beautifully represents the blending and celebration of two cultures becoming one.
View Available Works from ‘Florescentia’
Video by Birdman
