MISAPPROPRIATION, described as a “pop-up group show,” consisted of
work from four different artists. After checking out the screwdrivers
in the back patio—as in the refreshing beverage, not hand tool—and the
orange flavored candies (Studio Orange was keeping with a theme
fitting to its name), I’m ready to check out some art. One of the
first pieces to catch my attention is a large painting of a woman from
the torso up, but completely covering where her face should be is a
black circle with the words “Your Face Here.” The painting is part of
a series that artist Sonja Schenk calls “Defaced Portraits.” It aims
to explore the, “phenomena of people who photograph, then black out
the faces of their subject, sometimes adding a message.” The artist
says she finds this disturbing and questions the function of the
photographs. Seeing the pieces hanging on the wall does make you
wonder, what’s the point of taking someone’s portrait only to render
it indistinguishable? I guess, thanks to the impersonal world of the
internet, where these photos were found, we will never know the answer
to this question since both the photographer and subject remain
anonymous.

The next series of paintings do in fact show faces, and a whole lot
more. One painting in particular shows a topless woman, sitting up in
bed between two gentleman drinking beer and smoking. The painting is
part of a whole series of paintings which are based on photographs
that artist Brendan Lott finds on anonymous “peer-to-peer file sharing
networks.”  Lott then takes the photo files and sends them to Dafen
Art—A Chinese company of professional artists who create lifelike
paintings based on photographs. Lott’s art definitely incorporates
modern day techniques and processes that could only be created with
the help of the wonderful world of the internet.

After checking out Annie Seaton’s mixed media pieces which use cut
out photos of surfer dudes and shades of blue paint which the artist
masterfully makes to look like moving water and waves, I enter a
second room in the studio. Here I find the work of Ray Beldner. I wear
contacts, but looking at Beldner’s work I have to wonder: did I
remember to put my contacts in today? There on the wall, are several,
small, square paintings of different faces that look faintly familiar
but are hard to make out as they are blurry and fuzzy.  As it turns
out, each painting is a different celebrity, politician, musician or
other well known public person. It became a game amongst us art
patrons to figure out the name belonging to each distorted face. Who
knew art could be so much fun?

Leaving Studio Orange after seeing the works in MISAPPROPRIATION left
me thinking one thing—never put your photograph online. Although this
art was beautiful and unique and intriguing, because of the world of
online, anonymous photo sharing, it’s sort of creepy to realize that
the subjects in the paintings have no idea that their image is being
used and displayed for people they don’t even know. Still, for those
of us who caught MISAPPROPRIATION at Studio Orange, these online
photographs provided some amazing art to enjoy.

WHAT: MISAPPROPRIATION, a pop-up group show
WHERE: Studio Orange, 8526 Washington Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232
WHEN: Jan 23-30

http://misappropriationart.blogspot.com/

The free exhibition runs through July 18, 2010. Regular gallery hours are 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1 – 4 p.m. Sunday.

Clearly, it is impossible for the Palos Verdes Art Center to mount a show of van Gogh originals—the facility is not large enough so for this exhibition, the use of well-painted, appropriately framed reproductions of van Gogh’s work to detail his artistic development and contribution as well as the textures and colors of the originals will provide at least the sense of real paintings. A digital reproduction of the original painting will accompany each work for comparison – thus, About, the exhibition’s title, defines what it is.

To extend the educational content of the exhibition, a number of interactive opportunities will be included. Viewers will be invited to participate in a several hands-on projects to stimulate thinking about the artist and how he worked. The ultimate goal is to provide an experience leading to a greater understanding and knowledge of van Gogh’s work and an appreciation of its place in the history of art. An additional part of the exhibition will be a display of a selection of some of the many commercial items creating the van Gogh brand. In themselves these form an interesting and provocative aspect to our knowledge and understanding of the artist and the appreciation of his work. Everything in the exhibition is for sale.

At Home with Vincent – Curator, Robert A. Yassin, the Art Center’s chief executive officer,
will present a series of four informal talks on Vincent van Gogh.
May 20: The family Van Gogh—the nurturing of a great artist?
May 27: The luckiest artist in the world—how and why did Van Gogh become so famous?
June 3: Is Van Gogh a great artist, and how do we know?
June 10: Fair use and van Gogh’s work—the problem of artistic fame in the absence of
Copyright. Reservations are required for the talks and a donation of any amount requested
($5.00 is recommended).

The Palos Verdes Art Center, a non-profit community organization, has served the South Bay with visual arts exhibition, education and outreach programming since 1931. For more information about About van Gogh or other Art Center programs, call 310-541-2479 or visit www.pvartcenter.org

Assemblage
Oil on Canvas
48 x 72 inches
2009

Homestead
Oil on Canvas
36 x 60 inches
2009

Feast of Tabernacles
Oil on Canvas
48 x 48 inches
2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Dream Home
a solo exhibition by Michael Shankman
March 1 – 15, 2010
Opening Reception Thursday March 4, 2010 6-8pm
SAN FRANCISCO
January 1, 2010

With his recent paintings, Michael Shankman reveals interiors and exteriors of collapsing homesteads from suburban areas of Colorado, the area where he grew up. He contrasts imagery of contemporary dwellings built adjacent to century old homes. Shards of color and structural elements are depicted in large, explosive compositions that stand in comparison to his careful and delicate renderings of small clusters of suburbia.

The upcoming solo exhibition by Shankman, Dream Home, marks the continuation of an ongoing theme within his work: using the lens of architecture to express human values. Where his paintings once commented on fears of what is to come, this new series embodies the concept of ambition and the American dream. Centuries ago people migrated to this uninhabited frontier to build new lives, full of promise. Shankman sees similarities in the present-day migration of hopeful newcomers who continue to make their way to this mountain region, to build their homes among the skeletal remains of their predecessors’ dreams. The artist defines with paint brushes and pigments the inescapable reality that we have come no closer to finding Utopia in the American West.

Shankman’s process varies, but most of these images were inspired directly by places along the front range of the Rocky Mountains, where mining attracted a wave of ambitious settlers in the mid- to late- 1800s. Abandoned homesteads dot the open space and are intrinsic to the landscape. Using photographs and sketches as starting points, Shankman translates this realistic imagery into a more interpretive aesthetic of decay and abandonment.

The suburban element follows a similar process of interpretive representation. The population of the Front Range has nearly doubled in twenty years, altering the landscape dramatically. Where once there was open space and farmland, suburban sprawl now extends to the horizon. Shankman’s small, square, modular panels mimic the standardization of newly developed enclaves, their modesty a reflection of their fragility.

The artist reception for Dream Home will be held First Thursday, March 4 from 6-8pm at HANG ART. This event is free and open to the public.

HANG ART is located at 567 Sutter Street, between Mason and Powell Streets. Gallery hours are Monday to Saturday from 10am to 6pm and Sunday from 12pm to 5pm. For further information or high resolution images, please call 415 434 4264.

Media Contact:
DJ Harmon
415 434 4264
djharmon@hangart.com

Photos by Tommy Tung

By Retna and El Mac

By Retna and El Mac

By Mear One

By Kofie