by Carolyn Blais
photos by Bona Hong

La Luz de Jesus Gallery looks like a store from the outside. That’s because it is. The gallery takes up two rooms in the back of a very cool, much hipper than me shop that sells a plethora of not only quirky books but bizarre and rare merchandise. I mean where else would one find a plastic goblet made to look like a vein-y eyeball than at this amazing, rather large store that is appropriately named Wacko? So too is it appropriate that Wacko should house La Luz de Jesus Gallery which in and of itself houses some not so run of the mill artwork. Max Grundy and Dennis Larkins are two artists whose work is seen in the first room, Gallery I, and who share quite similar Armageddon-like themes. In Gallery II there is some visually fascinating work that is produced by Scott Hove whose theme touches on those seen in Gallery I, but in a slightly different light.

What with global warming, the War in Iraq, and the many earthquakes, tsunamis and monsoon like rains that seem to be occurring more and more lately, one may wonder if the world is about to come to an end. Okay, so it may be a morbid, sobering thought but really maybe the Big Guy upstairs is getting wearily tiresome of this world—why not wipe it out and start anew? Then again, maybe these seemingly apocalyptic happenings are just part of a messed up, reoccurring cycle. Take the 1950s for instance. If you were alive to remember, you know the 50s were marked by fear as WWII had recently ended, the Cold War had soon began, and strides in scientific exploration often stirred more panic than excitement. Or if you weren’t around back then maybe you heard the stories, or like me, you resorted to Google to better understand the references that are made in the artwork of Larkins and Grundy. Larkins’ painting “Nuclear Family Values” for example, uses bright colors and sculpted relief—a kind of three dimensional art that seems to jump out at you—and shows a family of skeletons, decked in retro garb, and standing in their driveway as a fireball and dust cloud explosion is seen in the background sky. In Grundy’s work there also exists that sense of destruction that is sometimes set in the past, sometimes the present, sometimes the future or sometimes in what seems to be a mixture of time periods. In “Out of Order” for example Grundy paints a science fiction-like robot that is focusing a laser beam stare onto an old fashioned Hot Rod. In “Media Fear 1” Grundy depicts a recent scene of catastrophe with an image of a plane about to crash into two twin towers. In the works of both artists there is that sense of impending doom that may very well cause all life to cease; but on the other hand, there is also an implication in their art that perhaps the apocalypse idea is just fictional propaganda that has been created and embedded into our minds through the work of fear itself.

Fear is not the first thing that struck me upon walking into Gallery II, but it did creep up on me upon further investigation of the most peculiar yet beautiful sculptures I’ve ever encountered. “Iced Out” is the name of Scott Hove’s exhibit that encompasses a series of pieces that are mounted to the wall or hung from the ceiling and made to resemble (at first glance anyway) magnificent and elaborately decorated cakes that look good enough to eat. Look a little closer though and some of these supposed cakes just might eat you! That’s right; in the middle of many of these sculptures sit a very beastly looking jaw that is open wide to reveal a long, pink tongue and ultra sharp teeth. Having seen the movie only a few weeks ago, I am immediately reminded of Alice in Wonderland where Alice eats a very tasty and pretty looking cake, only to be transported into a world of mystery and intrigue. The artists in Gallery I seem to capture the idea that fear has the ability to dictate thoughts and make one believe that danger lurks, even though in truth, it may not. In Gallery II, Hove toys with the idea of artificiality and how things are not always as they seem—meaning something might look beautiful and perfectly harmless, but in reality it just might be deadly.

La Luz de Jesus Gallery has something to offer those who live life in fear of it constantly coming to an end, and to those who try to ignore the ugly secrets of life and instead try to focus only on the beautiful. Now if only we can combine these two types, there might be a sane one among us. Till then, might as well head over to Wacko to check out the items in the store, and those in the gallery. They’ll either bring you anxiety, or peace.

Quick Look:
What: La Luz de Jesus Gallery presents Dennis Larkins, Max Grundy and Scott Hove
When: April 2-25, 2010
Where: 4633 Hollywood Blvd, LA 90027
Website: www.laluzdejesus.com