KP Projects is proud to present: “Chroma”, a group exhibition featuring works by DeeDee Cheriel, Danny Galieote, Mercedes Helnwein, Mel Kadel, Gosha Levochkin, JP Neang, and Luis Sanchez.
“Chroma” explores the purity and intensity of color in contrast to the subtlety of gray scale. The link between the artists exists in the respective use of color, or lack thereof, to evoke mood and intention within a rich spectrum narrative and composition.
Deedee Cheriel explores themes of spirituality through figures, shapes and textures, infused with cultural iconography. Cheriel evokes deities, exorcises negative forces, celebrates rites of passage, and marks turning points in growth, rebirth and renewal in each of her compositions. Drawing upon nature in her trademark hybrid animal-people, the artist creates enlightened and meditative narratives to explore ideas of intimacy, healing, and hope.
Danny Galieote’s style can best be described as a visual Pop American Vernacular where modern-day imagery meets classic cinematic style. Having grown up in a Western Ranch-type setting of the San Fernando Valley, Galieote finds inspiration in stories from the 40s, 50s and 60s as well as the work of the Old Masters. The artist’s past experience as a Traditional Character Animator at Disney honed his meticulous drawing and painting skills allowing him the ability to render timeless characters within bold, iconic landscapes.
Mercedes Helnwein is a painter and novelist who explores the moods of the human figure by using a distinctive palette of both cool and subdued hues as well as rich and warm pigments. According to the artist, “these works are loosely part of a larger, on-going series entitled Chaos Theory. The scenes are inspired mainly by the interiors of living rooms, the fall-out of family life, the female universe, adolescence, and the small-time circumstances of life that are falsely innocuous (like in reality and any good Stephen King novel).
Mel Kadel creates compositions inspired by the organic shapes of nature. Using a rich color palette against a coffee-stained background, Kadel’s figures and flora are both delicate and bold, expressive and still. She capitalizes on the use of positive and negative space by creating balanced compositions that reflect harmony. Kadel finds her niche in the embrace of nature and humanity.
Gosha Levochkin now based in New York, has been frequently inspired by his time growing up in Los Angeles and Moscow. Levochkin’s authentic style and eccentric characters are shaped by his previous work in animation. The transparency of watercolor, combined with opaque shades provided by gouache, allow him to work with his ‘mistakes’ and create pieces more freely and without inhibition. Allusions to Levochkin’s childhood struggle with dyslexia can be found in the lack of mouths, eyes and ears in his pieces. The mixture of distinct lines and curved shapes lends to dynamic and captivating compositions with undertones of graffiti and comics.
JP Neang celebrates the delicate, the fantastical, and the whimsical. Neang’s gray-scale works float in their own dimensions of space and time, enveloping viewers in a foreign atmosphere. Her compositions, which focus on creatures, houses, and landscape scenery could oftentimes fit in the palm of a hand. Neang explores how freedom from color and smallness of structures beckons the viewer to get close to the work in order to observe a story. With precision and tenderness, Neang crafts trails of ink that seem to evaporate, as well as dreamlike works to spark a sense of stillness and playfulness.
Luis Sanchez considers himself a man of many genres and mixed mediums. His realistic paintings of beautiful people in surreal circumstances, painted on highly textured canvases, are inspired by the stucco walls of his childhood. Sanchez designs mysterious scenes to encompass the ancient past while including modern-day elements, eliciting questions of the future. His figurative sculptures were his first passion, and they continue to influence his artistry. A life-altering
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For More Information, please contact Merry Karnowsky at info@kpprojects.net
Press Contact: Jessica O’Dowd jessica@kpprojects.net
633 N. La Brea Ave, Suite 104 | LOS ANGELES 90036 | 323.933.4408 | WWW.KPPROJECTS.NET
Exhibition Dates: September 7th – September 28th, 2019
Opening Reception: Saturday September 7th , 7-10pm
RSVP essential to: RSVP@KPProjects.net
Gallery Hours: Tuesday – Saturday 12 – 6pm
(323) 933-4408