Openings « Arrested Motion

Category Archives: Openings

Openings: Sean Mahan – “Rendered Problematic” @ Thinkspace Gallery

Posted by sleepboy, October 25, 2016

Alongside Sandra Chevrier (interviewed) showing in the main space (covered) of Thinkspace in Los Angeles, Sean Mahan also presented a small solo show in the project room. Entitled Rendered Problematic, the new work from the painter from Florida continued his portraits of children rendered in soft pastels along with nostalgic touches like “vintage palettes handle records, dated appliances, and classic sewing machines.” Mahon further explains this exhibition – “I chose the title Rendered Problematic because it was descriptive of both the rendered illustration style and the conceptual ideas I wanted […]

Openings: Sandra Chevrier – “The Cages; and the Reading Rooms of their Lives”

Posted by sleepboy, October 23, 2016

Last weekend, Thinkspace in Los Angeles opened a solo show from Sandra Chevrier (interviewed) entitled The Cages; and the Reading Rooms of their Lives. The new body of work featured the Canadian artist’s signature portraits of women with painted and collaged comic book facial overlays with some of the pieces featuring a physically removable “mask” of superheroes. When these covers are lifted, the emotions and fragility of the human underneath are revealed. Chevrier further explains – “In the greater body of my work, the images used within the ‘cages’ series range from […]

Openings: Christian Hook @ Clarendon Fine Art (Mayfair)

Posted by butterfly, October 21, 2016

Christian Hook, 2014 winner of the British broadcast competition Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year, just unveiled his new collection of paintings and exclusive editions, as well as the release of his new hardback book La Busqueda at Clarendon Fine Art in Mayfair, London. The exhibition features his infamous portraits from the Sky Art Series with actress Sue Johnston, singer Mick Hecknall from Simply Red and professional footballer Fabrice Muamba. The paintings of Christian Hook are rooted in tradition yet brim with freshness and vitality. The past […]

Openings: Seonna Hong – “In Our Nature” @ Hashimoto Contemporary

Posted by sleepboy, October 12, 2016

Last weekend, Hashimoto Contemporary in San Francisco held the opening reception for a solo exhibition from Seonna Hong (interviewed). Entitled In Our Nature, the new body of work from the Los Angeles-based artist continued her landscape works featuring her human and animal companions surrounding by minimalistic environments created from abstract and loose elements. Included in the show were a series of small and medium sized canvases as well as some even smaller pieces painted on paint chips. Photo credit: Shaun Roberts. Discuss this show here. Discuss Seonna Hong here.

Upcoming: Swoon – “Thalassa” @ Detroit Institute of Arts

Posted by sleepboy, September 21, 2016

Starting on September 24th, the Detroit Institute of Arts will unveil an installation from Swoon (interviewed) entitled Thalassa. The 20-foot tall, 400-pound sculptural piece named after the Greek goddess of the sea – originally displayed in New Orleans (covered) – will be adapted for DIA’s Great Hall. The massive work from the American artist will be suspended from the ceiling and will coincide with a mural project in Detroit’s Jefferson-Chalmers district. Swoon further adds – “I have a long love of Detroit, having worked in the city at various times over the years with the […]

Openings: Blaine Fontana & David Rice – “Chromagrain” @ Svper Ordinary

Posted by Scott Bailey, September 20, 2016

Portland residents David Rice and Blaine Fontana besieged the Mile High City recently with their latest show Chromagrain at Svper Ordinary Gallery. Residents of Denver are familiar with what these two are capable of together as their collaboration mural was one of the featured pieces at last year’s Colorado Crush street art festival. A scant 12 months later they are back in Denver, this time with close to 15 new pieces all featuring their signature imagery & geometry combinations, welcomed by a large crowd of enthusiastic fans. Discuss Blaine […]

Openings: Conor Harrington – “Watch Your Palace Fall” @ Pace London

Posted by butterfly, September 18, 2016

After nine months of preparation, Conor Harrington (interviewed) has opened a solo exhibition entitled Watch Your Palace Fall at Pace Gallery London in Soho. Continuing his narrative of politically charged oil paintings, the locally-based artist rendered fights between military male characters dressed in 18th century uniforms, with all the rage and thirst for power evident in their visages. The chase for power is certainly timeless and draws references to the contemporary political climate, as illustrated in Sluggers Paradise (2016), a large diptych featuring a tug of war and coloured to represent the classic blue and red of […]

Openings: Jeff Gillette – “Dismayland Nord” @ Nuart Gallery

Posted by SAL, September 8, 2016

One of the events that marked the official opening of this year’s Nuart Festival on the 8th of September was the opening of Jeff Gillette’s solo show at Nuart Gallery. For Dismayland Nord, the Detroit-based artist brought his iconic “dismayland” imagery to the idyllic city of Stavanger in Norway. As it was his first Scandinavian solo, Gillette prepared a brand new body of work for the exhibition. Along with signature collages and paintings that mix the post-apocalyptic imagery of broken down amusement parks and modern world slums, he also created a […]

Openings: “Suggestivism : Resonance” @ Spoke Art

Posted by sleepboy, September 6, 2016

Last Thursday, Spoke Art in San Francisco held the opening reception for the latest edition of Suggestivism exhibitions curated by Nathan Spoor. Like previous group shows in Orange County (2011) and Rome (2013) and Los Angeles (2014), Spoor put together a stellar list of artists. Participants include: Alex Pardee, Allison Sommers, Andy Kehoe, Anthony Hurd, Boris Pelcer, Charlie Immer, Dan Christofferson, Dan May, Eric Richardson, Esao Andrews, Fulvio Di Piazza, Greg Simkins, Hannah Faith Yata, Heiko Muller, Jana Brike, Jen Lobo, Jenn Simkins, Jeremy Nichols, Jet Martinez, Joe Hengst, Joe Vaux, Johnny Rodriguez, […]

Openings: “Juxtapoz x Superflat” @ Pivot Art

Posted by sleepboy, August 17, 2016

Earlier this month, the Juxtapoz x Superflat group show opened at Pivot Art, giving art enthusiasts in Seattle a chance to see work from a stellar roster of artists. Showing at the same time as the Seattle Art Fair, the exhibition was co-curated by the arts & culture magazine and Takashi Murakami. Participants included Chiho Aoshima, Urs Fischer, Kazunori Hamana, James Jean, JH Kagaku, Friedrich Kunath, Takashi Murakami, Kazumi Nakamura, Otani Workshop, Mark Ryden, David Shrigley, Katsuya Terada, a selection from Toilet Paper Magazine, Yuji Ueda, He Xiang Yu, Zoer & Velvet, Trenton Doyle […]