Slip

I have been invited to curate a show for the Alegria Gallery in Silver Lake. Alegria Gallery is a unique space with a unique mission and it is for these reasons I am interested in working with them. The Alegria Gallery is part of a larger program called Art for Shelter. This program has been conceived and developed by Paul Hebblethwait, a young photographer and social service administrator working with the Salvation Army.

The Alegria Gallery is a non-profit, public exhibition space that he has created located on Sunset Blvd. in Silver Lake in a facility for families that have been impacted by HIV/Aids. Paul invited me to curate the exhibition for the May-July slot of this year. the exhibition is opening on May 10th and it will run through July 30th. The exhibition, entitled, Slip, will be a show of primarily non-objective works (drawings and paintings) by young artists working in the So. Cal area. 

Three of my favorite painters in the show are Brad Eberhard, Evan apRoberts, and Ryan Callis (no conflict of interest here, he's just a damn good painter.) They all represent a new generation of abstract painters who are committed to making paintings that are visually complex and optically beautiful. These guys are making straightforward paintings: no tricks, no bells and whistles and no excuses. The paintings are extremely gracious while at the same time very serious (though not heavy handed at all.) The complex structures are solid yet always off center. They are fixed but appear as if they could (and will) shift at any minute. That's what keeps you looking. And like I said when you do look there are plenty of rewards.