They looked stunning in such a large grouping, in fact I took a few home for Clarke and myself!
-Dolly
At White Water Nature Preserve we saw an abundance of flowers and an installation by Sherin Gurguis called One I Call. This form is modeled after a pigeon tower where homing pigeons would fly in and out of. For me, it really looks like some kind of insect hive, but maybe that's because we passed a buzzing bee hive on the walk up to this piece. Regardless, it was a very cool piece that bridged between sculpture and architecture.
The Circle of Land and Sky by Philip K Smith is a series of mirrored columns arranged in a circle. It's a mesmerizing play of reflection, light and shadow.
My favorite by far was Curves and Zigzags by Claudia Comte. It's Op-Art in three dimensions. The wall morphs from straight sections to curved just as the graphic changes from zigzags to waves. It was striking installation set against the desert backdrop. The installations are up until April 30th. I highly recommend making the trek out into the desert!
-Dolly
This is the view from the bridge you cross over the creek leading to the entrance. It must have been nice for the Kaufmann Family, for whom the house was built, to have such a nice summer home. You can see, below the lower terrace, the deck which hovers just over the water's surface, certainly a perfect spot to sit and get your feet wet.
The lightly falling snowflakes quieted the sounds of the forest and made for a stillness that helped us appreciate the beauty of how this house was designed. Until the next architectural adventure, see you next time!
-Robert
After over 7 years of showcasing works at the intersection of art & design, Fifth Floor Gallery is moving on to new roads and will be closing its Chinatown space. I will be relocating with my wife from the West Coast to the East, to Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love. Stay tuned for the latest developments as Fifth Floor Gallery evolves in a new city, also full of talented artists and makers.
There's nothing I've enjoyed more than filling this space with delightful and meaningful work, and being able to share it with the lovers of art and design in this city. My goal is to champion, and cultivate wherever possible, the community of artists and makers in Los Angeles. This last show features many of those artists whom I admire and have influenced me over the years.
-Robert Apodaca
Artists include:
Tanya Aguiniga, Sophia Allison, Michelle Andrade, Denice Bartels, Nancy Braver, Leonardo Bravo, Charlie Carroll, Christine Coates, Dale Dreiling, Tibbie Dunbar, Jeff Edwards, Kristen Erickson, Paul W. Evans, Sarajo Frieden, Elyse Graham, Corrie Gregory, Lorraine Heitzman, Bettina Hubby, Stanton Hunter, Holly Jerger, D.J. Kami, Billy Kheel, Dameon Lester, David Lomeli, Lewis Mauk, Christina Muraczewski, Belinda Murphy, Silvia Rigon, Leslie Ross-Robertson, Joy Rotblatt, David Roy, Carl Smith, Jim Starrett, Kim Tucker, Eric Zammitt, and more.
Featuring work by:
ARTISTS- Michelle Andrade, Denice Bartels, Rafael Bencosme, Christine Coates, Sean Cully, Bob Dob, Wendy Given, Ann Gooding, AshFord Harrison, Edgar Ibarra Lepe, Kathleen Klein-Wakefield, Jennifer Lanski, Larry LeBrane, Sonia McCarthy, Jeannifer Sandoval, Donald Spaulding, Theodore Svenningsen, and Wendy Widell Wolff
DESIGNERS- Kristen Erickson, Sarah Sherman | Charm Ceramics, Ingred Sidie | God Hates Goods, Melanie Abrantes | Melanie Abrantes Designs, Su Min Maeng, Lishu and Leonardo Rodriguez | El Dot, Leigh Spencer | Cliff Spencer Furniture Maker, Aubrey Hyde | Aubrey Hyde Home, John McConnico | Bespoke Watch Projects, Sonia Boyajian Kalin Johnson | Primal Society, Lilit Pilikian, and Ashkahn Shahparnia | Ashkahn
Helen Rebekah Garber
Esmeralda Montes
Kim Tucker
Curated by Paul W. Evans
February 28 - April 11, 2015
Opening reception: Saturday, February 28 from 6-9pm at Fifth Floor Gallery
Helen Rebekah Garber
Fifth Floor Gallery is pleased to present Cruising, a group show curated by Paul W. Evans featuring Los Angeles artists Helen Rebekah Garber, Esmeralda Montes and Kim Tucker. Stealth glances and peripheral looks encompass a world of hopeful connections. With their own agendas and their own flaws, the work shown here presents itself, then withdraws. Secretly conversing with each other, yet slyly catching a glimpse of their audience, these players are well aware of their idiosyncrasies, their powers and the stage they command.
Helen Rebekah Garber's no-nonsense portraits confront us with a delirious confidence, much like the way the artist masterfully applies paint. Her claustrophobic works demand attention, are sinister yet oddly comforting. Garber received her BFA from the California Institute of the Arts, Valencia, CA.
Esmeralda Montes' dreamlike pastorals are suffused with memory. Shy bodies, slightly hidden, call out to be found. They heroically speak of romance, of idealized fantasies of what has occurred, what could have been and what could possibly yet be. Montes received her BFA from CalState University, Long Beach, Long Beach, CA and her MFA from the Tyler School of Art, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA.
Kim Tucker's mementos to love's clumsiness are cool and unabashed in their total lack of decorum. While their private scenarios seem destined for certain failure, each figure confidently stands ground and insists on being noticed. Tucker received her BFA from the California College of the Arts & Crafts, Oakland, CA and her MFA from the Ohio State University, Columbus, OH.
Fifth Floor Gallery is very excited to announce the culmination of its collaboration with the Institute for Art and Olfaction. Together with the I.A.O. we have developed a signature scent available exclusively at Fifth Floor Gallery and packaged in a limited edition wooden vessel for its launch. To commemorate the event, Micah Hahn, the creative director of the I.A.O. has created a series of limited edition prints to be exhibited in the gallery. These prints are an stylized representation of a selection of the molecules that make up the new scent and are printed with gold foil on heavy linen paper. For the exhibition, each Molecule print will be accompanied by a sample of its scent.
An olfactory palliative for the urban Angeleno, the scent itself counterbalances dry concrete, hot shimmering metal and the dog days of a never-ending summer with bright herbaceous citrus, tropical fruits, lush florals, and dry, musky woods: a scent oasis for the road-weary.
Carving out a hybrid practice between visual design and fine art, Micah Hahn is a typographer, an award-winning graphic designer, and an artist. His print, design and collaborative work have been exhibited internationally, and in 2013 a selection of his prints were acquired for the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris. Micah has been invited to speak at institutions such as AIGA, the BDA Awards, and California College of the Arts. He lives and works in Los Angeles.
The Institute for Art and Olfaction was founded in October of 2012 by Saskia Wilson-Brown. Together with the other I.A.O. collaborators, Saskia and Micah have spearheaded many projects that interweave the practices of Art, Design, Performance and Scent-making. In April 2014, the I.A.O. launched the first annual Art and Olfaction Awards, a yearly awards mechanism designed to help celebrate excellence in independent and artisan perfumery. In January 2014, the I.A.O. launched its first large-scale public arts project with 'A Trip to Japan in Sixteen Minutes, Revisited' at the Hammer Museum. The organization is also active in launching its educational programs, open sessions, and a number of curated arts programs, talks, and partnerships.