Pauline Adamek
Just after Valentine’s Day, an exhibition exploring the juncture where literature and fine art meet with the longings of the flesh – Lust Letters – opens Saturday, February 16 in Chinatown.
Coagula Curatorial presents this four-artist group exhibition, featuring works by Tim Youd, Gajin Fujita, Ericka Rawlings and Bruce Richards.
‘Lust Letters’ refers to Anais Nin’s erotic writing as interpreted by artist Tim Youd.
The art show is co-curated by Joan Aarestad and Mat Gleason.
About the artists:
Tim Youd works in various forms and much of his work has been inspired by writers such as Philip Roth, Celine, and Henry Miller. Recently he has turned to Anais Nin’s evocative Delta of Venus for inspiration. His 33-foot long diptych, based on Nin’s Delta of Venus, is derived from the stories found in the antique pages of Nin’s erotica and retyped by the artist himself; in subordinating the actual pages of Nin’s text to his own creative process, Youd frees literature from the lofty perch of literary pretense and sets it free in the decadence of its own raw and physical context.
The exhibition includes major works by Gajin Fujita, the ground breaking Los Angeles artist famous for merging the iconography of erotic Edo-era Japanese woodblock prints with contemporary graffiti subcultures in vibrant paintings. In his paintings, Fujita blends a rich diversity of cultural influences that range from traditional Japanese ukiyo-e to contemporary manga; from American pop culture, to East L.A. Street-life iconography and graffiti. Fujita also combines a variety of process techniques and media.
Underground artist Ericka Rawlings’ installation for the gallery is comprised of hundreds of handmade lace Valentine hearts sewn by the artist as a poetic evocation of the neuroses of a billion failed relationships.
The nationally celebrated, allegorical painter Bruce Richards, uses semiotics in his precise and masterful paintings to guide viewers on a clue-filled journey of passion and intrigue.
Lust Letters
(Part of the Chung King Road Gallery Row) located in
Chung King Road,
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Downtown Los Angeles, in historic Chinatown.
Phone: (424) 2-Coagula
The exhibition opens Saturday, February 16, 2013
7 p.m-11 p.m.
Gallery hours:
Wednesday through Saturday, 12 noon – 5 PM.
About Coagula Curatorial:
To celebrate twenty years of publishing Coagula Art Journal, acclaimed editor, art critic and curator Mat Gleason opened Coagula Curatorial as a premiere exhibition space of contemporary art. Located in downtown Los Angeles’ historic Chung King Road of contemporary art galleries, Coagula Curatorial affirms downtown as a viable location for the creative industries that drive the Los Angeles economy.
Coagula Art Journal was first published in April, 1992, brainchild of Los Angeles writer Mat Gleason. The bimonthly print journal quickly gained notoriety as a no-holds critique of contemporary art and the art world. Championing Los Angeles and mocking New York when the notion of the Big Apple playing second fiddle to “LaLa Land” was considered delusional, the art world as it now exists was envisioned as self-evident on the pages of Coagula a generation ago. With over 100 published issues, it is the autonomous companion to the rise of the Los Angeles art scene. The publication continues now as a regular catalogue of Coagula Curatorial shows with Gleason helming publisher and curator duties.
