Lisa Adams
dal 16/4/2004 al 21/5/2004
Segnalato da
16/4/2004
Lisa Adams
The Office, Huntington Beach
A series of new paintings by Los Angeles artist. The work represents in large part the continuing exploration of ideas she has been examining for many years; ideas about the contentious relationships that abound between abstraction and story-telling, between formal structuralism and pure expression, and between the individual and the world.
What Happened?
Reception for the Artist: Saturday, April 17th, from 6 to 9pm
The Office is proud to present What Happened? -- a series of new paintings by Los Angeles artist Lisa Adams. The work represents in large part the continuing exploration of ideas she has been examining for many years; ideas about the contentious relationships that abound between abstraction and story-telling, between formal structuralism and pure expression, and between the individual and the world. This characterization points to the unapologetically Symbolist foundations of the show; pursuing a contemporary view of the use of signifiers from the worlds of art, science and nature; but this is done in a frank spirit of accessibility, not trickery, that engages the viewer in personal interpretation.
With the depth, insight and maturity that come from a forceful and unique conceptual tenacity, Adams expands upon her penchant for communicating different aspects of consciousness and existence through the use of contrasting qualities of facture. The textures of her picture planes are variable; they are intended to change as the eye moves across them; to be both elusive and solid, assembled from whichever combination of brushstrokes and/or spraying techniques best resonates with their message. Thick impasto and/or intentionally imperfect passages alternate with areas of hyper-smooth flawlessness, labor-intensive rendering and lyrical, evocative text. A rich, earthy palette of brown, maroon, and moss soothes and grounds the pictures; even the highlights aren't garish, with lime, magenta, and blood orange pumping life throughout the work.
In many ways the titles, too, act to reveal the long-standing psychological underpinnings of Adams' oeuvre. The words are less literal and more poetic than they have been previously; providing entry points into a deeper meaning rather than simply performing a traditional indicative function. Hiroshima Cleansed Me, I Need to Live to Be 100, and Atomic Seedling for example begin to reveal the scope and complexity of the issues at hand. A science-fiction gestalt is pervasive here, the idea of leaving the planet and heading out into the void of unknown Space is a poignant fantasy left over from youth, but now informed by the more adult concept of deliberately approaching and naming the as-yet undiscovered places in the Universe. If the paintings taken as a group can be said to be "about" anything, they are about wanting to live long enough to witness wonders; wanting to be capable of embracing cathartic experience, and of comprehending paradox. "I seem to be painting the Apocalypse, unintentionally. It's a vision filtered through my childhood, but it's an adult view, and the terror is more fundamental."
By Shana Nys Dambrot
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Lisa Adams graduated with a B.A. in Painting from Scripps College in Claremont, California and received her M.F.A. from the Claremont Graduate University. She has taught in many renowned art departments throughout the Los Angeles area and abroad, including the University of Southern California, the Claremont Graduate University and Otis College of Art & Design. Ms. Adams has been an artist-in-residence in Slovenia, Finland, Japan, Holland and Costa Rica. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally. She is the recipient of a Fulbright Professional Scholar Award, a Brody Arts Fund Fellowship and a Durfee ARC Grant. Her work is in the collections of Eli Broad, The Frederick Weisman Museum and the Laguna Museum of Art. Currently, she is working on a public art commission for the new Fire Station No. 64 in Watts. In addition to her practice as an artist, Ms. Adams works as an independent curator, who in 2000, co-founded Crazy Space, an alternative exhibition space, in Santa Monica. She is also the author of "FM*," (Peeps Island Press, 1999) a How To book about painting, based on her teachings at the Santa Monica College of Design, Art and Architecture between 1997-1999.
Image: Lisa Adams, "Focus," 2004, oil and spray paint on panel, 36 x 48"
The Office
An Art space
5122 Bolsa Ave. Suite #110, Huntington Beach, Ca 92649
Phone: 714-767-5861
Hours: Tuesday - Friday, 1-5 p.m