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9/9/2005

The Mezcla Collective

Black Maria Gallery, Los Angeles

A Compilation of Sorts

Los Angeles – Black Maria Gallery in Atwater Village will present a new exhibition by the Mezcla Collective, entitled A Compilation of Sorts, opening on September 10.

In addition to new and recent works by the five core members of the Mezcla Collective, the exhibition will feature contributions by eight artist friends of the group. The exhibited works will include drawings, paintings, prints, photography, sculpture, and mixed media.

Founded in 2003, the Mezcla Collective is comprised of Los Angeles artists Thomas Lee Bakofsky, Sean Cassidy, Gary Garay, Kevin Ramos, and Stephen Serrato. Beginning with its inaugural exhibition, at Ave. 50 Gallery in early 2004, the collective has organized group events marked by a “free-associative spirit that touches on a wide range of contemporary issues,” according to the collective. Mezcla exhibitions are also known for their sonic accompaniments, with various DJs from Dublab providing the music.

“We’ve had the good fortune to be surrounded by supportive and talented friends throughout our creative endeavors thus far and are looking for an opportunity to reach out and involve them more directly,” said Thomas Lee Bakofsky and Gary Garay. “A Compilation of Sorts would provide an opportunity to collaborate with them in the form of a group show. While each artist’s approach is varied, similar interests and emotions will unite the work, resulting in an installation that is by far more significant than its constituent parts.”

Bakofsky added: “We have also been blessed to have friends with musical talents and will invite several of Dublab’s DJs to enrich the opening of the show with their musical talents.”

Reflecting the graphic-design and printmaking backgrounds of several Mezcla Collective members, A Compilation of Sorts will additionally feature promotional material produced in an unconventional manner. Bakofsky explained: “Apart from meaning ‘a category of thing or people having some common feature,’ a sort also refers to individual pieces of wood or metal type. In keeping with this, we will manually produce the collateral for the show, employing letterpress and silkscreen printing.”

Artist friends of the Mezcla Collective participating in the exhibition are: Sid Duenas (sculpture), Seth Drenner (drawings, paintings), Noé Montes (photography), Pamela Henderson (drawings, paintings), Chris Hill (photography), Carolina Chaves (mixed media), Renee Perdaomo (mixed media), and Ben Loiz (mixed media).

ARTISTS INFORMATION

Pamela Henderson
Pamela Henderson was raised on a farm 40 miles northeast of Dallas after her family moved from a small neighborhood in Garland, Texas. The unfamiliar country life of a small town and the absence of any neighborhood children to interact with led to the beginning of her artistic endeavors. She was encouraged by her family to continue her efforts from an early age, and is currently pursuing her creative goals in Los Angeles, California. Dreams and experiences from her childhood culminate to form the haunting vernacular which constitutes Henderson’s work

Seth Drenner
Born in 1974 in Texas, Seth Drenner grew up in rural Iowa and attended the University of Northern Iowa, earning a Bachelor’s in Graphic Design in 1999. He later relocated to Los Angeles to attend Art Center College of Design, where he graduated with a degree in Illustration in 2004. He works as a freelance illustrator and designer, as well as instructor, and specializes in letterpress design and printing.

Chris Hill
Chris Hill was born and raised in Oklahoma City. He has lived in Southern California since 2000. The subject matter of his photographic work, which ranges from portraiture to fine art, includes affirmations and/or critiques of culture, narratives inspired by literature and cinema, and the peculiarities of urban spaces. Currently he is working on a project that revolves around the visual accessibility of urban spaces through public transportation.

Kevin Ramos
Born in Los Angeles and raised by Ecuadorian parents, 29-year-old photographer Kevin Ramos is a graduate of Art Center College of Design. Ramos has been very active shooting creative live music events for over seven years. In September 2003 he curated his first solo exhibition, with the support of Los Angeles producer Carlos Niño (Todosonidos Presenta, Spaceways Radio). Ramos's work is featured on the documentary DVD release KeepinTime: A Live Recording by director B+ (Brian Cross). Ramos has participated in dublab.com's ‘Up Our Sleeve’ international group exhibition. In the past few years he has collaborated and exhibited with the Mezcla Collective.

Carolina Chaves Urruzmendi
Carolina Chaves Urruzmendi was born in the United Sates, grew up in Uruguay, and spent some quality time in Atlanta, Georgia. She studied Journalism at Georgia State University and Graphic Design at the Portfolio Center before moving to Los Angeles, where she currently lives and works.

Sean Cassidy
Sean Cassidy is a visual artist who lives in Los Angeles and is currently studying at Art Center College of Design.

Ben Loiz
Ben Loiz currently lives in Los Angeles, where he works as an artist and designer. His work has been exhibited internationally and featured in a number of books and magazines. In addition to organizing exhibitions and running his product line, NeeNoon, with his wife, Reneé, Ben works with a diverse group of clients including 2K T-shirts, Neiman Marcus, Save the Children Foundation, Hello Kitty, and Coca-Cola, developing distinctive projects that range from products and print to packaging and identity.

Thomas Lee Bakofsky
A native of West Texas, Thomas Lee Bakofsky routinely draws inspiration from his ties to the border town of El Paso. A former resident of both Dallas and Austin, he is currently pursuing his artistic goals in Los Angeles. His subject matter is as diverse as his approach and includes painting, collage, serigraphy, and wood-block printing. Bakofsky has exhibited in numerous shows in the Los Angeles area.

Gary Garay
Gary Garay uses the homespun vernacular of street-vendor advertising, cultural icons, and visual slang to comment on themes such as consumerism and cultural integration. Familiar imagery is adopted and redirected as a new, highly personal language. The results are displayed in expansive, energetic installations which mirror the impact of street signs and the ever-escalating competition for advertising space.

Renée Perdomo
Renée Perdomo spent much of her childhood waiting in line to cross the Tijuana/San Diego border. The evidence can be seen through a time line made up of visa stamps and tardy slips. Perdomo estimates having crossed the border about 3,000 times by her 18th birthday. This transient lifestyle served as a daily reminder of geography and her place in the world. After earning her Associate Degree in Graphic Design at San Diego City College, Perdomo was selected to work in Shanghai, China, for six months, as a graphic design consultant for Bell South China. Perdomo currently resides in Pasadena, where she is pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design at Art Center College of Design.

Stephen Serrato
As that of the youngest of six children, Stephen Serrato’s identity was shaped by a multiplicity of influences and contrasts from day one. He currently resides in Los Angeles, where he works as a graphic designer. From posters and books to identity systems and music packaging, Serrato is constantly giving form to ideas for clients, friends, and himself.

Sid M. Dueñas
Sid M. Dueñas worn in Saipan, Northern Marianas Islands, in 1973, and has resided in Los Angeles for the past 27 years. His work ranges from performance, drawing, photography, and assemblage to sculpture and text-based projects. Underlying this pluralistic vision is an autobiographical body of work that investigates the roots of human experience through language and perception.

Noé Montes
Noé Montes was born 1973 in Modesto, California, into a family of migrant workers who followed fruit and vegetable harvests around the San Joaquin Valley as well as Nevada and Arizona. Montes studied art and specifically photography in Yuma, Arizona, and later Phoenix, Arizona. He began creating and exhibiting photographic works in 1997. He draws inspiration from the photographers Stephen Shore, Roe Ethridge, Thomas Ruff, and Thomas Struth, among many others, as well as the writings of Jorge Luis Borges.

Opening Reception: Saturday, September 10, 7 PM

Black Maria Gallery
3137 Glendale Blvd., Atwater Village, CA 90039
Hours, Tuesday ­ Saturday, 12-6pm; and by appointment

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