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1/7/2005

Asian Influence?

Lman Gallery, Los Angeles

An experimental exhibition of five non-Asian artists

LMAN gallery is pleased to announce the opening of Asian Aesthetic?, an experimental exhibition of five non-Asian painters: Alex Donis, Julie Evans, Mark Masyga, Mery Lynn McCorkle and Tim Nolan.

For any work of art, there is always a creator and an observer. Interestingly, the two may not come away with the same message, especially if the work is left for the viewer to interpret. As globalization continues to blur all boundaries, artistic influence between cultures is an obvious and timely question. Metropolises like Los Angeles and New York, two of the leading contemporary art scenes in America, are breeding grounds for such influence. It is fitting to investigate this dynamic but sometimes subtle evolution. In this particular exercise, we are interested in looking for any potential Asian aesthetic 'influence' on other cultures from the perspectives of the creator, who is the artist; and an observer, who is a gallery visitor.

Prior to the show, we invited a panel of professionals, including museum curators, art historian, and educator to the gallery, to review samples of the artists¹ work and their stated intentions. We followed with an informal luncheon discussion based on our collective observation. Each participant then submits a written summary based on his/her observation and discussion with the group. In addition, an invited guest scholar writes a forward to this experimental project. A catalogue of the exhibition will accompany the show. The purpose of this exercise is not to find or define a trend. Rather, the gallery is more interested in this as an educational process and having an open ended discussion.

The artists include:

Alex Donis, Los Angeles - interested in spatial compositions of figurative elements as influenced by western masters and Japanese woodblock prints. He examines and redefined the boundaries set within religion, politics, sexuality and race. His work has been shown at various galleries in Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, and Austin. He also has been in exhibitions in Australia and throughout Europe. A number of museums, including Santa Monica Museum of Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art and Armand Hammer Museum, have exhibited his work. Los Angeles Times, Artweek, FlashArt International, La Opinion, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Tribune and the Sydney Morning Herald all have featured his work. He has taught at Watts Towers Arts Center, and J. Paul Getty Museum.

Mery Lynn McCorkle, Los Angeles ­ thinks of her work as an exploration of time; and in her own words, Œtime is a measure of motion.¹ She writes words overlapping with shapes as subtext and texture, suggesting a residue of memory. Perhaps by pure coincidence, the use of color and fragmentation in her paintings recall some of the colorful woodblock prints currently on view at the Japanese American National Museum in an exhibition titled² Japan After Perry ­ Views of Yokohama and Meiji Japan.² Her work has been shown at galleries in Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Atlanta and in Brooklyn Museum of Art. She is an independent curator who has organized numerous successful and influential exhibitions. Many of them have been praised by art critics from Los Angeles Times, LA Weekly, City Beat, etc. She also writes for a number of art journals and online magazines.

Julie Evans, New York ­ her paintings continue to reflect the influence of her travels through India, her investigation into Indian art and culture, and her research of Indian miniature paintings. Of particular interest to her is how ornamentation reflects the amalgam of daily spiritual and visual life of the locals. She has shown her work in New York, Los Angeles, countries like India, Italy, New Zealand and at the Brooklyn Museum. She held the position of Director of the Visual Arts Program at The New School in New York, as well as having been an adjunct professor and visiting artist at a number of universities. She is a recipient of a Fulbright Scholarship. Her work has been reviewed by the New York Times, Flash Art, The New York Observer, Art and Antiques Magazine.

Mark Masyga, New York ­ interested in the way construction materials stacked and came together in a seemingly magical way. The excitement is that they hint they would end up being transformed into some grand structures. However, the end result would actually be disappointing. According to the artist, ŒThe sum is less than its parts.¹ From that vantage point, the creator is more intrigued by the ever evolving progression of the positive, which is represented by the objects, and the negative, which is the open landscape where these objects reside. It is a play between space and non-space, Ying and Yang perhaps? He has shown his work throughout the U.S. and Canada, including New York, Los Angeles, Cleveland, Chicago, San Francisco and Toronto. His work has been reviewed by the New York Times, artnet.com., etc.

Timothy Nolan, Los Angeles - interested in exploring fundamental patterns, particularly the geometrics of woven fabrics. The repetitive nature of his work is disciplined. It always demonstrates subtle but rigorous spatial relationships between monochromatic and geometrical patterns. From the perspective of an observer, their simple, elegant and reflective quality may suggest a kind of reductive and meditative Zen-like quality. His work has been shown extensively here in Los Angeles, as well as in San Francisco, Amsterdam, Frankfurt and Zurich. Numerous museums and university galleries including San Diego Museum of Art, Cal State Long Beach University Art Museum, Otis College of Arts and Design Gallery have exhibited his work. He is a recipient of many fellowships and residencies from Edward F. Albee Foundation in New York, Stichting Kaus Australis in Netherlands and Vermont Studio Center in Vermont. Los Angeles Times, LA Weekly, ArtScene, Artweek and the Village Voice all have reviewed his work.

Reception: Saturday, July 2, 6-9pm

LMAN gallery
949 Chung King Road - Los Angeles
Hours: Wednesday ­ Saturday, 12-6pm

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