This exhibition by Glen Wexler features large-scale prints of images from the artist's newly published book, The Secret Life of Cows. Gail Greenfield Randall began creating small sculptural works in the early 1980s, but by 1985 she'd shifted her focus to painting. In the tradition of novelists James M. Cain, Raymond Chandler, Paul Joyce's paintings capture a distinct perception of Los Angeles cityscape of yesteryear.
The Secret Life of Cows
This exhibition will feature large-scale prints of images from Wexler's newly
published book, The Secret Life of Cows. Wexler fuses photographic reality with
fantasy to create a world where cows can be and do just about anything. He has
captured these death-defying bovines as secret agents and superheroes in imaginative
and absurd situations where cows ineptly attempt to defend their species.
The book, which will be available for purchase through the duration of the
exhibition, includes a foreword by Monty Python/Spamalot's Eric Idle, who professes
to "know a bit about cows in comedy."
Glen Wexler is renowned for creating hundreds of imaginative and elaborate album
covers for artist such as Michael Jackson, Van Halen, Black Sabbath, and ZZ Top.
Wexler was among the original artists to blend digital imaging technology with the
creative process and is credited as a worldwide leader in the field. He has been
recognized by prestigious publications such as Communication Arts, ZOOM, French
PHOTO, Creativity, and Graphis among others. Tim Wride, Curator of Photography for
the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), and executive director of No Strings
Foundation says of Glen: "Wexler's pictorial constancy as a risk taker and his
deftness as a problem solver are the characteristics that distinguish his work and
make his images both meaningful and memorable." This is Wexler's second solo
exhibition in Los Angeles.
Gail Greenfield Randall:Case Histories
Curated by Kristine McKenna
Gail Greenfield Randall began creating small sculptural works in the early 1980s,
but by 1985 she'd shifted her focus to painting. For two decades her art-making
practice revolved around figurative canvases combining acrylic and ink; however,
that mode of working came to an abrupt halt when her grandmother died in March of
2006. "I became acutely aware of my inability to control time," she recalls of her
grandmother's passing, "and much to my surprise, I began creating these boxes. They
seemed to capture time for me somehow, and they gave me a place to put my sorrow."
Clearly in the tradition of the great 20th Century master of the ephemeral, Joseph
Cornell, Randall's memory boxes collect everything from found photographs, weathered
souvenirs, old toys and vintage medicine bottles, to butterflies, artificial birds,
time pieces, scrap electrical supplies and antique locks and keys. She thinks of
the boxes as "protected vignettes," and scavenges materials to create them in thrift
stores and flea markets from Ventura to the Mexican border. Limiting herself to
items costing under $10, she's mastered the finer points of dumpster diving in her
quest for materials, and she's often given things for use in her work by friends.
Randall describes her boxes with handles affixed, for easy portability, as secretive
and private as compared with wall pieces, which are designed for public viewing.
However, all of the work is freighted with feelings of times past and is palpably
obsessive. "In fact," Randall observes, "I know that a box is done when I stop
obsessing over it."
Curator, critic, and author, Kristine McKenna's work as a journalist began in the
late 70s, when she covered the Los Angeles punk scene for various domestic and
international publications. During the 80s and 90s she wrote art, film, and music
criticism, and profiled directors, musicians, and visual artists for a variety of
publications, including New York Rocker, Artforum, Rolling Stone, and the Los
Angeles Times. She is presently working on a biography of the artist Wallace Berman.
Among the exhibitions she has curated at Track 16 are Lun*na Menoh, 1986-2006, and
Forming: The Early Days of Punk.
Paul Joyce: Hollywoodland
Curated by Dennis Hopper
Track 16 Gallery presents Hollywoodland, an exhibition of paintings by Paul Joyce,
curated by Dennis Hopper. The exhibition will be on view from July 7 through August
4, 2007, with an opening reception on July 7, from 7 to 10 P.M. Regular gallery
hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 11 to 6.
In the tradition of novelists James M. Cain, Raymond Chandler, Michael Connelly, and
other literary giants who have immortalized the still beauty and mystery of Los
Angeles, Paul Joyce's paintings capture a distinct, larger-than-life, perception of
the Los Angeles cityscape of yesteryear.
Joyce, who also practices as a film-maker and photographer, paints L.A. landmarks
and vistas using bright colors, giving the work a fresh and luminous quality,
evoking color techniques such as early Technicolor and Cinemascope. especially in
his panoramic pictures. But herein also lies a darkness; of places that have
disappeared and remain only in our minds- the collective memories of native
Angelenos- or of foreigners, like Joyce and Raymond Chandler (both of whom
attended the same English public school: Dulwich College). In both cases a
foreigner's eyes help to show us more about our city than we, on a day to day basis,
see for ourselves.
As Oscar-winning Production Designer Dean Tavoularis comments, "Not since another
Englishman, David Hockney, looked at Los Angeles with eyes blinded with light and
color, never to be seen in London, has there been such colorful visions. Joyce's
painting, 'The Valley' captures that stillness of the original desert upon which it
was built. . . Paul Joyce treats Los Angeles floridly, and renders the painting of a
great city pastorally."
As well as being an accomplished actor and director, Dennis Hopper has built an
international career as both a photographer and painter. His photographs from the
60s survey the star-studded milieu in which Hopper moved and reveal surprising,
private sides to very public individuals. His enthusiasm for Joyce's work tempted
him to undertake the role of curator for this show, another first for one of LA's
favorite sons.
opening 7 luly 2007
Track 16 Gallery
2525 Michigan Avenue - Santa Monica
Free admission