“Love in Pandemia”
ON VIEW
August 22 – September 26, 2020
COREY HELFORD GALLERY
571 S. Anderson St. Los Angeles, CA 90033
Open Tuesday-Saturday, 12pm - 6pm
(310) 287-2340
On Saturday, August 22nd, downtown Los Angeles’ Corey Helford Gallery will proudly unveil their next major solo exhibition from world-renowned Spanish painter and sculptor Okuda San Miguel, entitled The New Digital Love, in the Main Gallery.
Okuda’s unique iconographic language of multicolored geometric structures and patterns on the streets, railroads and abandoned factories around the globe have made him one of the world's most recognizable street artists of today. His work can be classified as Pop-Surrealism, with a clear essence of street art or urban art, and often raise contradictions about existentialism, the universe, the infinite, the meaning of life, and the false freedom of capitalism.
Marking Okuda’s first solo show in Los Angeles since 2017 when CHG hosted his U.S. debut exhibit Mayan Renaissance, The New Digital Love explodes with a vibrantly colored synthetic, on enamel paintings, sculptures, and tapestry.
“This exhibition arises from the emergency situation and confinement we’re all experiencing. During this period, we have been given time to reflect on our lives and to consider a new way of behaving,” the artist shares.
“When I was first faced with creating work during this period of confinement, I realized that, in this new context, new icons, characters and elements were appearing. This was the result of this unexpected new reality forcing me to react. From that moment on, I decided to keep exploring these novelties and let them also appear in the development of the works in this exhibition. In these works, you’ll find random, unknown characters alongside familiar ones (from the present and the past, real and imaginary) and alongside memories and nostalgic references to cartoons and toys from my childhood, all together, on the same level.
You’ll also see new techniques, such as the use of carefree spray strokes, similar to my beginnings in street art; plus you’ll see transparencies that I had not used before in order to let the present be seen with the previous and flat backgrounds that highlight the new masked characters that erase the expression of their faces by taking that of their protective mask. You will also see the use of the brush in some of the works, something that I had not used in my studio work for more than 15 years. In short, a re-encounter with the past that looks to the new present, to which the recent situation has led us.”
The New Digital Love opens Saturday, August 22nd in the Main Gallery, alongside solo shows Birds of Paradise from Marie Larkin and A Rebrousse-Poil from Bruno Pontiroli in Gallery 2, and a solo show from Troy Brooks, entitled Through A Glass Darkly, in Gallery 3. Corey Helford Gallery is located at 571 S. Anderson St. Los Angeles, CA 90033 and normal hours are Tuesday – Saturday, from 12:00 pm – 6:00 pm.
Please note: In order to keep our family of artists, collectors and staff safe, and in compliance with the COVID-19 state-wide mandate, the physical gallery will remain closed until further notice but can be reached via email at jch@coreyhelfordgallery.com.
About Okuda San Miguel:
Okuda’s distinctive style of geometric harmonies emboldened with intense colors can make his artworks feel like they’re from a parallel universe. In his work, rainbow geometric architectures blend with organic shapes, bodies without identity, headless animals and symbols that encourage reflection in artistic pieces that could be categorized as Pop Surrealism with a clear essence of street forms. His works often raise questions about existentialism, the universe, the infinite, the meaning of life, and the contradictions of society’s false freedom, showing a conflict between modernity and our roots; ultimately, between man and the same.
About Corey Helford Gallery:
Corey Helford Gallery (CHG) was first established in 2006 by Jan Corey Helford and her husband, television producer and creator, Bruce Helford (The Conners, Anger Management, The Drew Carey Show, George Lopez) and has since evolved into one of the premier galleries of New Contemporary art. Its goals as an institution are the support and growth of young and emerging, to well-known and internationally established artists. CHG represents a diverse collection of international artists, primarily influenced by today’s pop culture and collectively encompassing style genres such as New Figurative Art, Pop Surrealism, Neo Pop, Graffiti and Street Art. CHG is located in Downtown Los Angeles in a robust 12,000 square foot building presenting new exhibitions approximately every six weeks. For more info and an upcoming exhibition schedule, visit CoreyHelfordGallery.com and connect on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
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