La Luz de Jesus: August 2014 Show Explodes!
La Luz de Jesus balances light and dark, humor and horror, debauchery, death and Disney in a super show featuring solo works José Rodolfo Loaiza Ontiveros and the winners of the La Luz de Jesus Laluzapalooza juried show, opening Friday August 1st at 8pm.
Oh my dark gods, Ontiveros brings it hard. He has been pushing his boundaries and refining his style, his technique is so flawless. His bittersweet re-imagining of Disney characters keeps magic alive with fresh takes and commentary that is a biting, sharp, irreverent and sly. He knows how to manipulate our psyches and play on our love for these characters while revealing the substrata of meanings they convey by placing them in contemporary situations and, for this show,”Profanity Pop” referencing historical works for a strong and brutal take-down.
And then there’s the winners of the juried Laluzapalooza show: Katherine Brannock, Frank Forte, Jinx, Sean Stepanoff, and Alison “Hueman” Torneros. And yes, La Luz knows how to pick them!
Katherine Brannock is one of my favorite artists, one I discovered at the Laluzapalooza 2014. I loved her work so much I curated her into Art Expo SD. Her delicate drawings are done with ballpoint pen then color washed, and depict creatures form her won elaborate fantasy world.
Taking cartooning to the level, Frank Forte reconfigures characters we might know into surreal and well, trippy visions. Playful and disturbing, I’d hang one in the guest room or nursery..bouwahahahah!
Jinx’s skulls are perfectly rendered and float on delicate backgrounds, at times surrounded by excess: A dog’s skull atop biscuits, a human skull surrounded by gem like candies. The perfect Goth gift for All Hallows Eve or Hexmess.
Sean Stepanoff takes the style of traditional African barber shops and imposes Silver Lake iconography upon them (and to those who call Silver Lake the “Williamsburg of the West,” it’s all I can do to not say “Silver Lake was hip before it was cool”). The caricatures are spot-on and funny as fuck, because they are absolutely accurate.
Alison Torneros has exploded this year: From Red Bull Canvas Cooler in 2013 to cover of the LA Weekly just after she she showed at the 2014 Laluzapalooza, and along the way, sitting on a panel at the LA Art Show, endorsement deals, mural commissions, a solo show at Project Gallery. Her bright, prismatic portraits of women explode off the page, just like Alison’s career has exploded.This is a really strong and rich month at La Luz de Jeus, providing an opportunity to indulge your eyes and mind.
La Luz de Jesus
Opening August 1, 8-m to 11pm
4633 Hollywood Blvd
Hollywood, CA 90027
top: José Rodolfo Loaiza Ontiveros
José Rodolfo Loaiza Ontiveros
Katherine Brannock
Frank Forte
Jinx
Sean Stefanoff
Alison “Hueman” Torneros