Ron English: “NeoNature: We Are the New They” at New CHG Space in Boyle Heights

“Neo: Nature: We Are The New They” is an appropriate title for Ron English’s new show at Corey Helford Gallery which opens December 12 at their new 12,000 square foot, Boyle Heights location with a reception from 7pm to 10pm. Saturday’s opening marks the opening of CHG’s DTLA space and the debut of Ron English’s monumental environmental exploration. Opening night will include a DJ set by KCRW’s Marion Hodges.

English’s 22-piece exhibition containing original pieces encompassing oil paintings, sculptures, and two installations, is the acclaimed artist’s first solo exhibition in Los Angeles in two years and runs through January 9, 2016.

With “NeoNature,” English delivers a poignant, pensive, and poetic commentary on our world, our progression and degredation and so much more, and features  oil paintings, sculptures, and two installations.

In describing the exhibition’s “We Are the New They” subtitle, English says:

Who are they anyway? They are always the other, the exotic, the misunderstood, we are never the they to us, but to everything else in the universe, we are the new they.

The paintings introduce thought-provoking perspectives on iconic beasts such as Poultry Rex Revolution, a depiction of evolution’s sense of humor regarding the most-feared dinosaur in history. Then, there’s the apocalyptic Monarch Elephant whose ears could literally lift him off into the sky, while Captain Caption redefines what a superhero could be. The sculpture Cathy Cowgirl steps into the role of the “anti-spokesmodel for genetically modified foods,” while the installations portray a stunning camo deer and the Bigfoot family, respectively. English explains:

Evolution has produced some pretty interesting animals that are not exotic to amaze us, but rather to adapt to a complex environment and array of competing life form–and to attract mates. Had the environment or competing animals been different, any given animal would also be different. When people see this, I hope they take away a deeper feeling about our very influential role in the global evolutionary process, and an appreciation of and protective nature towards the extraordinary that already exists.

CHG founders Jan Corey Helford and Bruce Helford add:

We’ve been long-time admirers of Ron’s work, and we feel like this is the perfect way to introduce our brand new Downtown Los Angeles space.

“NeoNature” will take over  CHG’s main gallery and arrives with a VIP event December 12. “NeoNature: We Are the New They” will then be open to the public, with days and times will be announced shortly.

Located at 571 South Anderson Street, Los Angeles, CA 90033,  CHC’s new location looms seven times larger than the original and boasts three separate galleries, each of which will house individual artist and group exhibitions. The main gallery, which will feature “NeoNature,” takes up 4,500-square-feet offering total immersion for attendees. CHG founders Jan Corey Helford and Bruce Helford say of their DTLA move:

We want to bring Downtown an electric, exciting, eclectic and living powerhouse of art that will be a must-see for anyone interested in art in the Los Angeles area.

Welcome to NeoNature. Welcome to the future. Well, the future is now, as CHG joins a growing group of galleries moving to the Downtown Los Angeles Arts District, South of Seventh and Boyle Heights. Powerhouse gallery Hauser, Wirth & Schimmel and the Santa Monica Museum of Art will soon be opening their doors in the Arts District, while other newcomers in the last couple of year’s include A + D Architecture and Design Museum and MAMA Gallery, along with Wilding Cran Gallery, Little Big Man Gallery, Francois Ghebaly Gallery, CB 1 Gallery, Night Gallery among others South of Seventh, and Maccarone Gallery, 356 Mission  and Venus Over Los Angeles (the latter three are neighbors of CHG in Boyle Heights). Many of these galleries included on itineraries with Cartwheel Art Tours.