Andy Freeberg, “Art Fare” and Alexandra Bellissimo, “Simulations” at Kopeikin Gallery
If you visit Culver City’s Kopeikin Gallery anytime soon, you’ll be in for quite the visual treat. Andy Freeberg‘s “Art Fare” and Alexandra Bellissimo‘s “Simulations” give their own spin to images in ways that will make you look twice at the image in front of you.
Freeberg takes the people usually behind the scenes in the art world, such as gallery owners, and shows them in their natural habitat. Far from being ordinary, the photos manage to display a strong composition and a knack for using color to its highest potential. His photo of Andrea Rosen gallery utilizes the the fiery colors of a large painting to match the hue of a redheaded woman sitting on the couch. She’s merely checking her phone with one hand on a laptop yet Freeberg manages to catch a certain energy in the photo, invigorating the otherwise common scene. Each photo in the series does the same, artistically rendering even the most seemingly dull interior spaces and events.
Similarly, Bellissimo makes the viewer looks differently at common images. The face of a man and naked body of a woman, among other images take on disturbing tone as they show strange growths or tree trunks instead instead of heads. The photo collages merge each human with some form of nature in an impressive manner. Works like “Conserve” make especially beautiful use of this trick, the pieces of tree blending seamlessly into the woman’s curves to create a strange but stunning image.
Together, the shows offer something more than the conventional photography exhibit in their own ways. Freeberg’s choice of subjects are transformed while Bellissimo’s unique images almost seem to want to escape their frames. It’s not your average photography show.
“Art Fare” and “Simulations” run until October 27.
Andy Freeberg, “Art Fare” and Alexandra Bellissimo, “Simulations” Kopeikin Gallery 2766 La Cienega Boulevard Culver City, CA 90034 (310) 559 – 0800 Open Tuesday – Saturday 11 AM to 5 PM