January 9: The Gabba Gallery “Metro Dreams” Opening Reception
The Gabba Gallery presents another installment of its signature show style of four separate mini expeditions, this edition collectively entitled “Metro Dreams,” curated by Jason Ostro and Phil Santos, showcasing the works of Moncho1929, Vakseen, Amy Smith and HERO. Their diverse yet loosely connected works for “Metro Dreams” fill the almost 2000 sq. ft. gallery space for “Metro Dream” which opens January 9 with an artist reception from 7pm to 11pm. Curator Phil Santos says:
These are 4 artists to watch. Their work instantly moves the viewer through their concepts and technique. We have enjoyed watching their careers bloom and grow.
Much loved Moncho1929 will be exhibiting another brilliant twist on his signature style with a salute to our winged friends. An antidote to the usual definition of beauty is found in Vakseen’s unique, well executed painting style of colliding color with cubism combined with realism for the love of women’s complicated legacy in today’s culture. Amy Smith will show her collage style using paint and collage to make use of negative space in portraiture, akin to traditional stenciling. In his exhibition, “Entitled Inheritance,” Hero addresses contemporary social issues and what flows through and is handed down to the next generation. He creates his works via multimedia with a contemporary virtuosity in aerosol.
Curator Jason Ostro says:
There is an undeniable feeling of city life in “Metro Dreams” from four distinct points of view.
Casey Courey-Pickering, who goes by the artist name “Hero”, (short for The Forged Hero) is a self-taught LA based mixed media stencil artist. Since 2007, he has worked on incorporating new elements and techniques into his art. Prior to becoming an artist himself, Hero immersed himself in graffiti art being influenced by the works of Banksy, Shepard Fairey, JR, and Saber, while his schooling introduced him to Andy Warhol, Jackson Pollock, Richard Hamilton, Edgar Degas, and Norman Rockwell. In 2009 he moved his stencil work from his studio and canvas to galleries and other mediums, having begun commissioning his artwork Hero thought of an idea for a sticker campaign. Being born in the eighties Hero utilized two iconic figures from the eighties to create AlfPacino, this sticker campaign immediately gained popularity worldwide. In the year to follow Hero has established himself amongst Los Angeles’ talented contemporary street artists. In the last year he has painted for the Dalai Lama’s 80th birthday and at Lighting in a Bottle, displayed work in numerous LA galleries, which includes his residency at the W Hotel in Hollywood, has had work appear on Dash Dolls, and has been featured in Complex. Hero continues to push his influence further with recent success at Art Basel Miami 2015. Hero’s dedication to the contemporary social issues of the Net Generation has never been as strong as he prepares for his show at the Gabba Gallery to kick off 2016.
Originally born and raised in New York City, Moncho1929 has lived and worked in London, Italy, Korea and now currently in Los Angeles. Through all of these transitions he has continued to be influenced by modern media and the urban environment surrounding it. Moncho1929 has had shows for his works in various galleries across the country in New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Miami and London. Most recently a solo show at world-renowned street art gallery LabArt and Julien’s Street Art Auction in Beverly Hills alongside well known artists including Banksy and Mr. Brainwash.
Moncho 1929’s work is in many private collections across the world including the French Consulate in Los Angeles and Soho House. He has also been previously commissioned by NBC’s “The Voice” for a large-scale works. His murals and artwork have also been used by The University of Southern California and by numerous television shows including Oxygen’s “Street Art Throwdown”, FX’s “American Horror Story,” numerous Samsung commercials and many more.
Both The City of West Hollywood and The City of Glendale California have commissioned him for public works and his murals are archived with the Los Angeles Mural Conservancy and the Google Street Art Project.
While working on hit records in the music business has played a driving force in his career, itʼs Vakseenʼs (born Otha Davis III) passion for the arts that has served as his key to sanity in the fast paced entertainment industry. The self-taught, Floridian has developed a distinct collage-influenced painting style that fuses elements of surrealism, cubism, photorealism and fashion design onto canvas. Drawing inspiration from women, emotions, and popular culture, his paintings deal with the theme of personal identity and evolve around society’s idolization of beauty, as well as the enhancements women endure to obtain this level of “perfection”. Currently a resident artist at The Hive Gallery, his paintings have been featured by major brands like Adidas, Complex, Vibe, Bombay Sapphire Gin, Juxtapoz Magazine and Tupac Shakurʼs estate, to name a few. In addition to being sold to collectors and art enthusiasts, his art has also been selected for over 50 gallery exhibitions throughout Los Angeles and featured in over 80 magazines worldwide.
Amy Smith has always been intrigued by art. When she relocated from the East Coast to Los Angeles, newfound inspiration awaited her. “When I moved from the East Coast to Los Angeles I really found inspiration in the city and art scene in LA. I started by working digitally making collages with Photoshop and developed that style into original mixed media collage paintings.”
Smith’s unique style of combining painting and collage to form portraits is unlike anything we’re seeing on the art scene. We are excited to feature Smith’s stunning artwork at our Los Angeles Gallery show. As an artist, Smith is self-educated and has created her unique style through trial and error. “My desire is to create a style that is unique that represents my interests in Street Art, Pop, and Low Brow art that explores empowerment and shows emotion in every piece.”
Metro Dreams
Four exhibitions curated by Jason Ostro and Phil Santos
Gabba Gallery
3126 Beverly Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90057
January 9th – January 30th, 2016
Artists Reception: Saturday, January 9, 2016, 7pm – 11 p.m