November 5, 2016 - January 7, 2017
Curated by Thinkspace
Brand Library & Art Center welcomes Thinkspace to the gallery to present two concurrent exhibitions opening November 5, 2016. Nexus, a group exhibition, will feature pieces by 64 New Contemporary artists alongside murals and installations by Bumblebeelovesyou, Cryptik, Drew Merritt, Kelly Vivanco, Lucien Shapiro and Yoskay Yamamoto. In a Dream (En un Sueño), presented in collaboration with Mexico’s Fifty24MX Gallery, will feature new works and a mural installation by Mexican artist and muralist Edgar Flores (SANER).
In a Dream (En un Sueño) Edgar Flores (SANER) is based in Mexico City and creates vibrant works that combine contemporary images with references to Mexican, Mayan, and Aztec iconography and folklore. Combining the new with the ancient, SANER explores his cultural heritage visually as a way to reinterpret and navigate the conflicts and politics of the modern world. Questioning the violence and injustice that permeate widely accepted societal mores, SANER’s surreal works are humorous, dark, beautiful and at times haunting. A recurring theme throughout the artist’s paintings, drawings, and murals are the use of Nahuale animal masks, a demonic trickster figure in Mexican mythology, human by day and animal by night. Each assumed identity hides behind that of its counterpart – an ancient metaphor for duplicity that resonates still.
SANER’s characters are sightless, depicted without eyes and concealed behind masks, a symbolic reminder of the persistence of human blindness. The unification of the human and animal worlds, albeit intentionally imperfect and at times jarring in the works, questions the imbalance of our own. SANER exposes our estrangement from nature and the excesses of urban expansion and development by invoking the mysticism of this ancient past. Inspired by the powerful legacy of Mexican political muralists, SANER began his work as a graffiti artist in the late 90s. He went on to study graphic design, and in 2004 received a degree from the Universidad Autónoma de México. SANER continues to create public murals all over the world and has exhibited in Barcelona, Berlin, Denver, London, Los Angeles, New York, and Mexico City.
NEXUS Presented in tandem with In a Dream (En un Sueño), is Nexus, an exhibition featuring works by an extensive group of artists belonging to the New Contemporary Art Movement. Nexus will offer a curated cross-section of its vital and diverse scene. As exciting as it is varied, its artists create work grounded in the representational, figurative, pop cultural, and referential. The movement is about art that speaks directly and relevantly, grounded by social rather than academic interests.
Nexus will feature installations and murals by Bumblebeelovesyou, Cryptik, Drew Merritt, Kelly Vivanco, Lucien Shapiro and Yoskay Yamamoto, and works by Adam Caldwell, Alex Grant, Alex Yanes, Amanda Marie, Benjamin Garcia, Brett Amory, C215, Carl Cashman, Chie Yoshii, Cinta Vidal, Craig ‘Skibs’ Barker, Dan Lydersen, Dan-ah Kim, Daniel Bilodeau, Derek Gores, Dulk, Erik Siador, Erika Sanada, Fernando Chamarelli, Fintan Magee, Frank Gonzales, Germs, Glennray Tutor, Henrik Aa. Uldalen, Icy and Sot, Jaime Molina, James Bullough, James Reka, Jana & JS, Jeremy Hush, Josie Morway, Juan Travieso, Kelly Vivanco, Kyle Stewart, Linnea Strid, Liz Brizzi, Low Bros, Luke O’Sullivan, Mario Belem, Mark Dean Veca, Martin Whatson, Mary Iverson, Matt Linares, Matt Small, Matthew Grabelsky, Michael Reeder, Mike Egan, Molly Gruninger, Okuda, Nosego, Pam Glew, Scott Radke, Sean Norvet, Sergio Garcia, Telmo Miel, Tony Philipppou, Troy Lovegates, Wiley Wallace, X-O, and Yosuke Ueno.