05/30/2019
OUT OF POLAND
curated by Yossi Govrin
June 15-29, Arena 1 Gallery
Opening Reception: June 22, 6-9pm
Artists:
Antonina Konopelska
Julia Curylo
Krystyna Sadej
Justyna Szluinska
Laura Belevica
Tomek Albin
JAGODYstudio:
Agnieszka Zientarska
Jagoda Zmudzinska
ARENA 1 Gallery is pleased to present OUT OF POLAND, a group exhibition of paintings, drawings, photography, augmented reality, tapestry and music by eight artists out of Poland (and one artist from Latvia). Through disparate mediums, these artists express aesthetic views in their own personal languages that live for the duration of the exhibition in the single white cube of Arena1 Gallery.
Antonina Konopelska’s photographic series "The Wax of Poland” has been in progress for five years and will have its inaugural showing in this exhibition along with other new works. Konopelska carefully conceals manipulations, blending them into seemingly natural, uncontrived performances. The characters of “The Wax of Poland” are distinguished by an absent gaze, the glassy eyes of porcelain dolls, wax figures and medieval votive sculptures.
Julia Curylo has participated in over 60 exhibitions in Poland, Europe and the USA. Julia’s ‘Desert Projekt’ paintings are inspired by the Californian Desert and express how she connects and views this landscape through the lens of a different culture and her rich imagination.
Krystyna Sadej is an accomplished contemporary tapestry artist whose unique experimental work incorporates a dynamic range of textures, designs, colors, and materials. Her use of recycled materials, transcend art activism, creating beauty out of environmental waste.
Justyna Szluinska’s work strives to capture the essence of a single moment in time and, with it, the greater essence of the narrative of life. Through the medium of photography she pays homage to traditions of contemporary and abstract painting, using her camera as a brush, allowing her own motion to create the images as her chosen scene stays still - the final image being the finished canvas.
Laura Belevika is a Latvian architect, photographer and multi-media artist who has worked on a variety of international multi-disciplinary projects focusing on storytelling and creative direction from print, animation, film and production design in VR to art installations, buildings and large scale urban environments. In Artifacts" and "The Other Selves”, be it a stick, a stone, a dry leaf or a human being, the subjects’ shadows are captured and transformed to reveal an alternative interpretation. Mixing photography, drawing and storytelling, “Shadow Series” is an exercise in organic metamorphosis.
Tomek Albin & JAGODYstudio : "Talk Dirty To Me" is a project about celebration, shame, sexuality and fetishes. A series of photographs tell a story that each of us experiences while feeling pleasure while eating. Here, however, through an allegory of something sensual and nice, we raise the subject deeply rooted in our culture, revealing a serious problem of shame and body worship. In the era of the ubiquitous Internet and fashion for digital exhibitionism, we display annihilated images designed to draw the viewer's attention to the problems of modern society. We are ashamed of what we want.
Opening Reception Special Guest: Katarzyna Sadej
Mezzo-soprano Katarzyna Sadej was born in Wrocław, Poland. She sings internationally in concert, opera, chamber music, oratorio and recital; she has debuted at many of the world's most prestigious venues and has performed in over a dozen countries including in numerous world premieres. She has had over a dozen new works composed especially for her. Her voice and performances have been described as "nothing short of enthralling" and "thrilling to hear".
ARENA 1 is an exhibition space founded by Santa Monica Art Studios directors Yossi Govrin and Sherry Frumkin. Based in an historic hangar at the Santa Monica Airport, ARENA 1 invites nationally and internationally renowned artists, as well as established curators, to develop innovative and compelling exhibitions.
Gallery Hours: Weds-Sat 12pm-6pm
www.arena1gallery.com
