CLOSING RECEPTION // MARK WHALEN // DEEDEE CHERIEL // SAT, NOV 6
MARK WHALEN (KILL PIXIE) PARALLELED OPPOSITES
HOSTED BY TIM ROTH, SOUND INSTALLATION BY AUTOLUX
DEEDEE CHERIEL ABRACADABRA
CLOSING RECEPTION
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 6TH, 6-9PM
The artists, Tim Roth, and Autolux will be in attendance.
Gallery Hours:
Tues - Sat 12-6pm
Merry Karnowsky Gallery is proud to present two solo exhibitions, in the Main Gallery Mark Whalen (AKA Kill Pixie) "Paralleled Opposites," and in the Square Gallery Deedee Cheriel "Abracadabra."
Mark Whalen's meticulously crafted paintings examine the human experience by exploring communication, emotion, sexuality, invention, interaction, and ritual -- all with an undercurrent of humorous absurdity. The artist's indomitable spirit of creativity and resistance fractures and realigns old divides between street and gallery, and reinterprets the universal human struggle for freedom and control in a world veering toward self-destruction.
Mark Whalen's meticulously crafted paintings examine the human experience by exploring communication, emotion, sexuality, invention, interaction, and ritual -- all with an undercurrent of humorous absurdity. The artist's indomitable spirit of creativity and resistance fractures and realigns old divides between street and gallery, and reinterprets the universal human struggle for freedom and control in a world veering toward self-destruction.
The exhibition will include a 10-foot square tiled enclosure that can be entered through a single doorway. Within the confines of the installation, a more intimate multidimensional sensory experience will be created by paintings installed alongside hand sewn paper botanicals, with sound installation by Autolux amplified in the background. Actor Tim Roth hosted the opening reception on October 9th.
Since 2006, Whalen's work has shown in a constant stream of sold-out gallery exhibitions in Los Angeles, London, Berlin, and Australia. He was also included in 2009's Apocalypse Wow! Exhibition at MACRO Museum of Contemporary Art in Rome, Italy. His work has also appeared in publications such as Juxtapoz, Modart Europe, Arkitip, Art Ltd., Anthem, and Monster Children. In 2008, Whalen was awarded the Sydney Music, Arts & Culture Award for Best Visual Artist, and in 2009 he was named in the Top 100 Creative Catalysts by the Creative Sydney festival. He currently lives and paints in Los Angeles, California.
In Deedee Cheriel's satirical and playful paintings, animal/human hybrids engage with each other and their environment, a familiar yet surreal world in which bird-headed women riding a fish seems perfectly natural.
Cheriel's works are meditations on the tedious dramas of her real-life Los Angeles social circle where boyfriend stealing friends, narcissistic hippies, do-gooders, and intellectuals are anthropomorphized into a surreal world of random theatre. Her paintings are the alchemy that transform pettiness into visual treasures.Referring to the magic of transforming societal ailments into beauty is the source for the title of the show, "Abracadabra," the incantation chosen by magicians and mystics to heal the seemingly incurable. The word was originally used by a Roman physician in the 2nd Century who prescribed disease sufferers to wear an amulet containing the word "Abracadabra" written in the form of a triangle. Combining elements from nature, urban landscapes, history, and pop culture, the paintings delve into the universal human need to find commonalities between ourselves and the world around us.
Influential street artist Shepard Fairey says, "Deedee's work demonstrates a powerful tension between the design elements of stripes, patterns, and color fields, with lyrical illustration. Deedee's work is idiosyncratic in the most ideal way... it is a reflection of her unique personality." Cheriel's artwork has shown in galleries in Los Angeles, New York, Miami, San Francisco, Chicago, Portland, London, and Melbourne, Australia. She currently lives and works in Los Angeles, CA.