January 2019 / Escapism from LA
Alex Couwenberg. Beach Blvd.
2018
acrylic and spray paint on canvas
28 x 26 inches.
Roni Feldman. Souvenir from Machu Picchu.
2016
hiking boots, duralar, acrylic, collage
24 x 20 x 20 inches
Jane Callister. Jolly Rancher #2.
2006
acrylic on canvas
Escapism from LA
Curators / Durden & Ray
Nola Avienne
Seann Brackin
Jane Callister
Sijia Chen
Emily Counts
Alex Couwenberg
Tom Dunn
Roni Feldman
David French
Elizabeth Gahan
Yvette Gellis
Jimi Gleason
Cable Griffith
Ben Jackel
Jeffry Mitchell
Steven Wolkoff
January 03 – February 02, 2019
Reception / Thursday, January 03, 2019
For decades, people have escaped to Los Angeles to start a new life. People come to LA from all over the world to follow their dreams, seek fame, flee poverty, find asylum from dangerous political climates, or to find spiritual evolution from a range of ashrams, temples, yogis, and more.
However, a new trope has emerged as the city becomes more impacted by overpopulation and its corresponding costs and ills. Californians are departing en masse for Seattle, Portland, and the Pacific Northwest. Aside from job and housing opportunities, these places are also perceived as a haven for counter-cultures, independent thought, and are more connected to lush, expansive nature. Long-time Seattleites complain about the increased congestion caused by rampant urbanization and corporatization, plus a rise in homelessness and drug use.
Escapism from LA presents artists from these two cities who explore a broad notion of escape. For some it is an opportunity for personal growth and spiritual revolution, but for others it can be a vortex that can swallow body, mind, and soul via drugs, cults, depression, and other side effects of the search for the American Dream.