Erik Jones (Hi-Fructose Vol. 27) and Tran Nguyen (Hi-Fructose Vol. 30), one based in New York and the other in Georgia, create aesthetically complementary work that balances figuration (primarily, seductive, mysterious women in various states of undress) with a focus on abstraction. The two artists will be shown side-by-side in “New Works,” opening at Thinkspace Gallery in Culver City on March 1. Known for her portraits of shy, contemplative ladies reposed over disproportionately small landscapes, Nguyen created a new series of mixed-media works that demonstrate an evolution of subject matter. Her new characters are much more abrasive than the former, passive, supine ones, donning theatrical grimaces that reveal pain behind their laughter.
Meanwhile, Jones’s new work veers into more abstract territory. Influenced by fashion designers such as Alexander McQueen, he allows his figures to be subsumed in ornamental patterns. Several of the pieces in the show exclude the figure all together, instead bombarding the viewer with a kaleidoscopic range of color.
Tran Nguyen and Erik Jones’s “New Work” will be on view at Thinkspace March 1 – March 22.