On Saturday (Feb. 25), three solo exhibitions fill the spaces at Copro Gallery in Santa Monica. The features artists are Chris Mars, Amadine Urruty, and Ciou, each creating dreamlike worlds that can be both warm and unsettling.
A new set of oil paintings by Mars explore the artist’s relationship with his brother, who was institutionalized during various periods. “The sensitivity and empathy Chris developed relative to these experiences are evident in his visual art, which serves to raise awareness of the various issues associated with mental illness and its treatment, as well as confronting xenophobia in its various social and psychological incarnations,” the gallery says.
Urruty creates surreal graphite drawings on paper that combine different pop culture iconography and characters with wholly new situations and figures. In this effort, she’s “borrowing from the mass of objects and second hand toys with their fundamental ambivalence, being wicked & peaceful, decorative and saturated at the same time.”
Ciou’s mixed-media works use collage, ink, and acrylics on wood for vibrant results. She cites a range of influences, from Victorian art and Japanese culture to a vintage aesthetic that carried throughout the previous century in the U.S. Many of these works depict “witch-y nature burlesque girls and their strange animal companions.”
With Halloween just around the corner, it's time for 
Do you recall the disappointed feeling from childhood, when someone told you the imaginary creations of your pretend games were not real? Painter 
