Dan Quintana in the “Espionage II” group show
The upcoming weekend is a big one for Santa Monica’s Copro Gallery. Mark Garro’s solo show, “Peace, Love & B29s,” “The Convergence” group show guest-curated by Nathan Spoor and “Espionage II,” a follow-up to the Miami Basel Week group show “Espionage,” all open this Saturday, March 22. In all three exhibitions, the chosen artists merge a certain seductiveness and delicacy with morbid elements. In “Peace, Love & B29s,” Garro’s fourth solo show with Copro, the artist hearkens back to the hippie counterculture of the ’60s, convoluting dreamy, psychedelic elements with allusions to the destructive militarism of the era. Nude nymphettes (who, given Garro’s conceptual starting point for this body of work, could easily evoke the long-haired, topless women in video footage of Woodstock) contend with strange monsters that tinge the surrounding idyllic landscapes with a sense of foreboding.
The artists in “The Convergence” were chosen by guest curator Nathan Spoor for their aesthetics more than for any overarching conceptual thread. Many of the artists, like Winnie Truong, So Youn Lee and Soey Milk, balance traditionally-feminine, pretty details with whiffs of taboo. Truong’s braids and long hair, drawn with colored pencil, become shadow-like skulls. In Milk’s drawing, flowers encircle the protagonist, who, upon closer inspection, appears to be wearing what resembles a bondage mask and donning an expression of carnal gratification.
Much of the work in “Espionage II” is decidedly darker. Chris Mars’s oil paintings make viewers’ skins crawl with their visceral textures. Dan Quintana, known for his highly-refined painting style, deconstructs his protagonist in Spectre 3 with beige paintstrokes that appear scar-like on the character’s skin.
“Peace, Love & B29s,” “The Convergence” and “Espionage II” will be on view March 22 – April 15.
John Brophy in the “Espionage II” group show
Eric Fortune in the “Espionage II” group show
Chris Mars in the “Espionage II” group show
Evergence by Mark Garro in “Peace, Love & B29s.”
Love by Mark Garro in “Peace, Love & B29s.”
Phoenix by Mark Garro in “Peace, Love & B29s.”
Winnie Truong in “The Convergence” group show
Jason Limon in “The Convergence” group show
JeanPaul Mallozzi in “The Convergence” group show
Jen Lobo in “The Convergence” group show
Kikyz1313 in “The Convergence” group show
So Youn Lee in “The Convergence” group show
Soey Milk in “The Convergence” group show
Yevgeniya Mikhailik in “The Convergence” group show
