Menu
The New Contemporary Art Magazine

Opening Night: Lola’s “The Younger” at 80Forty Gallery

On Saturday night, Los Angeles pop-up space 80Forty transformed into Lola's "The Younger". Her exhibition, 2-years in the making, tells the personal story of Lola's creative upbringing in an environment full of personal touches. The space included her own fireplace mantel, as seen in our studio visit, with decorative furniture and 3d pieces on display. As the title suggests, we follow the 'younger' Lola into adulthood through a series of playful symbolism. In her youth, Lola spent time drawing with her father, also an artist, and playing with the toys inherited from her grandparents. These experiences find their way into her paintings, featuring Alice in Wonderland-like little girls in whimsical situations.

On Saturday night, Los Angeles pop-up space 80Forty transformed into Lola’s “The Younger”. Her exhibition, 2-years in the making, tells the personal story of Lola’s creative upbringing in an environment full of personal touches. The space included her own fireplace mantel, as seen in our studio visit, with decorative furniture and 3d pieces on display. As the title suggests, we follow the ‘younger’ Lola into adulthood through a series of playful symbolism. In her youth, Lola spent time drawing with her father, also an artist, and playing with the toys inherited from her grandparents. These experiences find their way into her paintings, featuring Alice in Wonderland-like little girls in whimsical situations. They are portrayed having breakfast with Star Trek dolls and Pez dispensers, and playing piano with Pac-man ghosts.


Life imitates art: Lola poses with her painting on opening night.

Despite her imagery’s youthfulness, there is a lingering shadow of a now mature, more self-aware Lola. When we met, Lola shared, “I kept my work, visually, more light-hearted to help ease through those real life circumstances… As the years have gone on, I’ve been compelled to challenge myself to create more difficult imagery as I continue to learn my craft.” Over time, our memory becomes a version of experiences jumbled together. Lola’s evolved into a surreal vision crafted from lessons learned and a growing imagination.

“The Younger” by Lola is now on view at 80Forty in Los Angeles through January 3, 2015.

Meta
Share
Facebook
Reddit
Pinterest
Email
Related Articles
Calling his surreal paintings “suspended moments,” artist Erik Thor Sandberg captures ongoing narratives that exist before and after the scene in question. Whether it’s a towering skeleton consuming flesh or a fairytale-like jaunt between fantasy creatures, Sandberg’s paintings offer both whimsy and unsettling spectacle. He was last featured on HiFructose.com here.
Widely considered one of China’s most significant contemporary artists, Zhong Biao creates surrealistic paintings that contemplate the passage of time, especially as it applies to China's urban evolution. His explosive and colorful paintings are a visual collage of imagery representing his personal experiences, layered in with references to politics and contemporary Chinese society. These references include images of children in 1960s Cultural Revolution-era clothing, Han Dynasty terracotta figurines, beauty pageant imagery, and English language banners. Often, his works portray realistic figures that that seem to defy gravity, leaping and flying over spaces of blank canvas, set against dystopian Chinese cityscapes shown at different angles.
To the world, Salvador Dalí was an eccentric Surrealist and animation pioneer Walt Disney was a notorious dreamer. But to each other, they were fierce friends and collaborators. Although the unlikely pair grew up worlds apart, they found one another through their art, and their work together has endured long after their lifetime. The history of this remarkable friendship between two icons is explored in a new exhibition titled "Disney and Dalí: Architects of the Imagination" at The Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco.
Move aside Wes Anderson. Todd Baxter’s “Owl Scouts” look like stills from a movie, but they are part of a dark and exciting photo series that sparks the imagination. This ongoing series follows two fictional scouts experiencing life’s challenges and misadventures. They experience every danger the wilderness has to offer, from nearly drowning to being swept up by a tornado. The custom badges worn on their sleeves tell an untold story of happier times of riding grizzly bears and deer. Upon closer inspection, it’s easy to forget these are photos. The color and lighting is surreal, the details are impeccable, and the scenes are other-worldly, often terrifying. Read more after the jump.

Subscribe to the Hi-Fructose Mailing List