For five years in a row, Beyond Eden Art Fair in Los Angeles has been like an oasis of collaboration in an increasingly competitive market and growing contemporary art scenes. Over the course of that time, galleries have come and gone, but Thinkspace Gallery, Copro Gallery, C.A.V.E. Gallery, and San Francisco’s Spoke Art galleries have remained a central part of the event. Well over 5,000 people were in attendance at the fair’s final installment this past weekend at the historic Barnsdall Art Park. This year’s event was as eclectic as ever, featuring works spanning Graffiti, Abstract, Surrealism, and other pop-culture influenced styles.
Rock poster inspired fine art by Chuck Sperry, exhibited by Spoke Art Gallery at Beyond Eden Art Fair.
Artist Chuck Sperry with his prints on wood on opening night of the event.
Galleries booked separate areas within the Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, creating a visual landscape by the broad scope of their respective artists. Thinkspace Gallery offered a group exhibition of both archival and new works from their roster, one of the largest in the game at over 100 artists. This was complimented by Australian transplant Meggs’ “Paving Paradise”, which we previewed in our studio visit with the artist. Featuring easily-recognizable symbols of nature and development, Megg’s paintings and installation of painted parking cones express his growing environmental concerns. Thinkspace also joined together with C.A.V.E. Gallery to exhibit Los Angeles based street artist Mear One’s new body of work titled “Cognitive Dissonance”. A recurring artist at previous Beyond Eden events, it was only fitting that this also be Mear One’s first major solo exhibition in Los Angeles.
Beyond Eden Art Fair exhibited artwork in dedication to the late artist “Lord of Lowbrow”, The Pizz.
Copro Gallery’s segment featured artists Matt Dangler, Mark Garro, Candice Tripp, Jeff Gillette, Olivia, Stephanie Inagaki, Germs, Dark Vomit, Geoffrey Gersten, and countless others. The gallery also organized a memorial tribute to late “Lord of Lowbrow” The Pizz, who we lost earlier this year. The spirit of rock and roll and 1960s psychedelia was alive and well at Spoke Art’s exhibition, showcasing Chuck Sperry’s latest series titled “Muses LA”. Based on the theme of Orphic Dionysian mysteries, Sperry’s contemporary-classical muses are drawn in his signature fusion of poster and fine art. The art fair opened the evening of October 3rd at Barnsdall Park in Los Angeles, and was on view until October 4th. Take a look at our photos from Beyond Eden below.
Photos by Mik Luxon.