Next month, painter Alex Gross returns with his first show in a decade in Los Angeles, where he lives and works. For most, "Antisocial Network" may conjure images of handheld devices and laptop screens, yet this show takes a broader approach to the term. Smartphones, VR headsets, corporate branding, and internal preoccupation all offer a different take on what the artist intends with this new collection at Corey Helford Gallery. The show kicks off Feb. 25 and lasts through March 25. Gross was last featured on HiFructose.com here.
Hypnagogia is the barely-conscious state right before we drift off to sleep, where dreams and reality mix for a brief moment. It is also the title of Koplin Del Rio Gallery's upcoming group show in Los Angeles, showing April 11 through May 23. "Hypnagogia" features a collection of colorful, surreal works from Alex Gross (HF Vol. 21), F. Scott Hess, Josh Dorman, Mikel Glass, and Jerry Meyer. Floating specters, anthropomorphic objects, and psychedelic dreamscapes abound in this varied array of figurative paintings. Check out our preview below.
What determines an artist's most pivotal master-work? It could be near impossible to articulate, a question with more than one answer; workmanship, extraordinary design, originality, and influence on other artists. On Thursday night, Long Beach Museum of Art (LBMA) presented this to gallery goers with "Masterworks: Defining A New Narrative". The exhibition showcases 14 massive, critically acclaimed paintings by curator Nathan Spoor, Jeff McMillan, Esao Andrews, Sean Cheetham, Natalia Fabia, Alex Gross, James Jean, Josh Keyes, Mario Martinez, Greg Simkins, Nicola Verlato, Eric White, Aron Wiesenfeld, and Martin Wittfooth.
Long Beach Museum of Art (LBMA) presents Masterworks: Defining A New Narrative opening October 23. Masterworks consists of 14 large-scale paintings by accomplished artists who have been charged with providing a singular work that could be considered pivotal in their careers. Coinciding with the exhibition opening, the museum will present its premiere event LBMA After Dark featuring live entertainment from 7pm-10pm. For more information please visit www.lbma.org.
Thursday night's opening of Alex Gross's "Future Tense" at Jonathan LeVine Gallery in New York's Chelsea district greeted viewers with a heavy dose of consumer culture. The exhibition initially comes off as accessible and playfully reflective of modern addictions, yet the works as a group are rather grim and much harder to swallow than their glossy, candy-colored exteriors would suggest.
Los Angeles-based artist Alex Gross (featured in HF Vol. 21) recently completed a series of oil paintings and mixed-media works for his upcoming show, "Future Tense," opening October 9 at NYC's Jonathan LeVine Gallery. His bright new works utilize realist techniques with such perfectionism that his characters more closely resemble Photoshopped models in magazines than anyone we'd encounter in real life. This glossy look adds to the impact of Gross's underlying cultural critique. Always plugged in and connected, his characters seem far from engaged in the present moment. While they pacify themselves with smartphones and junk food, their gazes look vacant and their happiness, fleeting.