High And Dry, Smoke And Fog 07.0620
07

a group show curated by Price Latimer

June 15 – July 6, 2007

Opening Reception: Friday, June 15, 2007 • 6 – 9 pm

featuring artwork by:

Jason Adams, Mattia Biagi, Jennifer Celio, Deborah Fisher, Whitey Flagg, Adam Harteau, Michael Markowsky, Blue McRight, Joel Morrison, Robert Rauschenberg, Robert Reynolds, Ed Ruscha, Eddie Ruscha, Lola Scarpitta, Salvatore Scarpitta, Kim Schoenstadt, Christoph Schmidberger, Chloe Sells, Shelter Serra, Nikki Van Pelt and Jeremy Wagner

in conjunction with Phantom Galleries LA
269 N. Beverly Drive
Beverly Hills, CA 90210

High and Dry, Smoke and Fog is inspired by cars… the joy, the freedom, the mechanics, the dependence, the status symbol, the technology, the social responsibility, the sex appeal, the pollution, the speed, the danger, the commute, the traffic, the exhilarating road trip, the urban sprawl and the transportation conundrum.  The artwork in this exhibition addresses the paradox of these topics; some works evoke it directly, some abstrusely. The work also illustrates the general human desire for movement and exploration, and how mankind’s pioneering, adventurous spirit has come to manifest itself today in our motor transportation.  Particularly in Los Angeles – the American metropolis supreme – whose complicated relationship with cars, traffic and transportation is both fascinating and poignant.  L.A. is the only major city that was entirely shaped by the automobile.  In 1964, Marshall McLuhan said, “The car has become an article of dress without which we feel uncertain, unclad, and incomplete.” Currently, Los Angeles County is in the top ten dirtiest counties in the U.S. for air pollution.

Phantom Galleries LA is a Los Angeles County-based organization that transforms unoccupied storefronts and spaces into temporary art galleries.  Exhibits are curated by local arts organizations, Los Angeles-based galleries, independent curators, and Los Angeles-based artists.  The project gives artists an opportunity to exhibit their work, while promoting the creative community to a broader audience and keeping the area looking vital and culturally exciting.   The spaces are lit and on view 24 hours a day. Phantom Galleries LA is grateful for the support from the City of Beverly Hills Economic Development Division.

Artwork below:
Jason Adams, Cadillac Ranch, 2007 (series of 6 paintings), Acrylic and spray paint on panel, 48” x 60” each
Mattia Biagi, moTARcycle, 2007, Tar covered vintage 1970’s dirtbike, 82” x 33” x 52”
Jennifer Celio, Tranceport, 2006, Pencil on panel, 60” x 72”
Jennifer Celio, Lakewood Produce, 2006, Graphite and colored pencil on panel, 60” x 60”
Jennifer Celio, Gossiping in the field, 2006, Pencil on panel, 60” x 60”
Whitey Flagg, The Grand Inquisitor, 2007, Acrylic on canvas, 64″ x 80″
Whitey Flagg, She Doesn’t Care If You Forget About Her, 2007, Acrylic on canvas, 60″ x 60.5″
Adam Harteau, 13,000 Miles, 2007, Dirt, traintrack, glue and model, Dimensions variable (approx. 15’ x  20’)
Michael Markowsky, Driving Drawings, 2004-2007, Japanese sumi ink on paper and other media, dimensions variable
Blue McRight, Wildlife – series of 8 paintings (Marlin, Cougar, Eagle, Falcon, Mustang, Sable, Skylark), 1996, Oil on canvas, 9″ x 12″; Courtesy of Patricia Faure Gallery
Joel Morrison, Untitled (Black), 2004, Powder-coated fiberglass over found objects and Formica, 77” x 39” x 31”, Courtesy of the Paul Rusconi Collection
Robert Rauschenberg, Untitled (82.067), 1982, Solvent transfer, bicycle part, t-shirt, paper, fabric, acrylic and oil on panel, 37 1/8” x 36 5/8”, Courtesy of the Paul Rusconi Collection
Robert Reynolds, Spirit Car, 2006, Steel pencil wire, cellophane tape, 58″ x 186″ x 60″
Ed Ruscha, Wrench, 1996, Acrylic and oil on canvas, 36” x 30”, Courtesy of the Paul Rusconi Collection
Ed Ruscha, Vacant Lots, 1970/2003, series of four silver-gelatin prints, mounted to board with mats, 30 1/2 x 30 x 2 inches each (framed), Edition of 35, Courtesy of Patrick Painter Editions
Eddie Ruscha, The Last Second, 2004, Acrylic on canvas, 30” x 30″
Kim Schoenstadt, Border Object Series: Pan to Medium Close-up, 2002-2003, Pencil, oil stick and pastel on paper, 31″ x 40.25”
Kim Schoenstadt, Border Object Series: Close-up, 2002-2003, Pencil, oil stick, acrylic and pastel on paper, Approx. 40.25” x 30”
Christoph Schmidberger, Es Wird Bald Hell und wir Holen Nicht Ewig Zeit, Oil, acrylic and graphite on MDF, 16.5” x 12”, Courtesy of the Paul Rusconi Collection
Chloe Sells, Asok and Sukhumvit, 2004, Digital C-Print, Edition 3/9, 40” x 50”
Shelter Serra, Velocity, 2007, cast resin, dimensions variable; Shelter Serra, Split Time (Hummer 2), 2007, Foam, wire, MDF, dimensions variable
Nikki Van Pelt, Easy Rider, 2004, Acrylic on canvas, 67” x 77”
Jeremy Wagner, When Too Much Isn’t Enuff, 2006, Oil on panel, 50” x 62”