Downtown, Los Angeles
Group Exhibition
Oasis
La Loma ProjectsPaul Davies Raffi Kalenderian Annie Lapin Jasmine Little An oasis is a fertile place in the desert where water is found. It is at once a flourishing place full of life, as well as a location that provides refuge, relief, or a pleasant contrast. The works in this exhibition are inspired by the landscapes that immediately surround us, and offer diverse visual representations of environments that exist as Oasis—a haven, sanctuary and retreat. Primarily figurative, and often underpinned by abstraction, the large-scale surreal-like paintings provide otherworldly narratives that shift in and out of focus. Rich surfaces are a magnet on which bold pigments vibrate and infuse the artists’ works with a palpable energy. Annie Lapin distorts her compositions to create meditative works that provide a window onto the outside world. Earthtending, 2018–2024 and Inverted World (Hudson Valley Temporal Prism 1), 2024 portray scenes of water and light that are imbued with the atmosphere of searching for a faraway place. Furthermore, Jasmine Little’s depiction of lush and kaleidoscopic flora and fauna highlights a unique diversity of materiality and approach that is juxtaposed with Raffi Kalenderian’s mysterious and hypnotic interior scenes encompassing his Self-Portrait, 2023 and Chelito Reading, 2023. For Paul Davies, his deployment of collage, stencil, and direct sunlight in the preliminary stages of creating the work allow him to load the symbol of the house with associations while inviting feelings of nostalgia. This technique appears most prominently in his depiction of the landmark Paul R. Williams Theme Building at Los Angeles International Airport in Belvedere Loop, of which another example exists in the photographic drawing series in The Getty collection. Close observation of these works is rewarded by finding intricate and delicate details in each scene. The exhibition creates an internal space for learning, maturing and growing the spiritual self. An oasis of calm in the center of the city, the gallery becomes a home and a community where geographically and stylistically diverse influences gather and thrive. Anastasija Jevtovic is an independent curator based in New York, NY. She has collaborated with leading galleries and museums internationally including Lévy Gorvy Dayan, Richard Saltoun Gallery, The Calder Foundation, The Contemporary Arts Center, New Orleans and Bloomsbury Festival, London. She has served in advocacy roles for the Whitechapel Gallery, Morgan Library & Museum, The Watermill Center and Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum.