Art Opening featuring – Away From The Things Of Man New works by Kathleen Lolley

Thinkspace is proud to present:
...Away From The Things Of Man
New works by Kathleen Lolley

Opening Reception: Friday, May 8th 7-11PM
On View: May 8th – Jun. 5th, 2009

(Los Angeles, CA) …Away From The Things Of Man is the first solo exhibition at our gallery from Lousville, Kentucky-based artist Kathleen Lolley. Her debut Los Angeles solo exhibition will feature an array of works on wood as well as several large die-cut figures that will help to make up a very special installation.

In addition to Lolley’s solo exhibit in our main gallery, we will also be presenting the debut Los Angeles solo show from Virginia based artist Allison Sommers in our project room along with new works on our ‘Fresh Faces’ wall from Brazil based artist João Ruas.

…Away From The Things Of Man from Kathleen Lolley:
This show consists of oil paintings, drawings and wooden sculptures. Each painting is pure fantasy. They are vignettes of an alternate universe where beasts live harmoniously. The characters often find themselves in the woods performing secret rituals of transformation. For Kathleen, animals take center stage in her work, they represent the connection of the spirit world to the everyday world. Another inspiration is the place in which she lives, Louisville, which is a city surrounded by rugged woodlands.

Kathleen Lolley (born 1978 in Marshfield, Wisconsin) moved to Kentucky nine months after her birth. She spent her childhood split between Louisville, KY and Pittsburgh, PA. She attended California Institute of the Arts and received a BFA in experimental Animation. While at Calarts she experimented with hand-crafted stop motion puppets. This experience introduced her to the world of comics and sequential art. In addition to working on various commercial animations, including Nickelodeon’s Sponge Bob Squarepants and titles for the movie Willard, Kathleen has created a handful of short films.

Storytelling still plays a prominent role in her work. Kathleen's work explores themes of nature , fantasy & critters trying to break the spell of day to day heartbreak. She currently resides in Kentucky where she spends her time making crafts, comics and fine art.

Artist Website: http://www.lolleyland.com/
Sneak Peek of ‘…Away From The Things Of Man’:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thinkspace ... 442767303/

Also opening on Friday, May 8th in our project room:
‘A Brief History’ from Allison Sommers

Artist Statement:
A Brief History explores a culture of long-necked creatures. Fleshy and often nattily-dressed, they are prone to quarrel, consume, and bed each other with hedonistic abandon. Their footing with the creatures around them is ambiguous and often contentious; they are both predator and prey to the Rudi Cats, 'sweet' young humans, and other beasts around them.

Artist Bio:
Abandoning deference for playful irreverence, Allison Sommers draws on her interests in renaissance and baroque art, toying with staid motifs and trading solemnity for nose-thumbing whimsy. She delights in deconstructing the seriousness of historical tropes of art, and tempers sweetness with subtle touches of dark foreboding and sexual deviance.

Allison Sommers studied early modern history at the University of Virginia, where she was able to legitimize a lifelong love of the historical narratives and themes of the Old World, much of which continue to inform her work. She currently works as an art director for a newsweekly in Charlottesville, Virginia, where she lives with her partner Gerrit and their hedgehog, Ludwig. She has previously exhibited work at Thinkspace (Los Angeles), Ad Hoc (NYC), Gallery1988 (Los Angeles and San Francisco), Distinction Gallery (Escondido), DvA Gallery (Chicago), and at the Gen Art Vanguard New Contemporary Art Fair at Art Basel Miami.

Artist Website: http://allisonsommers.typepad.com/
Artist Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/on_a_boutade
Sneak Peek at ‘A Brief History’:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thinkspace ... 526358662/

PLUS on our 'Fresh Faces' wall this May:
‘Inner Myth Pt.
1' from João Ruas

Artist Statement:
Mythology has always been a subject for arts due to the fantastic yet real features they capture of the human psyche. With this series of works, I will explore the subject once more, trying to establish connections between actions or situations and mythological characters that represent the many faces necessary to construct one personality.

Artist Bio:
Born in Brazil, 28-year old artist João Paulo Alvares Ruas was still a young child when his interest for visual art started to grow. Comic books were his first bridge to lines and colors, during high school much of his time was devoted to creative thinking due to the almost alternative education institution he studied under. Later, he took Design as his choice in University.

After a three year stint in London, João went back to his home town, São Paulo, where he works and lives.

Artist Website: http://souvlaki.jp-ar.org/

Sneak Peek at ‘Inner Myth Pt. 1’:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thinkspace ... 233967481/

*ALL THREE ARTISTS WILL BE IN TOWN FOR THE OPENING*

Coming up this June:
Sarah Joncas “Beneath The Seams”
+ Kelly Vivanco “The Conservatory” in our project room
& “Portraits Of The Unknown” from Tran Nguyen as part of our ‘Fresh Faces’ series

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