LUST LETTERS
PRESENTED BY CHINATOWN’S COAGULA CURATORIAL
OPENS FEBRUARY 16, 7-11pm
An exhibition exploring the juncture where literature and fine art meet with the longings of the flesh with works by Tim Youd, Gajin Fujita, Erica Rawlings and Bruce Richards
Co-curated by Joan Aarestad and Mat Gleason, the four artists featured in Lust Letters include:
Tim Youd works in various forms and much of his work has been inspired by writers such as Philip Roth, Celine, and Henry Miller. Recently he has turned to Anais Nin’s evocative Delta of Venus for inspiration. His 33-foot long diptych, based on Nin’s Delta of Venus, is derived from the stories found in the antique pages of Nin’s erotica and retyped by the artist himself; in subordinating the actual pages of Nin’s text to his own creative process, Youd frees literature from the lofty perch of literary pretense and sets it free in the decadence of its own raw and physical context.
The exhibition includes major works by Gajin Fujita, the ground breaking Los Angeles artist famous for merging the iconography of erotic Edo-era Japanese woodblock prints with contemporary graffiti subcultures in vibrant paintings. In his paintings, Fujita blends a rich diversity of cultural influences that range from traditional Japanese ukiyo-e to contemporary manga; from American pop culture, to East L.A. Street-life iconography and graffiti. Fujita also combines a variety of process techniques and media.
Underground artist Erica Rawlings’ installation for the gallery is comprised of hundreds of handmade lace Valentine hearts sewn by the artist as a poetic evocation of the neuroses of a billion failed relationships.
The nationally celebrated, allegorical painter Bruce Richards, uses semiotics in his precise and masterful paintings to guide viewers on a clue-filled journey of passion and intrigue.
