"Looking Glass" Set to Open at bG Gallery May 28th!

On Saturday, May 30 bG Gallery presents "Looking Glass," a group show featuring surreal and fantasy works. Curator and galley director Om Bleicher reached out to artists that featured a surrealistic approach to their works. He said he thought the art of Ty Cummings would work well in the show.

A pop/street artist, Cummings received his BFA from the School of Visual Arts in New York in 2008, as well as an MFA from CalArts in Los Angeles in 2012. Working with all types of found items and alternative tools such as glitter spray, puzzle pieces, charcoal etc., Cummings has been creating art since he was in his teens. He is also a talented sculptor.

"The painting Every" was inspired by momentum, said the artist. "I work on art everyday and put in the hours, said Cummings. “There’s a lot of aspects to being an artist besides just painting; I paint often. Cummings went on to say that he noticed changes in his work recently and over time. "There are always new things I want to incorporate into the work. The concepts build off of each other and the story keeps moving." His art has been on view at HIVE Gallery, LACDA, Santa Monica Art Studios and The Downtown Playground, as well as in the Brewery Art Walk, Venice Art Crawl and pop-up spaces such as 800 Main and Windward Plaza.For more information about the art of Ty Cummings, visit tycummings.com

Bleicher had a similar feeling about the work of Jim Holyoak. He explained, "Jim Holyoak is currently traveling the world for his Nowherland solo show in November he's done a number of collaborative installations with artist Matt Shane and a great one will be featured in the show."

Holyoak has exhibited over a dozen times at the gallery and is showing a three-way collaborative drawing. “This is a drawing of my friend and fellow artist, Matt Shane, transformed into an otter,” said Holyoak. “It is a highly realistic depiction.”

Om's amazing,” said Marcus Durkheim…”so many different show themes, collection of artists and consistently high quality – he's a super nice guy, responsible, honest and a real pleasure to work with.”
Durkheim’s work is about perception…”The illusive nature of physical reality. Our beliefs and preconceived ideas prejudice our responses to everything around us. This body of work is created under a pseudonym with the intent of inserting an additional layer of ambiguity; questioning assumptions and conclusions.”

Bleicher continued, "Marcus Durkheim explores seemingly mundane objects symbolize larger philosophical questions about human understanding and interpretation of existence. The illusive nature of physical reality, individual beliefs and preconceived ideas prejudice our responses to everything around us."

Another artist exhibiting work in “Looking Glass” is Cory Sewelson. One of his works, titled Big Top is from his series Fun House, which explores the metaphor of a Fun House, (the piece is titled Fun House as well). “This painting is from a series called Fun House,” explained Sewelson. “Continuing my interest in how we use architecture to relate to the world, I’m exploring the metaphor of the fun house. These attractions are familiar amusement park experiences noted for illusions and sensory surprises.”

See image: Cory Sewelson, “Big Top” 2015, 10 x 8” acrylic, oil on panel

 Enjoy the art of Gay Summer Rick, Bob Branaman, Nathan Cartwright, Brian Cooper, Ty Cummings, Wangechi Mutu, Jerry Uelsmann, Ed Freeman, Dan Busta, Marcus Durkheim, Cory Sewelson, Jim Holyoak, Airom and more. 

Don't miss the opening reception of "Looking Glass" on Saturday, May 28^th from 5-8pm at bG Gallery (G8A) at Bergamot Station 2525 Michigan Ave., in Santa Monica. The exhibition will run 5/28/16 - 6/5/16. 

Call 310 906-4211 for additional information, or visit bGArtGalleries.com