Black Market at Black Maria: Skip the Mall November 17, 2007

Black Market at Black Maria: Skip the Mall

17 November – 5 January 2008

Opening Reception: Saturday 17th November, 7:00 – 10:30pm

Black Maria Gallery: 3137 Glendale Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90039
Gallery Hours: Tuesday – Saturday, 12pm until 6pm (or by appointment)

Exclusive release of Kathie Olivas’ Benny and Red Bird – Vintage Colorway.

Artists: Kathie Olivas, Brandt Peters, Brooks Salzwedel, Jennybird Alcantara, Katherine Chiu, Billy Reynolds, Patrick Haemmerlein, Sam Saga, Jenn Porreca, Renee Lawter, Grace Chee, Sarah Stephens, Caitlin Keegan, Paulo Vinluan, Aaron Hitchcock, Jeremy Pruitt (Thinkmule), Darryl Blood, Alex Noriega, Ronald Llanos, Miss Withers, Melissa Contreras (Axel Honey), Angie Mason, Jon Measures, Takara, Jarrod Eastman, Casey O’Connell, Glory Tsui, Jay Wittenburg and teRk.

The “Black Market at Black Maria” exhibition will carry a bazaar theme, complete with some of the accoutrements of the shopping experience: paintings suspended on clothing hangers, displayed in shoe boxes and on display stands holding a variety of artworks.

The idea is to both poke gentle fun at the cosmopolitan shopping experience and, on a serious note, remind ourselves of the spiritual rewards of appreciating and owning great art. In keeping with the shopping mall theme, patrons will also be able to take with them whatever they purchase, just as they would in a store.

A painting can be as satisfying as wearing a sexy dress or owning a feature-laden barbecue, except there is an actual, sometimes life-changing meaning waiting to be derived from a work of art. Hence the subtitle of the exhibition: Skip the Mall.

“Black Market” is quintessential Black Maria, showing the work of emerging artists and established artists side by side. It is a great opportunity to see work by artists with international collectors as well as by artists who will be showing their work outside of an academic environment for the first time.

In conjunction with the exhibition, Kathie Olivas and Brandt Peters will at the gallery’s store, Under the Table, from 5:00 pm to 6:30 pm for a signing. The opening is also the official release of Kathie Olivas’ Vintage Colorway of her Benny and Red Bird vinyl figures. Both Kathie and Brandt will be signing their vinyl figures as well as prints made exclusively for Black Maria Gallery. A raffle of one of Kathie Olivas’ custom vinyl figures will be one of the highlights of the evening.

Official Website: http://www.blackmariagallery.com