Joshua Petker // Black Sugar October 4, 2008

Corey Helford Gallery presents


Joshua Petker
“Black Sugar”
Opening Reception Saturday, October 4, 2008 from 7 to 10pm
On View October 4 until October 22, 2008

Corey Helford Gallery
8522 Washington Boulevard
Culver City, CA 90232
T: 310-287-2340
www.coreyhelfordgallery.com
Open Tuesday - Saturday, Noon to 6:00pm

Corey Helford Gallery is proud to present “Black Sugar”, a solo exhibition of new works by Los Angeles artist Joshua Petker. For his first solo show in Los Angeles as well as at Corey Helford, Petker creates an ethereal world filled with mysterious muses and enchanting sirens that is as colorful and opulent as the neon palette he paints from. Influenced by history, fashion and the pursuit of beauty, the artist infuses his imagery with a potent mix of lost love, stolen hearts, sexual longing, and spiritual death. “Black Sugar” reveals a secret garden filled with Petker’s signature dark flowers, while expanding the visual vocabulary of his landscapes with the introduction of new elements such as unicorns, butterflies and wolves. The exhibition will feature Petker’s acrylic-on-panel works in a larger size and scale than before, as well as unveil a limited-edition giclee print available in four colorways. “Black Sugar” opens to the public on Saturday, October 4 from 7 to 10pm, and the exhibition will be on view until October 22, 2008.


Born and raised in California, Joshua Petker spent his youth between San Francisco and Los Angeles. He attended The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington where he earned a BA in Social Science and Biblical Archeology. However, it was writing graffiti at age fourteen that laid the groundwork for his fine art career. A self-taught painter, Petker studied Western literature, art and culture, taking cues from Vincent Van Gogh and Gustav Klimt to Andy Warhol and Darby Crash. In 2005, Petker’s work was selected by LACMA curator Howard Fox to be included in the museum’s Art Here and Now program, and his paintings have garnered sold-out exhibitions at numerous galleries on the West Coast. Petker’s growing list of collectors include Jennifer Nicholson, Kevin Smith and Davey Havok, and this past year, he collaborated with Jared Gold’s Black Chandelier label to create a collection of exclusive limited-edition products. For more information about Joshua Petker, please visit www.joshuapetker.com.

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