LOS ANGELES, CA.- LAUNCH Gallery is presenting two Los Angeles based artists, both alumni of the Cal State Long Beach undergraduate painting program, and their deeply personal new paintings inspired by memories of the past while simultaneously using the work to contemplate contemporary society and their place in it.
Filipina immigrant Clarisse Abelarde uses her oil paintings to navigate themes of displacement and identity in modern times dependent on social media and all-to-often abbreviated interpersonal interactions. Clarisse strives to negotiate the quick, often insincere, frenetic energy of the digital realm with the slower, contemplative nature of oil painting to explore and reflect on contemporary society and her own personal journey through it.
Central to my artistic vocabulary is the motif of repetition, a nod to the ubiquitous presence of digital symbols in our social media-driven landscape. Through exaggerated portrayals of online antics, I seek to underline the stark dichotomy between the superficiality of virtual interactions and the profound introspection that is becoming increasingly rare in the human condition, urging you to pause and reflect. In a world where the mundane and the extraordinary converge with alarming frequency, my art serves as a poignant reminder of the enduring power of human emotion amidst the digital maelstrom.
In her new mixed media series Inherited Interiors, Ana Rodriguez recalls joyful memories of her upbringing using extravagant colors, sinuous shapes and syrupy textures. Ana’s inspiration is firmly rooted in the decorative arts and nostalgia of her California working-class upbringing. She skillfully engages the function of pattern and decoration while celebrating their lasting cultural implications.
I explore objects of ritual used to adorn the home as a way to visualize the social construct of objects in interior settings. At its very core, Inherited Interiors engages in this dialogue on how patterns and decoration within the home contribute to a large framework of social and individual constructs.
Clarisse Abelarde received a BFA in drawing and painting at CSU Long Beach and four associate degrees in General Arts, Liberal Arts, Studio Art, and Art History at Los Angeles City College. Abelarde recently completed the Quinn-Emanuel artist-in-residence and founded Nous-Ance Projects, an online platform for artist interviews, blogs, and annual exhibitions in Los Angeles. Her work has been featured in publications such as Hyperallergic, Primary Magazine, and The City of LA Department of Cultural Affairs Calendar and Cultural Guide. Abelarde’s paintings have been shown in galleries such as Superchief Gallery, Residency Art Gallery, Stay Gallery, and much more. Abelarde lives and works in the heart of Downtown Los Angeles amid the hustle and bustle of city life, which serves as her inspiration daily.
Ana Rodriguez grew up in the small community of Maywood, California, which is adjacent to the industrial cities of Commerce and Vernon and their numerous chemical plants, refineries, public waste areas and foundries. Rodriguez combines resources that range from kitchen cabinet liners, linoleum flooring, wallpaper, fabric from her dolls and toys, clothing that her mother made her as a child, family pictures, and memory. The mix of sources is reflected in Rodriguez's paintings that combine brightly colored gesture painting against the decorative pattern. Ana Rodriguez earned a BFA from California State University, Long Beach (2007) and an MFA from Otis College of Art and Design (2009).
