Cohort - Shrine Los Angeles
Cohort - Shrine Los Angeles
Curated by Thea Smolinski
November 4 - December 21, 2023
Review by: Timothy LeBlanc
If you asked an outsider what the artists had in common in Cohort at Shrine Los Angeles, they would probably say that they all are abstract artists. That is of course not wrong, but it is far from what brought them all together. The group was trained in a world made special by the particularities of Los Angeles.
The art programs and dedicated universities are special for a variety of reasons. Professors are not just working artists but some of the most important artists in the city. UCLA has had or has Candice Lin, John Baldassari, Barbara Kruger, and Catharine Opie. USC, though it has had its share of issues, still has Suzanne Lacy and Rubin Ochoa. CalArts, Jo Ann Callis, Charles Gaines, and Judy Fisken. ArtCenter, Kelly Akashi, Laura Owens, and maybe most importantly for looking at this show, the young painter Pui Tiffany Chow whose work, Back Graces, 2023 leads off the exhibition. This group of artists are not just defined by their role in the titular Cohort of their schooling but in the fact that almost certainly they will go back to being colleagues that pass on wisdom to the next classes as well.
Any artist could learn a lot from just going to see the show. The first lesson is that you can use similar styles, in this case abstraction, to wildly different means. The second is the difference between what is effective and what isn't, at least to themselves. These are of course lessons available to everyone that goes to see the show.
There are three artist that particularly worked in the eyes of A Passion Project, Pui Tiffany Chow, Math Bass, and Claire Colette. All of them taking a very different approach to the abstract method of work and yet each of them reaches out and grab the viewer.
Math Bass has over the last few years solidified himself as an exceptional artist. His work has continued to develop into a more solid work. The two works by him in the show both are crisp and clear explorations of form. Made simply of gouache on canvas they represent the most materially and visual sparce work in the show. This clarity, part of the development of his work to my eyes, is a large part of their draw. Their arching painted forms call to mind architecture but with both being titled Newz! one must wonder if the smoky effects are references to more ominous themes. It must also be noted that anyone going to see this show should proceed up the road to Moran Moran Gallery where Math Bass has one of the best works, even stronger than the works here, in a massive group show.
Through utilizing a variety of materials like acrylic, ash, salt, resin incense, and molding paste Claire Colette is able to add a depth to simple form. This is an effect she does throughout her body of work. The paintings often bring the viewer more questions than answers in the best way. At times the variety of effects, the soft color, the gold overlay, and the raised textures can be challenging to some, but she often strikes a perfect balance. How To Be Invisible, 2023 offers a nice way in for those unfamiliar with her work.
Pui Tiffany Chow, as mentioned before, has already moved into the era where she has joined that group of artists teaching and bringing up the next group of LA artists. Her magnificent Back Graces, 2023 is closest to the door catching you as you enter and go to leave the show. At both ends it will freeze you and draw you in. It is notable that it is by far the most figurative work in the show. The subject is the historical three graces, a nearly timeless subject for art, is presented in fresh ways. Their forms are distorted and obscured and glowing and maybe bruised. At the bottom one can see the three graces but as they move up will notice that it becomes one form, awash in somewhat fleshy somewhat bubbly pink. The work is one that you would have to live with for years to get everything it has to offer. This is true with all of her work so we should all be excited to see more pieces and what her teaching does to effect the La scene as she rises to be one of the stars of the city.
Cohort at Shrine Los Angeles will be on view till December 21st, 2023.