On Tuesday, the fifth edition of Spring/Break Art Show Los Angeles kicked off in an avant-garde 1940s warehouse space within the Culver City Arts District. On view through March 3, the fair’s “INT./EXT. ”theme is explored by curators and artists through sweeping landscapes, sensual figures, and free-spirited sculptures.
Eric Diehl Intermeshes Earthy and Ethereal Hues with Cinema-Inspired Imagery
Eric Diehl, “Stalker” 2022, 22 x 48 in., acrylic on canvas; courtesy of the artist.
Curated by Jackson Hunt, artist Eric Diehl’s sumptuous works of acrylic on canvas are both familiar and otherworldly, intermeshing earthy and ethereal hues with provocative imagery of interiors, open roads, and automobiles during riveting moments of stillness. Drawing from 1970s film imagery, the visionary creative beckons the viewer with warm pastels and desolate, sandy desert landscapes, making way for climactic narratives. Stalker (2022) depicts two vehicles playing a shadowy game of hide and seek, while Fulfillment Center (2023) positions the audience on a rocky cliff, taking in an apocalyptic scene infused with an air of angelic rebirth.
The Concept of Home was Translated into a Personal Island Series by Steve Paddack
Steve Paddack, “Cabin for Prometheus,” 2023, 36 x 36 in., acrylic on canvas; courtesy of the artist.
The beacon of hearth and home was serenely translated into the “Personal Island” series by artist Steve Paddack. Curated by Ambre Kelly and Andrew Gori, the dreamlike presentation included 12 paintings of creatively bespoke living spaces. A Summer Place (2024) imagined a simple cabin on a tiny, lush island surrounded by calm waters and peach-colored clouds. Interdimensional Island Portal (2024) imparted festive vibrations with glowing lights strung over a bewitching open door with an incendiary radiance. Invoking the ancient Greek god of fire, Cabin for Prometheus (2023) held an air of Hollywood trickery, with bursting leaves cloaking a modern structure and towering neon sign in whimsical mystery.
Best of Spring/Break Art Show: Actor KJ Apa Debuts a Magnetic Suite of Paintings
KJ Apa, “WHAT I SEE THROUGH THE PORTAL WINDOW,” 2024, 75 x 75 in., acrylic and oil on canvas; courtesy of the artist.
Part of the fair’s Artist Spotlight platform, Actor KJ Apa of the television series Riverdale debuted a magnetic suite of paintings, layering vivid primary hues against shards of onyx in graphic rock and roll fashion. ROLLING STONES ON ACID (2024) was a bold, multi-colored encounter in acrylic and oil on canvas; a larger-than-life skull with pointed teeth revealed a hot pink tongue worn through by a dangerously sweet treat. WHAT I SEE THROUGH THE PORTAL WINDOW (2024) staged a duel with video game energy, fusing animalistic and robotic beings together for a raw, graffiti-like dialogue on the often-simulated sensations of 21st-century life on Earth.
Sentiments of Self-Love Overflowed from Artist Carl Hopgood’s Paintings and Sculptures
Carl Hopgood, “Everything Is Going To Be Alright,” 2024, 38 x 28 in., oil on linen; courtesy of the artist.
Sentiments of self-love overflowed from artist Carl Hopgood’s paintings and multi-dimensional sculptures. Works of oil on linen placed the intrigue of an open chair front and center; You are Enough (2023) presented a simple wooden chair as sturdy open arms of encouragement, while Everything Is Going to Be Alright (2024) posed a lacey, vintage green iteration in neutral gray space, casting an all-knowing shadow. Neon, wood, metal, and vinyl worked beautifully together as a soaring message of pure happiness in the stacked chair sculpture I Think You Love Me (2024), and Drag Story Hour (2023) invited emotion and respect with glowing pink lips and the words “Tell Me.”
Yiwei Gallery’s Jesse Jinghan Liu Lures the Viewer into a Feminine Sanctuary
Jesse Jinghan Liu “Night Flame,” 2024, 36 x 36 in., oil on canvas; courtesy of the artist.
Presented by Yiwei Gallery, artist Jesse Jinghan Liu’s Night Flame (2024) lured the viewer into a feminine sanctuary of voluptuous nude figures exploring Mother Nature with pure curiosity and adoration. In a warm palette of blues, greens, pinks, and browns lit by the moon, the confident and saintly characters explored their reflections in clear water, inhaled the olfactory paradise of verdant stems, and were left flushed by a lavish fire emanating from a stream. The urgent care and protection of our fragile environment spoke through every lyrical brushstroke as an opus of ecofeminism.
Artist Chris Lael Larson Unveiled a Mesmeric Mixed-Media Installation
Chris Lael Larson, “Beginner Nudes,” 2024, 72 x 108 x 12 in., Mixed media installation with archival inkjet prints, acrylic archival inkjet prints on panel, wood, and fabric; courtesy of the artist.
Beginner Nudes (2024) by artist Chris Lael Larson unveiled a mesmeric mixed-media installation. Through delicate pastel shades and a meticulous design of archival inkjet prints, panels, woods, and fabrics, a kaleidoscopic set of organic shapes and stories unfolded. Floral imagery sparked across mountainous decoration, with abstract works in varying sizes layered repeatedly, magnifying the majestic beauty of the interior and exterior.
Plastic Objects in Geometric Splendor within Philippe Hyojung Kim’s Installation
Philippe Hyojung Kim “Un)Earthly Delights #1,” 2024, dimensions variable (approx. 5H x 9W x 1D feet), urethane, porcelain, latex enamel casts, pegboard, LED lights; courtesy of the artist.
The tactile allure of plastic objects and faux plants was placed in geometric splendor within Philippe Hyojung Kim’s Un)Earthly Delights #1 (2024). Brightly colored latex enamel casts in a flurry of shapes and sizes were placed beside porcelain creations and graceful greenery on white pegboard, set softly aglow with LED lights. Conjuring a parade of sense memories, from enchanting childhood bath toys to delectable gummy candies, to fanciful shop window displays, the imaginative installation was an aesthetically pleasing gateway to sensorial delights.
