On Saturday, March 13, de boer gallery hosted a reception in its garden for two new exhibitions by artists Alissa McKendrick, Diane Kotila. Attendees must make an appointment.
Untitled 2020 70 x 75, Courtesy of the artist and DeBoer Gallery, Los Angeles
“Electric Guitar Players” features a limited edition publication of new paintings by Alissa McKendrick. In McKendrick’s first exhibition with de boer, New York based McKendrick presents a collection of paintings depicting female guitarists.
McKendrick composes enigmatic, semi-narrative scenes against fields of emotive color. Her pictures hover between whimsy and the macabre, merging playful daydreams with nightmares. A lightness of painterly touch and stylistic playfulness bely her vaguely ominous subject matter. While never quite sinister, the fantastical scenes always contain a hint of nefarious magic. Her musicians – who all play unplugged electric guitars – perform songs to enchant the likes of skeletons, witches, and mermaids. Fantasy and absurdity, as well as a certain visual precariousness, barely obscure these paintings’ heavy symbolism and emotional realities.
“Boy Kings” by New York based Diane Kotila offers a limited edition publication of new paintings. In Kotila’s first exhibition with the gallery, oil on linen paintings paired with sketches and works on paper will be included.
In this series of paintings Kotila depicts Pharaoh Tutankhamun, often referred to as the ‘boy king,’ and images of the young Egyptian water boy Hussein Abdel Raasoul who is tied to the discovery of Tutankhaman’s tomb. Writing about her approach, Kotila has described her painting as “an exploration of historically and culturally familiar portraiture.” A research heavy examination similar to the excavation of tombs; dirty and messy with moments of clarity and discovery.
On view: March 13 – April 17, 2021; CLICK HERE to reserve your spot to view exhibition;
What: Opening Reception in the Garden
Where: de boer | 3311 E. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, California 90023, LA, 90023
When: By appointment
Website: https://deboergallery.com
