Kim DeJesus: Letter to a Memory & Curtis Ripley: Recent Paintings
Mar
16
5:00 PM17:00

Kim DeJesus: Letter to a Memory & Curtis Ripley: Recent Paintings

William Turner Gallery is pleased to present our debut solo exhibition for Kim DeJesus, entitled Letter to a Memory. This new series of colorful abstract paintings continues the artist’s exploration of memory - delving into those aspects of life that can be controlled and those that cannot.

“I often perceive my painting practice as a series of letters, or messages to my inner self or the past, and that my paintings are a letter to myself, a record of a moment in life, merging a lived experience I’ve had with the present moment”, DeJesus says.

In these fluidly inventive paintings, DeJesus employs additive and subtractive gestures to elicit complex, visual tensions. 

Fragmented compositions mirror the complexities of memory and the elusive nature of self-understanding, as the artist seeks to unravel the interconnectedness of memories and the disjointed nature of personal narratives. Using layers and washes, removing material or occasionally cutting up paintings, DeJesus often merges old and new paintings to tell a new story and explore how memories connect. 

Utilizing a process that embraces both the intentional and the accidental, the paintings evidence an ongoing conversation between artist, material and image. The spontaneity of colorful washes stand in contrast to the intentionality of overlaid marks and added materials. Fields of color are manipulated to move, but complete control is not always an option, nor the point. 

Discussing her palette, DeJesus says, “I gravitate to using bright colors - pastel or even neon hues. These colors have an intensity that chimes with my inner world. I use them in a chaotic, often optically dissonant way, or in a way that I wouldn’t always expect. For me, it is not about the beauty of the colors, or their attention getting qualities, but their fantastical intensity. I feel in tune with their dreamlike qualities and the memory experiences they inspire. These childlike hues reflect the nostalgic essence of childhood experiences, serving as a reminder that the child within us never truly disappears.”

Explaining further, the artist states; “While my work is purely abstract, and non-representational, gestures often suggest forms that repeat and I’ll begin to categorize them. Portal motifs have emerged in my work over the years and in this body of work, I have come to see them as mirrors and caves. A mirror symbolizes a surface of reflection and containment, while a cave is a geographical formation you can physically enter. Both represent portals of transformation, femininity, and spiritual transcendence and for me become gateways to inner exploration.”

Letter to a Memory suggests a personal and intimate journey through memories, reflecting on experiences and emotions in an exploration of self and DeJesus’ relationship to the past.

KIM DEJESUS
LETTER TO A MEMORY

March 16 - May 4, 2024
Opening Reception:
Saturday, March 16, 5-8PM

 

William Turner Gallery is pleased to present four recent works by Curtis Ripley. Ripley's artistic approach embodies the essence of the American Abstract Expressionist movement, particularly in its rejection of figurative representation and emphasis on spontaneity and gesture. Like his predecessors such as Jackson Pollock and Wassily Kandinsky, Ripley's process is deeply intertwined with music, allowing rhythmic brushstrokes to translate into bursts of color that dance across the canvas.

The use of black gesso as a base provides a stark contrast against which Ripley's vibrant colors can truly pop. The visible splatters and drips serve as tangible reminders of the artist's physical engagement with the canvas, capturing the energy and dynamism of the creative act itself.

Ripley's paintings are not mere visual compositions; they are multisensory experiences that evoke emotions and sensations akin to poetry. His work transcends strict interpretation, inviting viewers to engage with the paintings on a personal level and to find their own meaning within the layers of color and texture.

Through a process of wiping out and repainting, Ripley achieves a sense of depth and movement within his compositions, creating an ever-evolving visual narrative that invites exploration. Each layer of paint contributes to the overall richness of the work, resulting in paintings that are timeless, poetic, and full of life.

CURTIS RIPLEY
RECENT PAINTINGS

March 16 - May 4, 2024
Opening Reception:
Saturday, March 16, 5-8PM

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Bergamot Winter Open - Yuki Shibamoto Interprets the Art of Shingo Francis - Saturday @ 3PM
Dec
9
3:00 PM15:00

Bergamot Winter Open - Yuki Shibamoto Interprets the Art of Shingo Francis - Saturday @ 3PM

YUKI SHIBAMOTO

Yuki Shibamto is a multilingual Japanese actress who has performed in 7 movies and 29 television shows in Japan and Taiwan. Yuki has performed and recorded music on the recorder for over 25 years.

Please us this Saturday for a short performance by Yuki Shibamoto. Yuki will be performing a an original composition inspired by the art of Japanese American artist Shingo Francis currently on view at the gallery.

REFRESHMENTS AT GALLERY - 3:00 PM
YUKI SHIBAMOTO PERFORMANCE - 3:30 PM

 
 

We are thrilled to announce the Bergamot Station Arts Center WINTER OPEN is scheduled for Saturday, December 9th, 2023. This day-long experience will feature a diverse array of exhibitions, performances, and interactive experiences across multiple galleries, making it a must-attend event for art enthusiasts!

For nearly thirty years, Bergamot Station Arts Center has stood as a dynamic nucleus of artistic expression in the heart of Santa Monica. As we approach this year's WINTER OPEN, anticipate an immersive voyage into the realms of creativity and the collective spirit of our community.

Parking Information: Parking is available on-site, and overflow parking can be found at Kite Pharma, 1800 Stewart Street.

 
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Ed Moses/SOKA University Event
Nov
19
1:00 PM13:00

Ed Moses/SOKA University Event

Ed Moses in his studio photographed by Rob Brander 2016

Join us this Sunday, November 19th for an amazing exhibition of Ed Moses paintings "Emptiness is Form" at the Founders Gallery at SOKA University in Aliso Viejo, Orange County. The exhibition contains two floors of paintings that span 40 years from the collection of Doctor Kenneth Tokita.

The exhibition is not normally open on Saturdays or Sundays but it will be open on Sunday, November 19th from 12PM-5PM for this special viewing.

There will be a reception from 1PM- 3PM
Please RSVP to info@williamturnergallery.com

SOKA University
1 University Drive
Aliso Viejo, CA 92656

There is plenty of free parking in parking Lot 1 near the Founders Gallery.
We hope to see you there!

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INCONVERSATION: Andy Moses & Shana Nys Dambrot
Nov
8
6:00 PM18:00

INCONVERSATION: Andy Moses & Shana Nys Dambrot

Refreshments will be served from 6-7PM. Talk will begin at 7PM. 


Andy Moses: Recent Paintings, is on view at the gallery through November, 11th.

Mark your calendars and join us for an exciting evening of art and thought provoking conversation, as Andy Moses discusses his work and artistic journey with art critic, curator and author, Shana Nys Dambrot.


The two will discuss the artist's practice, spanning over thirty years and culminating in this excitingly ambitious new body of large-scale works.


Shana Nys Dambrot is an art critic, curator, and author based in Downtown LA. She is the Arts Editor for the L.A. Weekly, and a contributor to Flaunt, Artillery, and other culture publications. She studied Art History at Vassar College, curates and juries exhibitions, writes prolifically for exhibition catalogs and monographic publications, and speaks at galleries, schools, and cultural institutions nationally. She is the recipient of the 2022 Mozaik Future Art Writers Prize, the 2022 Rabkin Prize for Art Criticism, and the LA Press Club National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Critic of the Year award for 2022.


Andy Moses attended the legendary CalArts from 1979-1981, studying with John Baldessari, Michael Asher and Barbara Kruger. In 1982, Moses moved to New York where he worked as a studio assistant to Pat Steir and quickly became part of New York's nascent art scene. Moses began exhibiting with Annina Nosei Gallery, shortly after Jean-Michael Basquiat. During that time Moses also developed close ties with artists such as Jeff Koons, Marilyn Minter, Rudolf Stingel and Christopher Wool, who were also just emerging onto the scene.


After eighteen years in New York, Moses returned to Southern California in 2000, where the change in coasts led to a significant shift in his work. In New York, the artist's work had explored the macro / micro influences of nature, conveying a sense of gravitational and geologic forces. In returning to California, the scope of Moses’s work expanded, as he was once again inspired by the unique effects of light glancing off waves, and the vast sky-scapes he encountered on his daily drive down the Pacific Coast Highway. The artist began exploring materials that would capture the mercurial aspects of perception, where slight shifts in perspective would reveal dramatic shifts in impression. Accordingly, Moses’ work began to incorporate many of the qualities now associated with the Southern California Light and Space movement, where the work of art became less an “art object”, and more of a “catalyst” for one’s experience of what and how they are perceived. Suggesting panoramic space, Moses began introducing concave and shaped panels to further investigate how light and its wave-lengths would curl and flex with refractive paints. These bold new paintings quickly found their audience and brought Moses to the attention of museums and major collectors alike.

Andy Moses’ work is included in the permanent collections of Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The Buck Collection, Orange County Museum of Art, Laguna Art Museum, the Jordan Schnitzer Family Foundation, and the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation. He currently lives and works in Venice, CA.




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LIVE TALKS LA:  Adam Nagourney and Lisa Napoli this evening at WTG
Oct
19
8:00 PM20:00

LIVE TALKS LA: Adam Nagourney and Lisa Napoli this evening at WTG

A sweeping behind-the-scenes look at the last four turbulent decades of “the paper of record,” The New York Times, as it confronted world-changing events, internal scandals, and faced the existential threat of the internet
….
Adam Nagourney
 covers national politics for The New York Times. Since joining the newspaper in 1996, he has served as Los Angeles bureau chief, West Coast cultural affairs reporter, chief national political correspondent, and chief New York political reporter. He is the co-author of Out for Good, a history of the modern gay rights movement.
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Lisa Napoli has had a long career in journalism, including staff reporting jobs at public radio’s Marketplace, the pioneering New York Times CyberTimes, and as a columnist/correspondent at MSNBC. She is the author, most recently, of Susan, Linda, Nina & Cokie: The Extraordinary Story of the Founding Mothers of NPR.  Her previous books include Up All Night: Ted Turner, CNN, and the Birth of 24-Hour News; a biography of the McDonald’s heiress, Joan Kroc, Ray & Joan, and a memoir about media’s impact on the tiny kingdom of Bhutan, Radio Shangri-La. She is also the co-creator of the Bio Podcast.
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In The Times, Adam Nagourney, who’s worked at The New York Times since 1996, examines four decades of the newspaper’s history, from the final years of Arthur “Punch” Sulzberger’s reign as publisher to the election of Donald Trump in November 2016. Nagourney recounts the paper’s triumphs—the coverage of September 11, the explosion of the U.S. Challenger, the scandal of a New York governor snared in a prostitution case—as well as failures that threatened the paper’s standing and reputation, including the discredited coverage of the war in Iraq, the resignation of Judith Miller, the plagiarism scandal of Jayson Blair, and the high-profile ouster of two of its executive editors.
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Drawing on hundreds of interviews and thousands of documents and letters contained in the newspaper’s archives and the private papers of editors and reporters, The Times is an inside look at the essential years that shaped the newspaper. Nagourney paints a vivid picture of a divided newsroom, fraught with tension as it struggled to move into the digital age, while confronting its scandals, shortcomings, and swelling criticism from conservatives and many of its own readers alike. Along the way we meet the memorable personalities—including Abe Rosenthal, Max Frankel, Howell Raines, Joe Lelyveld, Bill Keller, Jill Abramson, Dean Baquet, Punch Sulzberger and Arthur Sulzberger Jr.—who shaped the paper as we know it today. We see the battles between the newsroom and the business operations side, the fight between old and new media, the tension between journalists who tried to hold on to the traditional model of a print newspaper and a new generation of reporters who are eager to embrace the new digital world.
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Immersive, meticulously researched, and filled with powerful stories of the rise and fall of the men and women who ran the most important newspaper in the nation, The Times is a definitive account of the most pivotal years in New York Times history.


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