California Lite
Opens February 10, – March 17, 2021
Available for sale in Artsy until April 14, 2021
Curator: Julie Rico
The time Julie Rico spent running her gallery in Santa Monica served as an inspiration for California Lite. There, she was introduced to Richard Diebenkorn’s Ocean Park series that reflected the light of the coastal community’s microclimate. Rico started paying closer attention to how other L.A. artists used the area’s characteristic light in their own work.
California Lite presents the Golden State as seen through the eyes of twenty-six artists. California has a wide range of environments and climates, each with its own sense of light. Working in a variety of media, these artists reflect the dramatic, golden, or hazy light that they see in their daily lives or imagine in their fantasies.
Some pieces realize an internal dialogue, such as Nirali Thakker's work: she mixes fantasy with everyday life, making her works in acrylic and drawings on canvas a relatable mix of autobiographical expression and artistic exploration. Meridith Brion’s weavings interpret San Francisco’s fog. Martin Durazo shows the exuberance of California light in his colorful abstract paintings. Salvador Correa ‘s landscapes reflect the vibrance of the hills of East L.A. Drawings by Rudy Cole show the grittiness of L.A. city life. Gregg Gibbs brings his vision to the show as a third-generation Angeleno. His work lays bare the perceived cultural distinction between high and lowbrow art. Each artist presents a specific sense of light from California's vast palette. The artists transport the viewer to their world, whether it is the desert, the city, the sea, or the mountains.
Participating artists: Ben Allanoff, Jean Jacques Bastarache, Raquel Bell, Meredith Brion, Garrett M. Brown, Rudy Cole, Salvador Correa, Martin Durazo, Susan Flanigan, Barbara Freund, Gregg Gibbs, Christian Gill, Don Holtz, Toban Nichols, Dena Novak, Larisa Plinsky, Stuart Rapeport, John Rose, Mike Saijo, Tomoaki Shibata, Christine Lee Smith, Jane Szabo, Nirali Thakkar, VinZula, Emily Wallerstein, Jody Zellen.
Live guided talk with curator Julie Rico, with artists Nirali Thakker, and Raquel Bell, about their work featured in the California Lite exhibition. The conversation cover's Rico’s vision for the exhibition as well as the interpretation of light, color, and their autobiographical expression.
Julie Rico
Originally from Detroit, Michigan, Julie Rico moved to Los Angeles to exhibit work by artists left out of the mainstream. Her four art galleries and restaurant/art gallery concept in downtown Los Angeles and Santa Monica have garnered critical acclaim over the years. Julie produced the L.A. ArtFest in the arts district, Los Angeles, wherein an indoor art exhibition was housed in a 55,000 sq. ft. space. A 5-acre lot used for giant outdoor sculptures, two main stages, and one periphery stage where avant-garde music played one stage with multi-cultural performers, and an electronic music stage. Julie conceptualized and managed the Mean Art Tent of the 1995 U.S. Lollapalooza Tour, curating a traveling exhibition of “Lowbrow” and graffiti art to 30 cities. See: www.juliericogallery.com
Julie sat on the Bilingual Foundation of the Arts and the Laguna Art Museum boards. Julie Rico has a B.A. in Journalism from Wayne State University in Detroit.