José Rodolfo Loaiza Ontiveros "Profanity Pop" + The Laluzapalooza Jury Winners

August 1 – 31, 2014
Artist reception: Friday, August 1st; 8-11PM


José Rodolfo Loaiza Ontiveros is back–with Profanity Pop, a celebration of creative freedom in our time.

Mythology, Religion and the representation of power have manifested in all of the great works from antiquity. With Profanity Pop, Rodolfo pays tribute to specific historical works that have inspired many generations. Universal themes are once again narrated by beloved animated characters, but in the guise of the divine and with all the fragility of martyrs. Away from the paradise of happy endings, the pastel sprinkled drama takes on a vulnerability that juxtaposes subversively with situations never similarly interpreted.

 

The Monarchy of prejudices and taboos crumble in this story. The disenfranchised reach beyond discrimination, and in this narrative no union is sinful or suppressed.

The absorbing worlds of entertainment, fashion, and excesses, with the magic of kitsch, invite us to desecrate the seductive world of POP.

 

Allison ‘Hueman’ Torneros

Fresh from the cover of LA Weekly’s People 2014 issue, Allison Torneros, aka Hueman, has already had a very busy year: a massive solo show at Project Gallery, multiple mural commissions, video profiles, and endorsement gigs…

This is Allison’s first feature exhibition at La Luz de Jesus.

JINX

Jinx has been in a few of our group shows, and the response we got from her work in Laluzapalooza made her an easy choice to bring back for this expanded feature. Jinx’s art tends toward the dark, but her subject, skulls and bones, mostly, don’t seem to have succumbed to the darkness just yet. In fact, they often seem quite jovial in contrast to their advanced states of, well, no longer living.

She’s a talented painter and vivacious presence, and we’re proud to be showcasing both.

KATHERINE BRANNOCK

Over the past few years, Katherine Brannock has been making quite a name for herself in San Diego. At Comicon, she captured the attention of French publisher, Xupuy, who released a hardcover collection of her sketchbook work last year. She’s since apprenticed as a tattooist and created a labyrinthine body of work that utilizes the colors and totems of that profession in a way that only Katherine could.

While huge fans of both bodies of work, the sketches really won us over and we offered her the opportunity to expand upon the themes present in her book (which she’ll be signing at the opening reception).

FRANK FORTE

If Tex Avery and Salvador Dali had birthed a child at Fleisher Studios, it might have heralded the arrival of Frank Forte. Frank is an animator by trade and an independent comic book publisher by choice. His quirky sensibilities are funneled through an encyclopaedic knowledge of humor illustration that is tributary but also entirely unique.

 

This is Frank Forte’s first feature exhibition at La Luz de Jesus.

Sean Stepanoff

The darkly psychedelic caricature work of Bay Area born, Los Angeles based Sean Stepanoff is readily identifiable by those who are fluent in the culture of ‘zine.  As the creator of the large-format, compilation ‘zine Gristle, Stepanoff has consistently demonstrated his vital current-culture acumen by enlisting an impressive roster of artists to submit work for his pages as well as his own talent. David Choe, Camille Rose Garcia, Tara McPherson have all been featured as Gristle contributors.

Stepanoff’s sharply nuanced, clean-line caricatures are shaped by his past in animation.  He provided the complete character design for Eminem’s ‘The Slim Shady Show’ & served as designer for a video project of Erykah Badu.

This exhibition represents the happy marriage of Stepanoff’s skill & on-the-pulse, acute observation. The collection is inspired by the colorful folk art of African barber shop signs & everyday exposure as a resident of Silverlake – the Williamsburg of the West – to the marketing behemoth that is hipster culture. Long a staple in our annual group show for over a decade, this is Sean’s first featured exhibition at La Luz de Jesus.

 

Contact Gallery Director Matthew Gardocki for purchase info:
info@laluzdejesus.com  (323)666-7667