Come on In-Benz & Chang, Septerhed, Teresa Watson

Exhibition: September 12-October 4th, 2020

Exhibition Video Walkthrough

La Luz de Jesus Gallery is pleased to present “Come on In“  a group exhibition featuring the artwork of Benz & Chang, Septerhed, and Teresa Watson

Benz & Chang-Benz & Chang believe that the arts make the world a better place through shared experience and mutual understanding. The Benz & Chang paintings are “fake vintage photos” rendered with watercolor and/or walnut ink. They are dreamlike and figurative. Most of the paintings appear to be photos from the early 20th century, and they reward a second or third look with details that can be easy to miss. Figures appear with twins, crowns, wings, ghost limbs, halos, odd lights, and shadows. Using this imagery, Benz and Chang explore transformative life experiences such as facing fear, making life-changing decisions, grieving losses, having mystical experiences, or confronting mortality.

Says Benz, “I see myself as a channel. My job is to align myself with a larger creative impulse, and also with the painting itself. I must add that I rarely do this perfectly. During the various steps of making a painting, I will “see” something that belongs in the painting, and so I will add it. If the decision-making process breaks down, I consult a Magic 8-Ball for direction. The resulting paintings are dreamlike.”

Septerhed-Septerhed’s style was based as of late on what he calls “NERVOUS LINES”. That was 1st Phase of his story. All of that work, in lines and waves, with brief studies in hand-drawn typography, was finalized at his latest full room installation solo show at Gabba Gallery. A Virgo, Misfortune Teller, Painter, Illustrator, Mustard Enthusiast, and a prolific Muralist, Sept has attacked over 500 walls with spray paint in under a 5-year time frame. He has shown work at Bergamont Station, Lab Art, Giant Robot, La luz de Jesus, and various NY, Los Angeles based galleries. Past commissions and projects have led him to the East coast to paint a 2 story building in Buffalo NY and back to the west coast to work on a YouTube 2 day live broadcast sponsored by Hewlett Packard for Clams Casino and Vic Mensa, as well as projects with Mobli, Electronic Arts, Red Bull, Converse, Vision Street Wear, Starbucks, Zoom NA, Muzik, and Umami. The Downtown Arts District, and LA Freewalls have commissioned his murals. He has contributed murals exclusively to Smile South Central, Beautify Earth, and Pico-Union Housing via The Graff Lab. He has been featured on the Juxtapoz site as well in local news and the Los Angeles Times newspaper twice. In late 2015 he was a contestant on Episode 3 of Skin Wars “Fresh Paint” on the  Game Show Network, and 2018, “Hood Adjacent”, a show on Comedy Central.

Teresa Watson- Born and raised in Texas, and educated at Pratt Institute, Teresa Watson is an illustrator and painter. Her comic “Welcome to the Covid-19 Mental Health Struggle” appeared in New York Times. She has exhibited paintings at La Luz de Jesus in Los Angeles and Hey There Projects, La Matadora Gallery, and Mincing Mockingbird in Joshua Tree California. Teresa has painted pet portraits for numerous artists.

More information and images coming soon.

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