Carmichael Gallery Presents

Witnessed From Afar

Featuring Andrew Pommier, Irina Troitskaya, Karen Preston, Ken Garduno, Mel Kadel, Michael Hsiung, and Parskid

Exhibition Dates: April 26 - May 18, 2008
Opening Reception: Saturday, April 26, 2008, 8 PM - Midnight

1257 N. La Brea Ave
West Hollywood, CA 90038

Carmichael Gallery of Contemporary Art presents Witnessed From Afar, a showcase of artwork by Andrew Pommier, Irina Troitskaya, Karen Preston, Ken Garduno, Mel Kadel, Michael Hsiung, and Parskid. In an atmosphere of effervescent quietude, gorgeous misfits and delicate animals float across paper, cardboard, and wood - lost and lonely, but swelling with emotion and extraordinary grace. Evoking forgotten pains and philosophical yearnings, the artists contemplate the oddities of life and death with warmth and sincerity, yet always maintain their distance. Witnessed From Afar will be on view April 26 through May 18, 2008, with an opening reception held on April 26, from 8 p.m. to Midnight.

Canadian painter Andrew Pommier documents the outsider in society. His acrylic and graphite on wood pieces portray contrapuntal loners squirming in the spotlight. With self-deprecating humor, Pommier contemplates the agonies of identity crises, the pollution of contemporary culture, and the uncomfortable middle ground between renunciation of the mainstream and reconciliation with one's true self. His bold color palate enlivens the desolate backgrounds against which his characters come alive, their tense postures relieved by the refined aesthetic of his acrylics.

Irina Troitskaya draws with gouache, watercolor, and pencil on cardboard, frequently composing scenes consisting of small panels that can be moved around to create new images. She currently renders her pieces in white and pale hues, splashed with the occasional hint of vibrant red. Troitskaya's pieces for this exhibition explore personal musings and fantasies inspired by ancient Russian tales and myths. A central theme is a relationship between a black bear and a mysterious girl, identifiable by her red ballet slippers.

Karen Preston has created an intriguing series of girls painted with acrylics and colored pencil on wood panels. Using minimal backgrounds, soft tones, and paying close attention to the details of her subjects, Preston explores a wide range of emotional anguish related to murder, loss, entrapment, and love, all captured behind their haunted stares. In an inspired contrast to such intense pain, Preston paints the internal organs of these girls externally visible, revealing that they are still alive and warm, their hearts beating strong despite their despair.

Ken Garduno works with acrylic, ink, and wash. His pieces are generally composed in black and white, occasionally infused with vivid backgrounds of yellow or pink or his signature hint of orange and green. Garduno's technique is confident and firm - his simple, definitive line strokes convey the feeling of a strong hand watching over its fragile subjects. Peppering his work with a private, cheeky humor, Garduno pens mournful sophisticates, brooding musicians, and be-speckled intellectuals with a slick, satirical beauty all his own.

Mel Kadel creates pen and ink drawings on vintage paper. Tinged with a warm glow from the coffee she stains on the paper, Kadel's pieces consist mainly of light colors, which highlight the darkness of her characters' hair. Her pen strokes are precise and give her work a strength that belies its scale. Most often depicting scrawny girls with knobby knees and long, black hair, Kadel knots the eyebrows on their tiny, pointed faces as they contemplate how best to approach the tasks that dwarf them. Themes of support and camaraderie exude from her work, which frequently explores the power of human connection in difficult situations.

Michael Hsiung draws with pen and ink on paper. His primary colors of choice are black and white, with the occasional smear of lipstick red. Poised and sarcastic, Hsiung's work depicts an eccentric bevy of rotund men, depressed animals (both real and mythological), urbane mermen, and odd renderings of Hitler. Despite undertones of violence and despair, Hsiung's work has a startlingly pure innocence. The surreal quality of his simple, yet powerful drawings is stimulated by his eccentric humor and sensitive eye.

Parskid explores the world through the perspective of the round-eyed, hoody-sporting characters who populate the vast landscapes of his paintings. Allowing ideas to flow naturally as he works, Parskid utilizes imagery that reflect personal life experiences, subtly imparting observations and wisdom he has garnered along the way. His color scheme is broad but muted, his backdrops purposely simplified to facilitate their clarity and truth.

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ABOUT CARMICHAEL GALLERY

Carmichael Gallery of Contemporary Art exhibits international, emerging artists, with an emphasis on underground, pop, outsider, lowbrow, street art and graffiti inspired work. After moving to Los Angeles in September 2006, husband and wife duo Seth and Elisa Carmichael began to curate shows in various locations around the city, frequently converting raw retail spaces, high-end luxury lofts, and other non-traditional spaces into alternative galleries. In August 2007, the co-curators secured a permanent space on La Brea Avenue in West Hollywood, CA, and opened Carmichael Gallery of Contemporary Art as an exhibition space for presenting emerging art from around the world. Carmichael Gallery is located at 1257 N. La Brea Avenue, on the SW corner of La Brea and Fountain, West Hollywood, CA 90038. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Sunday, 2 p.m. to 7 p.m., and by appointment. For more information, please visit our website http://www.carmichaelgallery.com, email:art@carmichaelgallery.com, or call 323.969.0600.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Andrew Pommier
Andrew attended Ontario College of Art and Design. He has exhibited his artwork throughout North America, including Toronto, Denver, Los Angeles, and New York, as well as at galleries in Germany and Australia. A book featuring his artwork and graphic designs was published in 2003. Andrew has also produced work for companies such as Virgin Mobile, Toy Machine Skateboards and Adidas.

Irina Troitskaya
Irina Troitskaya was born and raised in Izhevsk, Russia - "a city of dead ends, sad electronic music and Finno-Ugric cultural roots," as she puts it. A staid university degree in the arts stifled her creativity until 2003, when she decided to leave her job as a TV presenter and move to Moscow in order to rediscover the artist within her. "In my hometown I was sleeping. In Moscow you just have to wake up," she explains.

Karen Preston
Massachusetts artist Karen Preston has drawn and painted since she was a child, yet only began to exhibit her work in 2007. High school drawing lessons led her to Savannah College of Art and Design. Equally talented in digital and hand-painted mediums, Preston has exhibited her work in Los Angeles, New York, and Savannah, Georgia.

Ken Garduno
Born and raised in LA, Ken Garduno is an honors graduate of the Art Center College of Design. He has shown in galleries all over the city, including Project: Gallery, Carmichael Gallery, Conference Room Gallery, and Black Maria Gallery, as well as at Art Basel Miami, and includes The New York Times, LA Weekly, LA Citybeat, San Francisco Weekly, and Esquire Russia as illustration clients.

Mel Kadel
Originally from Pennsylvania, Mel Kadel has made Los Angeles her home for the past eight years, where she lives in a log cabin atop Echo Park with fellow artist, Travis Millard. Kadel graduated from Moore College of Art in Philadelphia. She has participated in exhibitions all over the United States and abroad, worked with labels such as Volcom and Foundation Skateboards, and designed album covers for several bands.

Michael C. Hsiung
The quirky flamboyance of Michael C. Hsiung is of another world. Self-taught, the Korea town-based artist has been drawing since childhood, yet followed numerous paths before settling upon life in the Los Angeles art scene. Hsiung has showcased his work in numerous exhibitions around LA and worked freelance for a wide range of companies.

Parskid
Pacific Northwest native Parskid has exhibited his artwork in both group and solo shows across the United States, as well as in the UK, Australia, Taiwan, and Spain. He has been featured in numerous publications, including the magazines Beautiful/Decay, Hi-Fructose, and Art Prostitute, and books such as Dot Dot Dash, Pictoplasma 2, and Monstaah! Parskid also works with plush and digital mediums.

CURRENT EXHIBIT IN THE FRONT GALLERY

Streichelzoo
Solo Exhibit by Herakut
Opening Reception: Saturday, April 12, 2008, 2008, 8 PM - Midnight
Exhibition Dates: April 12 - May 4, 2008

Carmichael Gallery of Contemporary Art is proud to present Streichelzoo, a solo exhibition featuring the artwork of German street art duo, Herakut. The occasion will mark Herakut's first solo show in the United States. Artwork featured will include a combination of spray paint with charcoal, watercolors, and other paints on a variety of media, including wood, canvas, and paper. The gallery will be transformed into a work of art in itself, as Hera and Akut run wild and create a large scale installation in the space. Streichelzoo will be on view April 12 through May 4, 2008, with an opening reception held on April 12, from 8 p.m. to Midnight.