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CARMICHAEL GALLERY PRESENTS BEN WOODWARD'S FIRST WEST
COAST SOLO EXHIBITION 
Beep-boop
beep-Boop
Exhibition Dates: March 8 – March 30,
2008
Opening Reception: Saturday, March 8, 2008, 8 PM –
Midnight
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Carmichael Gallery of Contemporary
Art is pleased to announce Beep-boop
beep-Boop, a solo exhibition of new gouache paintings,
ink works on paper, and silkscreen prints by
Philadelphia-based artist Ben Woodward. This will be
the artist’s first solo show on the West Coast.
Beep-boop beep-Boop is a series of depictions of
the artist’s reflections on personal consumption and the
visceral nature of fatherhood. The exhibition marks a new
direction for the artist, whose focus here is on further
simplifying his settings, heightening viewer awareness and
sensitivity.
In Beep-boop beep-Boop, Ben
Woodward analyzes childhood innocence through the often
bewildering transition to fatherhood. The title of the
exhibition was inspired by his young daughter’s persistent
inquiries about the world – “it’s this thing me and my wife
use to describe how she can talk and talk and talk and tire
you out with her questions.” Woodward himself questions the
world around him in these artworks, as dark and sinister tones
lurk beneath the charming, fanciful façade of his scenery.
Examining intense emotions and situations through a powerful
visual dichotomy of naïveté and greed, Woodward portrays
ostensibly ingenuous characters performing everyday activities
in a climate of constant anxiety and peril. The artist removes
himself from his characters’ situations, creating narratives
of pure fantasy in which the pulls of attraction and repulsion
feature strongly. One particularly powerful painting,
Harvesting, signifies how consumption has evolved into such an
absurdly tribal ritual in our times.
Woodward
continues to develop his spontaneous method of storytelling
through the interactions of his characteristically
anthropomorphic figures. The ambiguity he provokes is always
accompanied by a keen sense of humor. Woodward’s meticulous
line drawings are rendered flawlessly, his vibrant color
palate enhancing his subtle commentary. Woodward is inspired
by the trappings of cartoons, styles of various religious
painting, including Hindu art, and the paintings of Hieronymus
Bosch.
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| ABOUT BEN WOODWARD
Ben Woodward, along with Max
Lawrence, is one of the founding members of Space 1026, a
Philadelphia- based artist collective. First organized in
1997, the artist-run collective focuses on silk-screening,
printmaking, painting, audio/video production, graphic design
and schedules monthly rotating exhibitions. Ben Woodward
attended Rhode Island School of Design. His work has been
exhibited at The Institute of Contemporary Art in
Philadelphia, including a featured installation with Space
1026 artists for the acclaimed Locally Localized Gravity
exhibition and events in 2007, White Columns in New York,
Spector Gallery, Moore College, and several spaces in
California and New York. He is a featured artist of the
Project Mobilivre Bookmobile project and has produced many
artist books. His most recent illustrated children’s book,
Sullivan’s Solo, published by Free News Projects, will
be released this year.
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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 team 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 www.carmichaelgallery.com, email art@carmichaelgallery.com, or call 323.969.0600.
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Download the official press release
(PDF)
For Press and
Publicity Inquiries Please Contact:
Debra
Anderson, Culture Shock Marketing, LLC (CSM)
T:
347.463.9023 / F: 347.534.2494 / M: 917.363.6027
debra@cultureshockmarketing.com / www.cultureshockmarketing.com
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