My mom is a big quilt buff and I've bought her some antique quilts on various occasions. I wonder what her reaction would be to get one with naked women doing lines of coke embroidered on it. Abject horror, I would suspect. But, maybe she would appreciate the fine needlework and skillful use of colored thread. The technique is quite good. Still, I think I'll get her some flowers for her birthday instead.
A few of the pieces had the feel of Henry Darger's work with various naked men and women inhabiting a strange and fantastic nature realm complete with mythological creatures. There was one large and dense horizontal piece that seemed to be almost an homage to Darger. Most of the pieces depict nude women in contemporary settings, lounging about on lawn chairs, vacuuming, doing lines on a mirror, all very sexually charged.
There was also a large table full of sculptures resembling cakes and pastries. As far as I could tell these were made out of crocheted yarn. I can't even imagine the work that went into these.
This is the kind of stuff I really dig. It's edgy, unique, unusual, meticulous, thought provoking, and beautiful. There's so little beauty out there in contemporary art I really appreciate it when I see it.
This show is up until June 19th so there's plenty of time to catch it. Well worth the trip.
Charlie James Gallery
975 Chung King Road
http://www.cjamesgallery.com
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