Three-Artist Show

OPENING RECEPTION
May 30, 2020 | 7pm - 11pm

ON VIEW
May 30 – July 3, 2019

Click here for sample of exhibit images

Downtown Los Angeles’ Corey Helford Gallery is proud to announce a three-artist show featuring new series’ from New York-based Japanese artist aica, Canadian-based illustrator and sculptor Dena Seiferling, and established Los Angeles art scene painter and illustrator Luke Chueh, premiering May 30th in Gallery 3.

aica, inspired by Japanese anime, manga and traditional ukiyo-e, creates ethereal worlds whose subjects appear innocent, but carry deep emotional scars. Wanting to create a sanctuary of emotionally scarred girls in her works, aica says, “In their ethereal world, everything has a soul or a spirit. A flower has a soul, even a drop of tear has a spirit, and they keep girls’ hearts warm. Like witnessing a girl's isolated emotions being released into the air. I hope through my work to inspire someone who may hold sadness within to start loving someone or something around them.”

aica’s newest series, entitled Qualia, is her first solo show at CHG and she shares, “This series of paintings came from my own ‘qualia,’ which are the phenomenal qualities of experiences. These raw feels, that I’ve felt, have lived deep inside my heart and I don’t know how to accurately describe them. With my art, I strive to touch the audience’s heart and connect our consciousness through the qualia they feel when they see my work.”

Dena Seiferling’s pieces hover somewhere between a childhood fantasy and an adult's reality, merging the beauty of nature with irony and satire. Regarding Seiferling’s newest body of work and first solo show at CHG, entitled Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing, which is heavily inspired by the namesake idiom, she states: “My overall intent of this exhibition is to express how harsh truths, anxieties, grief and intimidating realities can be processed through soft and comforting animal themes. Examples of this are proverbs and folk wisdom passed down through the generations. Animal narrative in fables, children’s stories, proverbs, and idioms tamper harsh realities to help us understand and accept them, as well as to feel compassion towards the inevitable paradoxes of life. And of course, it must be acknowledged that the wisdom of animal behavior is a priceless learning tool for all.

As I worked through why I wanted to create a body of work inspired by proverbs, I began having a conversation with my childhood self about the ones that still resonate with me. And through this project, I have come to the conclusion that I have never really left the head space where I prefer to process and view realities through animal narratives. It is in this space where I find and express humor and joy. I would like to conclude that it is important to embrace our inner child when needed and let them out every once in a while. I hope my work can make that happen for others.”

Employing minimal color schemes, simple animal characters, and a seemingly endless list of ill-fated situations, Luke Chueh stylistically balances cute with brute, walking the fine line between comedy and tragedy. Chueh’s latest series, entitled Gravity, explores the concept of the “character study” or expressive character portrayals, featuring his signature anthropomorphized “Bear” character (a metaphorical stand in for the artist). Replacing humorous narratives and dark editorials he regularly weaves into his work, Chueh’s newest show features “Bear” with a variety of loose and frenetic textures that help tell the story. Chueh shares, “For a while now, I’ve been trying to find a way of incorporating the modern and contemporary art stylings I see all around me. I’m particularly interested in creating works where you can feel the ‘artists hand,’ imagining the way they attack the canvas, celebrating the raw textures and happy accidents.”

The three-artist show premieres Saturday May 30th from 7:00 pm – 11:00 pm in Gallery 3, alongside a solo show from Camilla d’Errico, entitled The Color Wheel, in the Main Gallery and a solo show from DOSSHAUS, entitled POP GOES…, in Gallery 2. Corey Helford Gallery is located at 571 S. Anderson St. Los Angeles, CA 90033 and normal hours are Tuesday – Saturday, from 12:00 pm – 6:00 pm.

About aica:
aica is a Japanese artist currently residing in New York City and her work reflects a purity and serenity in stark contrast to the fast-paced urban landscape of Manhattan. aica’s fantastical creations perfectly capture a magical inner place of creativity and whimsy. She is also the recipient of many art awards; including being one of the Natural Cannabis Company’s 2016 and 2017 High Art Contest winners that was hosted by Juxtapoz magazine.

About Dena Seiferling:
Dena Seiferling is a graduate of, and educator at the Alberta University of Art. You can find her most days working on illustrations and needle-felted art in her studio – a secret world where mice can dance, and bears can talk. She recently illustrated her first children’s book, King Mouse, written by Cary Fagan, published by Penguin Random House for Young Readers, which was shortlisted for the 2019 Governor General’s Award. She is currently working on her author debut children's book and has recently completed a body of sculpture work for an exhibition at Corey Helford Gallery in LA. Dena lives in Canada with her husband, two children and two dogs.

About Luke Chueh:
Born in Philadelphia, but raised in Fresno, Luke Chueh (pronounced CHU) studied graphic design at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo where he earned a BS in Art & Design (Graphic Design concentration). He was employed by the Ernie Ball Company, working in-house as designer/illustrator where he created several award-winning designs and was featured in the design annuals of Communication Arts and Print Magazine. Meanwhile, he also created, produced, wrote, designed, edited and published "E.X.P.", a 'zine dedicated to the "Intelligent Dance Music (IDM)" genre.

In 2003, Chueh moved to Los Angeles to further pursue a career in design. However, a lack of employment opportunities left him resorting to painting to keep busy (a hobby he picked up while attending Cal Poly). He got his start when the Los Angeles underground art show, Cannibal Flower, invited him to show at their monthly events. Since then Chueh has quickly worked his way up the ranks of the LA art scene, establishing himself as an artist not to be ignored. Employing minimal color schemes, simple animal characters, and a seemingly endless list of ill-fated situations, Chueh stylistically balances cute with brute, walking the fine line between comedy and tragedy. Chueh's work has been featured in galleries around the world, and some of his paintings have also been reinterpreted into vinyl toys.

About Corey Helford Gallery:
Corey Helford Gallery (CHG) was first established in 2006 by Jan Corey Helford and her husband, television producer and creator, Bruce Helford (The Conners, Anger Management, The Drew Carey Show, George Lopez) and has since evolved into one of the premier galleries of New Contemporary art. Its goals as an institution are the support and growth of young and emerging, to well-known and internationally established artists. CHG represents a diverse collection of international artists, primarily influenced by today’s pop culture and collectively encompassing style genres such as New Figurative Art, Pop Surrealism, Neo Pop, Graffiti and Street Art. CHG is located in Downtown Los Angeles in a robust 12,000 square foot building presenting new exhibitions approximately every six weeks. For more info and an upcoming exhibition schedule, visit CoreyHelfordGallery.com and connect on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

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