Corey Helford Gallery Presents Kai and Sunny, Handiedan, Hikari Shimoda, and Ian Francis (10/3)
Four-Artist Exhibition
ON VIEW
October 3 – November 7, 2020
Images top left to right: Ian Francis, Kai and Sunny
Images bottom left to right: Hikari Shimoda, Handiedan
Click here for sample of exhibit images
On Saturday, October 3rd, downtown Los Angeles’ Corey Helford Gallery will proudly unveil a four-artist show in the Main Gallery featuring The Great Curve by London-based artist duo Kai and Sunny, Centered by Stillness by Dutch artist Handiedan, Affirmation of Existence by Japanese painter Hikari Shimoda, and two new works from Ian Francis.
The award-winning duo Kai and Sunny take inspiration from the natural world and the patterns and forms it manifests. The Great Curve showcases the duo's uniquely distinguishable compositions of large acrylic paintings on linen and archival ballpoint pen works on paper. Regarding their upcoming mini-solo show at CHG, the duo share, "The Great Curve is inspired by the force and energy found within nature. The works explore the relationship between line and color, shifting through dynamic color changes. The pieces create infinite movement and naturalistic rhythm appearing both serene and ominous at the same time. The process is a methodical building of thin intricate lines upon each other using acrylic paints on canvas.”
Handiedan’s work involves a complex cut and paste mixture of digital and highly detailed sculptural hand cut collages, complimented by conscientiously collected antique ornamental frames. She shares, “Continuing the exploration of 'Torus' as a form and flow process, one of the key characteristics of the torus is that at its very center, the entire system comes to a point of ultimate balance and stillness — in other words, perfect centeredness. This is the center point ‘singularity’ of the torus."
Hikari Shimoda arrived onto the international scene in 2014 with her U.S. exhibition Fantastic Planet, Goodbye Man at CHG, introducing her ongoing series entitled “Children of This Planet” and “Whereabouts of God,” and since then she’s become one of the most widely recognized names of New Contemporary painters rising out of Japan. Sparkling and sweet, Shimoda’s work is at once enchanting and disarming, portraying a world where cuteness and horror coexist. Regarding her new works, Shimoda shares: “People live by being bound by all attributes by nature; eye color, hair color, and skin color and so on. It varies according to our race, nationality, gender or social status, and it can be difficult to judge an individual without any attributes. I think of it like a "curse" that afflicts the individual without even realizing it. I also have some discomfort in my gender as a woman. It is hard for me to say how I feel "different", and I feel uncomfortable with the attributes of a woman, and that has long afflicted me in the form of some self-denial. However, I believe that we should affirm our own existence regardless of our identity and attributes. To express this idea, I drew a portrait series called ‘Affirmation of Existence,’ where lines and symbols are intruding the picture that I am known for as an artist. In a way, this is my own self-affirmation.”
Regarding his new works, Ian Francis shares: “In these two paintings I wanted to explore the contrast between the melodramatic interrelationships of the characters and the vast liminal spaces they are lost within. I was interested in these frozen moments of narrative breaking down against landscapes which extend off into the distance, unreal and indistinct places. Each of these pieces refer back to previous paintings that I made in 2012. It was interesting to me to revisit ideas 8 years later.
My new piece ‘A Beach Umbrella Loses It’s Ability to Provide Shelter’ refers back to my older piece, titled ‘Two People Go On Holiday Forever,’ again taking place in a strange, abstracted space that’s defined as a beach primarily by the presence of the beach umbrella, but now the umbrellas are being taken down and falling apart. My second piece in this show, titled ‘Far Away, a Stage Sun Sets in the Mountains’ refers back to my piece ‘A Red Sphere Grows’ ─ in both pieces I was interested in the idea of a landscape built from playing with the movement of paint that’s interrupted by a simple geometric sphere alien to its surroundings. I wanted to explore the sense of threat and unreality created by its artifice.”
The four-artist show featuring Kai and Sunny, Handiedan, Hikari Shimoda, and Ian Francis opens Saturday, October 3rd in the Main Gallery, alongside a solo show by Arinze Stanley in Gallery 2 (click here for info) and a two-artist show Mayuka Yamaoto and Erika Sanada in Gallery 3 (click here for info). 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.
Please note: In order to keep our family of artists, collectors and staff safe, and in compliance with the COVID-19 state-wide mandate, the physical gallery will remain closed until further notice but can be reached via email at jch@coreyhelfordgallery.com.
About Kai and Sunny:
Kai and Sunny (born 1975 and 1977, respectively) are a UK based artist duo. They both graduated from the Epsom School of Art in Surrey, United Kingdom with degrees in Art and Design. They have collaborated with author David Mitchell, designer Alexander McQueen, artist Shepard Fairey and have won numerous accolades, including a 2012 D&AD Design Award and a 2015 LIA award. Works by Kai and Sunny have been exhibited internationally at institutions such as Haunch of Venison and are included in the Victoria & Albert Museum Print Archive Collection.
Praise for Kai and Sunny’s work includes Shepard Fairey sharing, "The idea that such sophisticated and detailed pieces are executed by hand is mind-blowing.” Hypebeast says, "The highly acclaimed, award-winning art duo Kai and Sunny have risen to notoriety over the past few years thanks to their beautiful and highly-detailed nature-inspired images."
About Handiedan:
The work of Dutch artist Handiedan involves a complex cut and paste mixture of digital and highly detailed sculptural hand cut collages, complimented by conscientiously collected antique ornamental frames. Handiedan’s accomplished and refined collage technique allows her for an artistic journey through past, present and future. The result is an almost kaleidoscopical visual exploration whose discoveries are sometimes immediately visible and sometimes hidden in plain sight.
Deeply influenced by multi-sexual, scientific and spiritual interests - from Quantum Physics, Cosmology and Numerology to Sacred Geometries, Metaphysics and Eastern Philosophies - her art embraces the various forms of vital energy endlessly permeating the universe and mirrors the eternal motion of life. With a background in photographic design and illustration, Handiedan started working as a full-time artist in 2007. Ever since, her artwork has been shown in galleries throughout the world as well outside the gallery and as large-scale wheat paste installations.
About Hikari Shimoda:
Based in Nagano, Japan, Hikari Shimoda first studied illustration at the prestigious Kyoto Saga University of Art and Aoyama Juku School before beginning her career as a contemporary artist in 2008. Soon afterward, Shimoda was selected for her first solo exhibition at Motto Gallery in Tokyo, and since then has held exhibitions annually in galleries worldwide, spanning Japan, the United States, Canada, and Milano, Italy. Shimoda’s artwork paints a world where cuteness and horror coexist, and fantasy meets reality. She credits the Japanese pop culture she grew up with as the main source of inspiration of her Lowbrow-Irasuto style, inspired by anime and manga.
There are often children putting on heroic costumes such as Superman and Shojo girls, an anime sub-genre of young girls who use magic. Through depicting children especially, Shimoda reveals the problems people in today’s socety struggle with from within. Children possess a simple existence because their identity is ambiguous which provides her with an original point of view. In her “Whereabouts of God” portrait series of other worldly horned children, she also comments on Christianity’s anointment of Jesus Christ as savior of humanity and mirror of our fantasy heroes. These characters not only represent heroism but an adult desire to watch our children grow and defend the world we have constructed. With each new piece, Shimoda advances her search for salvation and her deeper understanding of this chaotic world.
About Ian Francis:
Multimedia artist Ian Francis currently lives and works in Bristol, UK, where he was born in 1979. Francis received a BA in art and illustration in 2001 from University of the West of England. He’s exhibited across the world, from his native U.K. to shows in the U.S., Germany, and Sydney.
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.
###
