ON VIEW
August 14 – September 18, 2021

“Breeze” (oil on canvas, 18” x 14”) by Richard Ahnert and “Obsidian” (oil on wood, 18” x 14”) by Jon Ching

Click here to download sample of exhibit images

Downtown Los Angeles’ Corey Helford Gallery (CHG) is proud to announce a two-artist show featuring self-taught, Los Angeles-based Hawaiian painter Jon Ching and Toronto-based artist Richard Ahnert, opening Saturday, August 14th in Gallery 3.

Devoted to his art practice and creative detailed realism, Jon Ching is inspired by the interconnectedness of nature including the minute idiosyncrasies of flora and fauna. New creatures and symbioses emerge in his meticulously rendered oil paintings, exemplifying the endless potential of life on Earth. His work is often driven by his personal desire to find balance between the human and natural worlds, exploring themes of symbiosis and searching for connections, physical and metaphorical, across nature’s kingdoms. Ching’s upcoming show at CHG, entitled Realm, features ten new large works.

Regarding his new series, Ching shares: “The new works that make up Realm are a convergence of a number of series I’ve been working on over the last few years. In past series, I’ve tried to focus on a sole theme or perspective that informed all or most of the works, with each series having a new theme. After a few rounds of this, a throughline started to appear that connected the series, revealing underlying ideas. Realm is a reflection of the intersection of these ideas.

At the core of the series, as is the case with my work in general, is the beauty and wonder of the natural world. We are incredibly fortunate to have inherited such awe-inspiring diversity and complexity that make up life on this planet and my work celebrates this gift. To acknowledge this is to also acknowledge threats and challenges to it. Climate change, species on the brink of extinction, protection and stewardship of the natural world, revealing the divine in nature and many more ideas mingle in these new oil paintings. They represent my thoughts and feelings, essentially my experience of the challenges in the human and natural worlds. A mix of celebration, spirituality, and nostalgia emerge within new creatures and connections, while showing off the abundance of magic and interconnection that exists in nature.”

In describing the artist, Colossal shares, “…Ching strikes a balance between texture and color in his meticulously detailed oil paintings that make fantastic creatures—owls with plumes of mushrooms and fuzzy molds, seahorses sprouting leafy twigs, and fish with striped tulip fins—appear natural in their environments. This vague distinction between the realistic and surreal saturates Ching’s body of work, which imagines a magical ecosystem that visualizes the symbiotic relationships between flora and fauna…While he dreams up the hybrid forms, the artist still roots each piece in the existing world. He has a keen sense for finding the enchanting and unusual in his own experiences, whether from watching David Attenborough documentaries or spending his childhood in Kaneohe, Hawaii.”

Richard Ahnert takes anthropomorphic painting to a new level, lacing it with a quiet, yet unmistakable animism – an abiding kinship between human and animal. He uses the relationship between animals and humans to explore themes of emotion, metaphor, and narrative with a satirical twist. Storytelling, understated humor, and deep reflection are at the heart of his practice.

Regarding his new series, entitled When We Met, Ahnert shares: “When We Met is a collection of pieces that reflect upon the stories of the people who enter our lives and help to shape who we are, even if we aren't always aware of it. Whether simply passing through, or they are a lifetime fixture in our world, some individuals can inflict such profound influence on us that our lives are forever changed. That effect can come in the form of love, support, solace, heroism, and sometimes even tragedy. And sometimes we're just given enough to convince ourselves that perhaps we can even change our spots and overcome anything.”

The two-artist show opens Saturday, August 14th from 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm in Gallery 3, alongside a special 75th anniversary group show, titled Looking with the Heart: The Little Prince, in the Main Gallery and a four-artist show in Gallery 2, titled Animalia, featuring Franc Kaiser, Josh Keyes, Miguel Escobar Uribe, and Okuda San Miguel.

As coronavirus cases continuing to rise, CHG will be requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination as a condition of entry into the gallery, plus masks will be required and 200 people at a time will be allowed into the gallery’s 12,000 square foot space, which will be monitored by CHG’s staff. After opening night, CHG returns to their regular visiting hours (Thursday through Saturday from 12:00 pm – 6:00 pm).

About Jon Ching:
Jon Ching grew up steeped in natural beauty on the island of O’ahu, Hawai’i, which formed the foundation of his deep fascination with the natural and wild world. A self-taught painter, Ching’s devoted art practice and detailed realism is inspired by the interconnectedness of nature. While dedicated to the minute idiosyncrasies of flora and fauna, Ching’s work is a surreal imagining of what limitless wonders and combinations nature can produce. New creatures and symbioses emerge in his meticulously rendered oil paintings, exemplifying the endless potential of life on Earth. His work is often driven by his personal desire to find balance between the human and natural worlds, exploring themes of symbiosis and searching for connections, physical and metaphorical, across nature’s kingdoms. Ching’s ultimate hope is to inspire love and admiration for the universally unique beauty and intrigue of our world.

About Richard Ahnert:
Toronto-based artist Richard Ahnert graduated with honors from the Arts York program from Unionville High School in Ontario, Canada, with a major in Visual Arts, and went on to study Technical Illustration and Graphic Design at York University and Seneca College, graduating with the Presidents Honor Roll for Highest Academic Achievement. With a drive to explore and evolve as an artist, Ahnert continues his studies and participates in workshops to help define his style and practice.

The artist began exhibiting his work in 2010 and has shown in exhibitions and galleries in both Canada and the U.S. His work has won awards and can be found in private collections and businesses around the world.

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.

Corey Helford Gallery is located at 571 S. Anderson St. Los Angeles, CA 90033 and is open Tuesday through Saturday from 12:00 pm – 6:00 pm, with visiting hours being Thursday through Saturday from 12:00 pm – 6:00 pm. For more info and an upcoming exhibition schedule, visit CoreyHelfordGallery.com and connect on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. For available prints from CHG, visit CHGPrints.com.

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