Painting Over the Cracks

OPENING RECEPTION
August 6, 2022 | 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm

ON VIEW
August 6 – September 10, 2022

“Undead Head No.1”

Click here for a sample of exhibit images, in-studio photos, and work in progress shots

Downtown Los Angeles’ Corey Helford Gallery (CHG) is honored to host the long-awaited next U.S. solo exhibition from world-renowned London-based multimedia artist D*Face, entitled Painting Over the Cracks. Opening Saturday, August 6th from 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm, the show will be on display in the Main Gallery and Gallery 2 through September 10th.

Instantly recognized as one of the UK’s most prolific Urban Contemporary artists, D*Face (Dean Stockton) has occupied the forefront of his practice since his first sell out show in 2005. Born and raised in London, his childhood interests of graffiti, California skate culture, and punk aesthetic were well nurtured from an early age. Having come across the likes of Jim Phillips and Vernon Courtlandt Johnson amidst the pages of Thrasher Magazine, he was initially inspired to follow a path of graphic design and illustration, before eventually taking a more freelance approach to his art. After learning to screen print his own stickers, he took the public domain of the street as his canvas, blending art, design, and graffiti in a manner that pre-dated the emergence of street art as it is known today. It was in this newly found outlet that D*Face quickly gained attention from others, mainly for the clean, vivid nature of his designs that quickly spread across the city. Even today, D*Face continues to approach his work with the same anarchic energy that drove his career from the outset. His murals can be found across the globe and his subversive-pop style and iconic D*Dog logo have become an inseparable part British Urban art and it’s ever-expanding medium.

Often describing his work as ‘aPOPcalyptic,’ D*Face seeks to pick up where the masters of 1980’s American Pop left oﬀ ─ to establish a very real, albeit tongue in cheek criticism of our consumer dominated world. By subverting the images and icons of the everyday, the artist encourages the eye of the beholder not just to ‘see’ but to carefully consider that which they may otherwise take for granted. By re-appropriating media from decades of materialistic over-consumption--advertising, comic books, and on-screen romance--and reshaping it with cleaner lines and the vibrant hues of his pallet, D*Face’s work acts as a necessary wake up call to overly conspicuous society of the 21st century.

Regarding his new works, D*Face shares, “Yes, yes, I’m aware the actual expression is to ‘paper over the cracks’ but for obvious reasons, painting felt more appropriate to me and to this show ─ with nearly one hundred murals under my belt, I’ve spent my fair share of time painting over real cracks in real walls. If you haven’t heard the expression before, it essentially refers to the act of ignoring or hiding an issue in both the literal and metaphorical sense ─ it’s putting on a brave face and pretending that ‘the issue’ doesn’t really exist.” Adding, “After living through an unprecedented, historical moment in time that saw us globally locked down as a result of the pandemic, I think we’ve witnessed our fair share of ‘cracks’ appearing across society and culture alike, some fresh, some older, and some deeper than before. In many of these cases it felt like the approach was to apply a big dollop of metaphorical paint to cover them up, only for the cracks to reappear slightly worse further down the line. This show and body of work is a collection of my own personal observations and feelings from the last couple of years. My intention is not a love letter to what we have lost and nor is it a celebration of the change that was catalysed by the pandemic, because, let’s face it, there’s been good and bad in both. Rather, it’s a visual acknowledgement of the altered society in which we now find ourselves and which we must strive to make better.” Click here for the artist’s full show statement.

Painting Over the Cracks marks the artist’s third solo show at Corey Helford Gallery, following 2017’s massively popular Happy Never Ending about love and love lost. Covered by Juxtapoz, Highsnobiety, The Hundreds, LA Weekly, and more, the exhibition featured 22 original paintings, as well as sculptures, a limited-edition hand-painted book cover series, a tombstone installation, and associated street murals. In addition, D*Face became an ordained minister and performed a real marriage ceremony on opening night in front of a chapel installation (hung upside down inside the gallery) and hundreds of onlookers. Click here to watch an interview with D*Face discussing the show and watch a video tour of the exhibit here.

More about D*Face:
In terms of artistic and cultural collaborations, D*Face has worked on countless projects with the likes of Shepard Fairey, Banksy, Blink-182, and Triumph Motorcycles, just to name a few. His connections to both the music world and motorcycle culture stem from a lifelong passion for both and the chance to work with prestigious British brands, such as the Triumph Motorcycle Company, represent achievements of great personal significance for the artist. Similarly, many of his personal career highlights come from work he has produced alongside many of the other giants within the Urban Contemporary scene. He often quotes his earliest meetings with Shepard Fairey, running the streets with paste-ups and time spent in the many urban artistic hide-outs of London’s East-End during the last 90’s, as some of the most memorable and formative artistic moments.

As a final cherry on the cake, beyond solo exhibitions, global mural commissions, and a host of top-secret projects, D*Face is also founder and owner of his own London gallery, StolenSpace, which has been host to countless artists from the Urban Contemporary scene, both established and emerging alike. As the first of its kind, the gallery represents a significant cultural landmark within the history of the movement and continues to define it moving forward. With so much in the works, it's hard to say what's next in store for one of the UK’s most eminent urban artists.

“D*Face is one of Britain's leading ‘newbrow’ artists, and damn if he isn't as sharp and clever ─ if not quite as surreptitious ─ as Banksy (and sharper and cleverer by half than Damien Hirst).”
- art critic Peter Frank

About Corey Helford Gallery:
Established in 2006 by Jan Corey Helford and her husband, television producer/creator Bruce Helford (The Conners, Anger Management, The Drew Carey Show, and George Lopez), Corey Helford Gallery (CHG) has since evolved into one of the premier galleries of New Contemporary art. Its goal as an institution is supporting the growth of artists, from the young and emerging, to the well-known and internationally established. 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. Located in downtown Los Angeles at 571 S. Anderson St. Los Angeles, CA 90033, in a robust 12,000 square foot building, CHG presents new exhibitions approximately every six weeks. The gallery 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 follow on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. For available prints from CHG, visit CHGPrints.com.