Santa Monica Museum of Art "Cavepainting" is a new
exhibit at the Santa Monica Museum of Art being displayed through
March 31.
By Siddarth Puri
Daily Bruin Contributor
Nope, it’s not about prehistoric sketches of man’s
first successful hunt, and it has nothing to do with fur
loincloths.
“Cavepainting,” a new art exhibit at the Santa
Monica Museum of Art, shows the innovative works of artists Peter
Doig, Chris Ofili and Laura Owens.
“Cavepainting” is an experimental exhibit that was
planned and executed by the artists themselves. There is no curator
for the exhibit; in fact the artists did everything themselves from
choosing the designer to the backdrop. The exhibition is designed
to create a definite formal and narrative connection between the
artists’ works. Not having been showcased or exhibited at any
other gallery before, the recently completed artwork is ready for
its first public viewing.
“It’s a very unique and unusual occurrence to have
an artist-motivated exhibit,” said Elsa Longhauser, executive
director of the Santa Monica Museum. “The artists created the
idea for “˜Cavepainting.’ They were the motivating force
behind the exhibition and created paintings specific for the
occasion.”
The artists have been long-time friends and acquaintances, and
have had gallery showings together in the past. With
“Cavepainting,” they wanted to organize an exhibition
that displayed their newest works together.
“Though the artists have known each other for a long time,
their works here are independent from one another,”
Longhauser said. “Their works are not a collaboration, but
rather are specific to the genre of each artist as they play off of
each other in the exhibit.”
The three artists have traveled worldwide with their works.
Having gained prominence in the early 1990s for their technical
innovation and unique representations, these artists are now known
for their specific styles and choice of subjects.
British artist Peter Doig is known for his large-scale
figurative works that incorporate elements from personal
photographs, travel magazines and horror films. A Canadian native,
Doig incorporates childhood memories into his paintings, and uses a
style reminiscent of post-Impressionistic painting through his
application of a range of styles and idiosyncratic color
schemes.
Chris Ofili, winner of the 1998 Turner Prize, is a London-based
artist who garnered attention through the 1999
“Sensation” exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum. Ofili
uses a mélange of eclectic media including glitter, map pins
and elephant dung as his basis for creating his colorful collages.
Comic books, black culture, hip-hop music and black exploitation
films of the 1970s often influence his collages, which sometimes
take subversive attitudes on black stereotypes.
Finally, L.A. artist Laura Owens rounds out the three with her
large-scale paintings. Owens mixes both historical and cultural
sources for her paintings.
She likes to incorporate both abstract and representational
elements that come together with her casual, easy and sometimes
humorous tone to create a unique style. Favoring iconic images,
Owens often moves from landscape to abstraction in the same
work.
“As an art student, I hear about how these artists create
amazing works of art separately, but to finally be able to see
their works together in a room is a great opportunity to see how
they play off of each other,” said Keri-Anne Conner, a
first-year art student.
There is no singular recurring message throughout each of the
paintings, and each artist has added his or her own stylistic touch
specific to the genre to create paintings that connect with each
other.
“Each painting is a metaphor for the artist: how they each
work separately from one another and yet can come together to
create a show that draws an audience to see all aspects of the
show,” Longhauser said.
The show is set in a large room with the works displayed on the
walls. It is set up like this to create a conversation between the
pieces of artwork and to be able to see the narrative thread
through them all.
“Without a doubt, this show has been a success so
far,” Longhauser said.
“Just being able to work with these three important,
powerful and evolving artists whose work is carefully considered
and exquisitely effective has been a privilege.”
ART: “Cavepainting” will be showing
at the Santa Monica Museum of Art now through March 31. The museum
is open Tuesday-Saturday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from noon to
5 p.m. Located at 2525 Michigan Ave., the museum is open to the
public free of charge. For more information, call (310)
586-6488.