North, South, East, and West mark the four corners of the world around us. The classical elements—fire, water, earth, air—reduce that world into four neat categories. The Beatles famously counted four members among their ranks (not including “fifth Beatle” Billy Preston), and so did the Ninja Turtles.
Corey Helford Gallery might be onto something with their latest offering, a four-artist sampler show held in Galley 3 alongside Adrian Cox’s solo show, The Brush and the Torch, in the main gallery. Featuring new work from Australian watercolor artist kelogsloops, Thai painter Tarntara Sudadung, Japanese portrait artist Yuka Sakuma, and Los Angeles’ own Robert Palacios, the four-artist exhibition runs through July 8, 2023, at Corey Helford Gallery in downtown Los Angeles.
Specializing in both digital and watercolor paintings, kelogsloops blends surrealism with the anime he loved as a child. His characters, suspended in time, capture a fleeting feeling that feeds on the mythology and symbolism teeming below the surface. Regarding his new series, Fables, kelogsloops says, “I’ve always found myself fascinated by mythology and legends from cultures all around the world. These stories have always evoked wonder in my imagination as a child, and so, I wanted to create my own personal interpretation of a few mythological creatures with respect to the traditions, symbology, and legends where they come from."
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Robert Palacios’ work is marked by humor, vivid hues, and a cast of intriguing characters. His latest body of work, Sugar and Spice, is full of story-driven compositions that capture a dream-like reality. “The title is based on the good and evil of my characters’ emotions and actions,” he says. “With a preference for symbols and elements that are both familiar and whimsical, I want the viewer to explore this delightful, surreal landscape and discover their own narrative within the unexpected juxtapositions.”
Influenced by intense emotions, childhood memories, and dreams, Thai painter Tarntara Sudadung uses soft brush strokes to create her sensitive portraits of women and young girls. Her latest body of work, Red Hair Girl, reflects on the invisible lines that mark some people as “different” or “dangerous” in society. “Throughout history, in some cultures, people with red hair were ostracized from society and even brutally murdered for looking ‘different,’” she says. “It seems like the differences between people will never go away, but change to a different form.”
Japanese painter Yuka Sakuma is known for her delicate portraits of adolescent women. Her style, described as neo-nihonga, is a contemporary form of Japanese painting that incorporates all-natural materials, including inks and papers. Regarding her new series, Lily, Yuka says, “The ‘little girl,’ the motif of my work, is no longer seen today as something fragile and to be protected, but rather as something superhuman, invincible, and the strongest [...] what’s depicted in these new works is a ‘girl who descends with the hope of the near future.’”
The four-artist exhibition runs through July 8, 2023, at Corey Helford Gallery in downtown Los Angeles. For more information, please visit the gallery website here.
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All photos published with permission of the artist(s).
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