Upcoming Exhibition: Christo Brock, Elizabeth Szymczak, Kamil Vojnar

February 24 - March 21, 2015

Reception: Saturday, February 28, 5-8 pm

Artist Talk : Saturday, March 7, 3 pm

Unwonted Eye, Christo Brock

Christo Brock, Tortured Orange Line, Photo on metal, 20 x 30 in

In his latest work, Brock continues to explore unwonted (unusual, unexpected) imagery from everyday life.  His eye ranges from the languid rolling ocean in “Ripples #3” to the macroscopic “Tortured Orange Line” and the enhanced fantastical forest-scape of “Christmas Trees”.  In all his imagery, printed exclusively on metal, Brock shows the unique vision that has characterized his work. 

It’s this metal surface that provides a medium to complete Brock’s abstraction of image.  These photographs don’t merely sit on the metal as a photograph - they seem to live in the metal.  His images shimmer and glisten, and the metal often adds a welcomed element of abstraction to his work.  At times, Brock plays with the metal, as if daring to evoke the molecules to speak. Dew Drops become glowing orbs, waves become undulating stripes of blue, trees become lines of color and depth.

Choreographed Color, Elizabeth Szymczak

Elizabeth Szymczak, Dream, Oil on canvas, 30 x 30 in.

"Contemporary figure painting has become, for the most part, too stabile. People sit, stand, or lie around the house or garden, stolid and inert, their poses without animation, often they seem as if they were stuffed. By not moving, they often fail to move us: the loss of animation has meant a loss to painting, in the range of both expression and subject matter,” wrote art historian Gerald Ackerman in his paper, “On Motion in Art”.

Elizabeth Szymczak captures the dynamism of motion, whilst maintaining an exemplary level of realism. She paints out of a love for dance and the expressing of emotion through movement. Szymczak’s paintings render what the figures are attempting to evoke.

As her latest body of work, Choreographed Color is a more positive collection. Szymczak concentration is centered on the blend of surrealism and realism. As in life, she is striving to find the right balance between expression and approach.

Just Pictures, Kamil Vojnar

Kamil Vojnar, From History of Aviation, mixed media on wood, 16 x 16 in.

Just Pictures is anything but… JUST PICTURES. Its a desperate cry, … it’s a hand sticking out from the water, trying to grab to whatever, to anything, that is still true and real, in today’s fast-paced world. Vojnar himself pronounces his work to be above everything else, … about collisions … “Of yellowish nostalgia, melancholy, of our sepia tinted past. colliding with the cold, ultra LED HDTV plasma, retina display, uninspiring, robotic present.”

Vojnar utilizes many paradoxical elements in his work. His pieces have a gritty, yet delicate and elegant feel. They are ethereal, yet remarkably tangible. The drips of paint, the layering of the image across numerous pieces of paper and the familiar elements and details in each piece (shoes, a sofa, a mirror, etc.) make the work part of our world. At the same time, central to the images are figures that are detached and untouchable. Like a muse or angels, they elude the viewer and perhaps the artist as well.

Coming Exhibition: Christo Brock, Elsie Dye Sims, Kamil Vojnar

March 25 - April 19, 2014

Opening Reception:
Saturday, March 29, 5-8 p.m.

Artist Talk:
Saturday, April 12, 3 p.m.


Euphonious Eye, Christo Brock

Christo Brock, City / State, 2013 
Photograph on Aluminum 20 x 30 in

Christo Brock’s latest body of photography continues to explore detail in everyday settings. Elegant compositions emerge from macroscopic studies of both manmade and natural landscapes, and the everyday is rendered sublime through subtle use of color and digital paint. Brock zeros in on both color and form to create abstract images separate from his subjects’ original identities. From the languid bend of octopus tentacles to rusted industrial pipes, Brock uses a simple visual vocabulary of color, line, and shape to confront viewers on a visceral level. “I'm drawn to images on an intuitive and emotional level,” says Brock. I trust this reaction to inform what to capture, and, at times, enhance.” Brock adds another dimension to his work by printing his images on metal - further enhancing the bold color and luminosity within his photographs to physically reflect light. The intersection of man and nature is a recurring motif for Brock, as his images depict how the two environments both collide and intermingle in the 21st century.


Coastal Continuum II, Elsie Dye Sims

Elsie Dye Sims, Windswept, 2014 
Hand Colored Woodcut 39.5 x 34 in., ed 1/10

Nature’s cycle is at the root of Elsie Dye Sims’ detailed woodcut designs. The rhythmic ebb and flow of ocean waves, wind-blown flora and fauna are translated into powerful lines and gestural strokes as Sims’ coastal environments take on a bold sense of character. “My attention is drawn to the things in nature and our coast that exemplify the beauty that is found in the process of change,” says Sims. “The refinement and energy that occurs in the midst of wind and weather, the signs of time and transformation, are most compelling to me.” Unlike traditional black and white woodcut techniques, Sims individualizes each of her expressive compositions with color after printing the woodcuts. Her current series of such a large-scale medium convey the energy of the outdoors with a keen attention to the natural nuances of color and texture of the west coast.

Elsewhere, Kamil Vojnar

Kamil Vojnar, Beautiful, 2013 Mixed Media 36 x 36 in.

Ethereal figures inhabit the transcendental environments of Kamil Vojnar’s latest exhibition, “Elsewhere.” Like the fringes of a dream, the artist strips his images of any identifiable time or place, while also providing a sense of emotional familiarity. Religious iconography, flower petals, mechanisms of flight and wings resurface in Vojnar’s current work. “Sometimes there are wings. But those who carry them, they are no angels,” says Vojnar. “They just want to be free. (A) pair of wings is like a passport to get away.” Vojnar’s compositions begin with digitally layered photographs printed on various thin, Japanese papers which are then adhered to canvas or wood. Other images stand alone, printed on heavy art paper. Droplets of wax and oil paint add a tangible dimension to the artist’s photography while simultaneously emphasizing nuances of color and shadow. Vojnar’s subjects evoke an equal sense of mystery and spiritual contemplation in a modern era of uncertainties.

TAG at Photo L.A.

January 16-19, 2014

Opening Night Benefit:
Thursday, January 16, from 6pm - 9pm : $80.00 ($100 at door) purchase tickets here

Public Hours:
Friday: January 17, 11am - 7pm
Saturday: January 18, 11am - 7pm
Sunday: January 19, 11am - 6pm
more information and purchase tickets here

TAG's Booth 622 will feature the work of Christo Brock, Caropl Kleinman, and Kamil Vojnar

L.A. Mart
1933 Broadway
Los Angeles, CA 90007
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Coming Exhibition: Carol Kleinman, Linda Sue Price, Kamil Vojnar

October 29 - November 23, 2013

Opening Reception:
Saturday, November 2, 5-8pm

Artists' Talk:
Saturday, November 9, 3-4pm

Carol Kleinman, Paris Windows

Carol Kleinman, Covered Passage, Single Exposure on Canvas, 36 x 24", 2013

Windows are her inspiration, the camera is her tool. Artist Carol Kleinman’s latest show, “Paris Windows,” continues her unique work with reflections, merging reality with fantasy. In her new series of photographs on canvas, the Pacific Palisades resident and inveterate traveler captures a mysterious, multi-layered world as it actually existed on windows all over Paris, from the small streets of the Latin Quarter to the 19th century covered passages of the Right Bank. Kleinman’s surprising images are not composites, but rather single exposures capturing a complex interplay of light and form. “I want to challenge the viewer to look beyond everyday life. Each of my images existed in the world at a unique moment in time,” says Kleinman. “Nothing is set up or manufactured. What you see ... is what I saw.”

Linda Sue Price, Spiraling

Linda Sue Price, Purple Rain, Neon Tubes and Mixed Media, 36 x 12 x 15", 2013

Artist Linda Sue Price’s neon art is rooted in nostalgia. Referring to childhood memories of west coast road trips and visions of the animated motel signs and drive-in theaters from Long Beach to Las Vegas, Price’s work pays playful homage to a bygone era. Animation is prevalent in Price’s multilayered work, as twisted acrylic rods, glass and LED lights create vibrant landscapes of moving light. “I play with the glass, exploring and trying different combinations until I settle on a form I want to explore,” says Price. “I mix color, reflection, texture and animation to create a visual experience.” Price specifically designed her latest series to create a gentle, meditative sense of movement, contrasting the traditional use of animated signs as dazzling distractors. Price’s dynamic spiraled designs offer a colorful sense of whimsy while embracing the capabilities of neon as an artistic medium.

Kamil Vojnar, Life is a Journey

Kamil Vojnar, Flying Lessons, Mixed Media, 20 x 16", 2013

Life is a journey for artist Kamil Vojnar. Like pages from a scrapbook, his images document this journey. But rather than cover wide geographical distances, Vojnar travels vertically through the timeless, wistful emotions of the soul and heart. Soft figures float through ethereal landscapes of muted color as birds, balloons and airborne ships become forms of surreal locomotion in Vojnar’s current series. The artist’s scenes are comprised of digitally layered photographs on various papers which stand both alone or are adhered to canvas. Drips of wax and oil paint add touchable texture and simultaneously emphasize nuances of color and shadow. “I like to make a satisfying object,” says Vojnar. “A simple photograph is cold to me.” Vojnar’s collaged images provide a sense of spiritual contemplation, as motifs of wings and figures in flight act as modern relics that are both haunting and familiar.