PHOTOS AND TEXT BY PAULINE ADAMEK
Cella Gallery opened their doors in the NoHo Arts District just over a year ago and has managed to weather the economic storm that has engulfed us all.
In addition to their current ART in REVIEW exhibition at their gallery on Lankershim – their first annual Summer Group Exhibit – owners McKenzie Alexander and Shannon Currie Holmes are currently staging an Art in PREVIEW, now showing in their Cella Gallery Artist Loft, located just around the corner from their main gallery space on Weddington Street.
This preview exhibition offers an exclusive, sneak-peek at the year ahead as well as an introduction to a brilliant group of artists new to Cella Gallery. Contemporary art enthusiasts have the opportunity to see a small collection of work by some of the most promising, up-and-coming artists new to the Los Angeles art scene.
The ART in REVIEW show features works from: Sheri Bakes, Adam Caldwell, Mark Gleason, Jeff Ramirez and Gwyneth Scally.
- Mark Gleason’s ”Snake with Girl” is both arresting and dynamic.
Mark Gleason’s arresting works, such as “Girl with Snake” ($3,000) are terrifying and dynamic at the same time. These naturalistic oils are extremely well-executed with dramatic lighting and engaging subject matter.
The small works of Jeff Ramirez of various people caught off guard seem banal and gimmicky at first until you realize these exquisite works are not faux paparazzi snaps but photo-realistic oils on panels. I am unsure what the artist is trying to say (everybody is an elusive celebrity?) as the titles, such as the hooded guy in “Nothing Ever Happens” and “Stop Breathin’” ($650), don’t quite add insight.
- Adam Caldwell’s larger works are sophisticated, thought-provoking and surreal visuals.
Adam Caldwell’s larger works are a case for artistic expression versus art built for consumption. They seem better suited in a corporate or commercial space, rather than in a home. These crowded, collage-type paintings, with their sophisticated and surreal visuals, are stressful and thought-provoking and not relaxing to view. Soldier’s Memory, priced at $2,400, typifies his work.
This very special exhibit can be viewed at the Cella Gallery Artist Loft, at 11135 Weddington St., Suite #116 in NoHo.
- Jeff Ramirez does photo-realistic oils on panels, such as “Nothing Ever Happens.”
The loft has been generously donated to Cella Gallery by Scott McCarter at Lofts at NoHo Commons and Redwood Urban. McCarter is a huge supporter of the NoHo artistic community. He encourages the development of this district as an artist’s haven by providing these lofts that are zoned for both retail and residential. These big, airy spaces are perfect for artists to create in as well as display their works.
Also on view through the summer, in their main gallery on Lankershim, you can take a look back over the past year of exhibits with ART in REVIEW, Cella Gallery’s first annual Summer Group Exhibit.
This exhibit features works from the following artists: Stephan Canthal, Wendy Crabb, Byran Elliott, W.B. Fontenot, Jude Griebel, Kim Kimbro, Dan Madigan, Peter Myerson, Miguel Osuna, Jerome Prieur, Thea Saks, Susan Schiesser, Jackie Stanton, Alex Storm, Wiley Wallace, Carol Westwood and Rimi Yang.
The Cella Gallery is located at 5229 Lankersim Blvd., North Hollywood, CA 91601 www.cellagallery.com
Pauline Adamek is a Hollywood-based film, theater, and food critic who writes for FilmInk Australia, the Los Angeles Daily News and the Sun Community Newspapers, as well as various websites under the “nom du net” Max Million. Contact her at www.paulineadamek.com
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