Forced Success

If you were here on Friday, June 6th, you were one of the people who got to enjoy being Force Fed! If you weren't, take a look at everything you missed.



Our first speaker was Rachel Shuman, one of the co-editors of Cai Guo-Qiang/Inopportune: Stage One which can be viewed on the Guggenheim's web site. Rachel spoke on the role of the chinese artist, both in the Guggenheim show and in the world at large, which prompted a very enjoyable conversation about the hows and whys of emerging artists, the decline of censorship in China over the last seven years, and the way this is changing the global art market as a whole.

Rachel also gave us some insight into the editing process of "Cai Guo-Qiang/Inopportune: Stage One", telling us just how much time and footage it took to make the five minute long documentation of the piece. She joked that she was like a surgeon, and we think that's a fair comparison. Be sure to enjoy the finished piece yourself.


After Rachel came our good friend (and current featured artist) Eric LoPresti. Eric had plenty to say about his current show Force Against Force. The relationship between the two sides of every image, the formal aspect of painting, the challenge of the abstract vs the real, even the decisions made in graphing out the pieces and the importance of color and how it affects us in the day-to-day world, Eric gave us a terrifying amount of information in a calm, soothing way. Appropriate, huh? Force Against Force runs until June 15th, and the artist will be in attendance all day. Be sure to stop by and congratulate him on his successful show!



Our chef for the night was Conor Yates, who brought us an organic dinner that was absolutely wonderful. Conor is a student of the slow food movement, and filled us in on how he and his fellow chefs are working to counteract the fast food lifestyle many of us have accidentally chosen. We learned about the role of raw food, cooking without fats and oils, and the importance of grass-fed meats and using local farms. The meal ended with a fruit and chocolate fondue, thanks to the nice people at Divine Chocolates. They're a Fair Trade chocolate company, so there's no worry that you're not doing your part. Plus they taste SO GOOD.

It was a great night and we enjoyed having everyone. If you couldn't make it, keep an eye on our calendar, because you've just got to make the next one. It's not the same without you here!

A pre show fierce review!

ARTmostfierce was invited to an studio visit for emerging artist Eric LoPresti sponsored by the auction house Phillips de Pury.

And this is what he had to say:

Eric's paintings are combination of oil and airbrush on linen .Most of his paintings are manifested as diptychs in which one side has a complete abstract expression vs. a quite crafted , insightful and detailed visual that makes us think of the some of the world most current events.
A good example of it is the second diptych painting (Untitled) in which an image from Iraq can be as familiar as a neighborhood somewhere in Florida or Los Angeles in the moment of being hit by a missile. There is a lot of reflexion, insinuation and hidden messages in his paintings but, I want you to be the judge so please, go to the opening tomorrow night and see for yourself . For more info please see links below or contact Marisa Sage at Like The Spice Gallery. Don't miss it!

Check out the blog!

On The Road Again

We like it here in the gallery, but sometimes you just need to go out and get your hands dirty. That's why it was so nice to visit the harsh and brutal world of Eric LoPresti's studio on May 1st. The esteemed Phillips Art Expert was on hand to take some photos, and we had many special guests (who found the the event neither harsh nor brutal, if the truth be known). Head over and take a look at the photos, and then make plans to come see Eric LoPresti: Force Against Force on May 16th.

Shameless Plug

The wonderful blog phillipsartexpert has put up a short profile of Eric LoPresti, and we're very glad! Force Against Force opens May 16th. Come join us, won't you?