Parrasch Heijnen Gallery is participating in the multi-venue Dilexi Gallery retrospective with a historic presentation of works by Arlo Acton, Tony DeLap, Deborah Remington, Charles Ross, and Richard Van Buren. The Dilexi gallery began out of necessity--a deep-seated need to have a serious space for counterculture artists in the heart of vibrantly active beatnik San Francisco. In 1958, Jim Newman and Bob Alexander filled this void championing free-spirited and nonconformist artists. Dilexi, which derives from Latin “to select, to value highly, to love,” was the conduit necessary for these disparate artists to experiment with new materials and non-traditional techniques that eventually became their individual styles outside any singular art movement. Pivotal museum exhibitions such as Primary Structures (1966: Jewish Museum, New York, NY) as well as the locally founded ArtForum brought Dilexi artists international recognition.

Dilexi: Totems and Phenomenology is on view through August 10 at Parrasch Heijnen Gallery 1326 S Boyle Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90023. photographs courtesy of Parrasch Heijnen Gallery