Dilexi: Totems and Phenomenology @ Parrasch Heijnen Gallery in Los Angeles

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

Jesse Edwards "Let's Watch TV All Day" @ 6817 Gallery in Los Angeles

6817 gallery presents Let's Watch TV All Day, an exhibition of recent paintings and ceramics by Jesse Edwards. This is the artist's first solo show in Los Angeles. Let's Watch TV All Day will feature a series of ceramic televisions in which Edwards uses familiar imagery: Disney characters, Super Mario, the Simpsons, Bob Ross, and porn stars. Edwards comments on contemporary society's obsession with visual stimulation by portraying subject matter that is universally recognizable, images that the American public spends much of their time looking at. Edwards' ceramic cell phones with pornographic images further this idea; many of these are "selfies," cell phone photos often sent via text. In his still life paintings, Edwards portrays drug paraphernalia, soda cans, junk food, flowers, and similar every day objects. Edwards historicizes American counterculture by representing these items in a traditional still life format. Later this month, a monograph of Jesse Edwards' work will be published by Vito Schnabel. Let's Watch TV All Day will be on view until November 21 at 6817 Gallery in Los Angeles. photographs by Oliver Maxwell Kupper