CURRENT & PAST EXHIBITIONS
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CURRENT & PAST EXHIBITIONS •
Close the Light
ARTIST
Kristofferson San Pablo
ON VIEW
January 18 - February 8, 2025
SUMMARY
Known Studio is excited to present Kristofferson San Pablo in solo exhibition and performance “Close the Light”. For this exhibition, San Pablo presents a special installation of drawings, paintings, photo, ephemera along with a performance piece titled "Drawing Restraint 3000" in which San Pablo will be doing live portraits of visitors while they attempt to hit him with house slippers (flip-flop/tsinelas/chanclas,etc). The gesture is a reference to San Pablo's Filipino upbringing, as well as many Asian, Latin & African upbringings in which a mother uses her slipper as a means of discipline.
Though this form of corporal punishment can be harmful or oppressive, many consider the rubber slipper "lite" as opposed to other forms of discipline brought on many times by the father, usually in the form of a belt. For the artist, this performance serves as a safe space between people who grew up during a time where corporal punishment was the norm in many households.
The title "Drawing Restraint 3000" is a reference to the artist Matthew Barney's 'Drawing Restraint' performance series where Barney takes the idea of "Artist as Athlete" & physically restrains himself while drawing. Along with Barney, San Pablo's also cites many conceptual & performance works by Marina Abramovic, Chris Burden, Butoh, Felix Gonzales-Torres, Bob Ross, Jackass & George Bush Jr. as influences for this performance.
Aside from art historical references, San Pablo cites his Filipino upbringing & bootleg/counterfeit culture (specifically stating that Asian people are very good at it) as a way to remix & re-contextualize an idea. By re-appropriating Barney's title & adding "3000" at the end, this performance symbolizes a type of 'looking forward' or optimistic future for the artist & the participants.
Join us for the show’s opening reception Saturday, January 18 from 7-11PM. Additionally, a portion of the proceeds made from all art sales will be donated towards Los Angeles fire relief.
Drawing Restraint 3000
ANONIMA
ARTIST
Monica Forte
ON VIEW
January 4, 2025
SUMMARY
Known Studio is excited to present Anonima, a one night photography exhibition and performance that explores the concept of "non-places", beginning with the anonymous bar culture in Milan. Originally shown in Milan, we are excited to explore how this project, originally conceived in a European context, might adapt and spark conversation in Los Angeles, and ultimately lead to an exploration of the "non-places" that exist within the LA landscape.
We are often captivated by trendy new places, but what if we turned our attention to the familiar, overlooked spaces we frequent daily? Are they truly as impersonal and uninspiring as they seem?
Building on this idea, the project introduces an itinerant exhibition that invites reflection and adapts to a new cultural context. The goal is to engage audiences consistently, encouraging both thought and participation. By relocating the participatory art project, we explore how its format resonates in different environments, capturing public input and reactions or even uncovering entirely new interpretations. For example, the Milan-based Anonima began as a mapping of anonymous bars but could expand to other types of non-places, depending on the context. This flexibility not only broadens its scope but also enhances its uniqueness, sparking a global conversation through local insights.
Anonima is a migrating project by Milan-based artist Monica Forte. Forte is an emerging artist who recently held her first solo exhibition during Milano Arch Week (MAW) 2024, promoted by Triennale, Politecnico, and the Municipality of Milan. Her work features a collection of photographs capturing anonymous realities, collected through an online call. The aim is to recreate a sense of atmosphere and social connection through these often-overlooked spaces
Licking a Wound
ARTIST
Lily Pressman
ON VIEW
December 6-8, 2024
SUMMARY
Known Studio is excited to present Lily Pressman in her first LA solo exhibition Licking a Wound, co-curated with Marley White. Pressman showcases 9 sculptures that explore themes of maternity, malleability and the passage of time through a metaphysical lens.
The inspiration for the exhibition stemmed from an experience Pressman had earlier this year while nannying a baby. The child, barely able to crawl, began bending over in a rudimentary handstand with their head peering between their legs. He would attempt this position often over the course of a few weeks before ceasing entirely. Pressman stumbled upon an old wives’ tale suggesting that babies adopt this pose when sensing a pregnancy nearby. Reflecting on the timing, she realized the child’s sudden change coincided with her own miscarriage.
Drawing from that time, Pressman crafts a minimalist scenescape using raw clay, found objects, and reclaimed materials. Her work invites viewers to look closely, encouraging deeper engagement with what might initially appear straightforward.
Licking a Wound is on view from December 6-8, 2024. Pressman will be hosting an artist walkthrough of the exhibition on Saturday, December 7 at 2pm, and we will be hosting a wax casting jewelry workshop on Sunday, December 8 at 1:30pm led by White.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Lily Pressman is an artist working in multimedia sculpture living and working in Los Angeles CA. Born in Jakarta, IN, (b.1998) Pressman grew up in Arlington Virginia and has a BFA from Virginia Commonwealth University (2020).
Lily’s work ties together the presence of the body and mythic symbolism to communicate themes of maternity and the passage of time. Pressman's in depth material language lets the viewer understand her narratives through the piece's physicality. Known for challenging scale and her work with the figure in clay, her latest body of work pulls away from traditional methods. Her transformation of accumulated styrofoam, lost foam cast aluminum and the inclusion of unfired clay considers the significance of a piece's lifespan. Sculpting phrases Pressman uses language as a throughline in her practice.
ABOUT THE CO-CURATOR
Marley White (b. 1998, Travelers Rest, SC) is an artist and designer based in Los Angeles and holds a BFA from Virginia Commonwealth University in material studies. She is currently an instructor in the Fine Art and Product Design department at Otis College of Art and Design, and has taught both in the product design and sculpture department.
Second World
ARTISTS
Casey Baden, Kyle De Lotto, Greg Eberhardt, Luke Forsyth, Starkey Fossgreen, June Gutman, Michael Haight, Elías Hernandez, Hannah Tishkoff
ON VIEW
September 21-October 12, 2024
SUMMARY
Known Studio and guest curator Paasha Motamedi are excited to present Second World, a group exhibition showcasing works on paper by 9 painters. For many artists, paper serves as a springboard for ideas—a playground to brainstorm and conceptualize pieces before scaling up to canvas. Second World offers viewers a look into the artists’ experimentation and process.
Join us for our opening reception on Saturday, September 21 from 6-9PM. Special mask-required hour 5-6PM.
For inquiries and private appointments, please contact Selina Che or Katie Walsh.
Connections Missed Connections
ARTISTS
Carlos Bachlor, Chris Bailey, Lucy Black, Alf Bordallo, Karina Cortez, Dusters Electronics, Laury Fong Gonzalez, Jean Hsi, Helena Honeymoon, Siorne John, Olivia Leiter, Sebastian Loo, Maya Man, Brenda Morales, Billie Ocean, Antonio Ponce, RUTH, Romeo Singh, Toni Smalls, Su, Andrew Traylor Jones, Cris Tejada, Yector
ON VIEW
August 15-31, 2024
SUMMARY
Known Studio celebrates our 1 Year Anniversary with a group show in collaboration with GAG! entitled Connections Missed Connections
Connections Missed Connections delves into the evolving landscape of communication, perception, and identity. The show invites viewers to reflect on the ever-shifting dynamics of interactions and relationships in a digital world. Using an array of mediums, this exhibition features alternative worlds, reimagined selves, and an investigation into themes of presence, absence, clarity and confusion.
Join us for the opening reception/celebration on Thursday, August 15 from 7-11PM at 3520 W Washington Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90018. Live performances by dolo2000, Thirdpartycontroll3r and the Burbank Police Department, bling, and Peace Humper. DJ sets by LOVEMYDUNGEON, donnabummer B2B minnit, and Selhouette. Wine available and yakitori by Ryoji Yakitori.
Below are clips of some works from the exhibition and photos of our coinciding programming. Photography courtesy of Belden Granada, Morgan Rindengan and Belle Adams.
Still Life
ARTISTS
Thalía Gochez, Darren Vargas, Alex Green
ON VIEW
July 12-31,
SUMMARY
Known Studio presents “STILL LIFE”, a photography exhibition featuring works by LA-based photographers Thalia Gochez, Darren Vargas and Alex Green. The works showcase moments captured on film, particularly those highlighting intergenerational family relationships.
ARTIST’S STATEMENTSThalía Gochez is a self taught visual artist living in Los Ángeles, California. As a child of Mexican and Salvadoran immigrant parents, Gochez draws most of her creative inspiration from her upbringing and heritage. Her work aims to highlight identity by honoring and prioritizing the subject’s story through an intentional yet stylized approach. Her photographs are genuine depictions of people of color with an emphasis on women taken in environments that mirror their identity offering space for conversation connection and community building.
Darren Vargas is an artist and photographer from Santa Ana, California. His work is rooted in intimacy and vulnerability. Drawing inspiration from his personal life experience and using that to make works that tell a story of authenticity. Stories that real people can relate to and see themselves in. He resides in Los Angeles, California with his family.
Alex Green is a self taught photographer from Wichita, Kansas. His work is inspired by his love for people and their stories. Highlighting common themes in a wide array of human experience, he aims to create images that are just as meaningful to his subjects as they are to himself.
Shaky Town
ARTISTS
Justin Guthrie, Nathan See, Thomas Macie
ON VIEW
May 11-30, 2024
SUMMARY
Curated by Public Notice, “Shaky Town” features intriguing works from LA-based artists Justin Guthrie, Nathan See, and Thomas Macie. Delving into the eclectic essence of Los Angeles, known colloquially in the 1980s as 'Shaky Town' by long haul truckers, this show explores the city's seismic activities and turbulent politics through the lens of history, mythology, and popular culture. The artists utilize these themes as foundational elements to challenge and engage with contemporary narratives, weaving together tales of mythology and hidden truths within their creative expressions.
The space begins with two of Justin Guthrie’s shadow boxes, “Glitter” and “Open Secrets”, made from found objects collected and combined to create a sort of tell all of two imagined characters. Familiar iconography from popular culture, spirituality, and art history are combined and sandwiched together behind glass to create what Joseph Cornell calls “Poetic Theater”. This iconography is also called to attention by the literature in both “History/wisdom is the sum of all parts” #1 and #2.
Thomas Macie uses found objects in his work and connects the entire show to Los Angeles. All objects in his works are found throughout LA and are spliced together and worked and reworked until they are pushed to the limits of their objectivity. By printing on, dyeing, sewing, and fastening together things that were once detritus on the street, Macie creates sculptures that are an homage to the lives lived in Los Angeles – a snapshot of the everyday.
Carrying the throughline of history and found objects throughout the space are Nathan See’s large-scale sculptures. Classical looking imagery that appears as if it was once pasted on the street and covered by ads or shredded from the wall is adhered to the sculptures. At the back of the space sits “apocalypticthirsttrapuncannyvalleyneocon”, a piece that loosely references the work of Anthony Caro, who is known as one of the fathers of twentieth century sculpture and used found “industrial” objects in his work.
WIP! (Works In Progress)
ARTISTS
Zoe Alameda, B. Anele, Andres D. Aragundi, Carlos Bachlor, Bradley Boboc, Alex Emmons, Hooz, Jean Hsi, Kristen Huizar, Yudo Krita, Sebastian Loo, Thomas Macie, Sierra Minutti, Marcel Monroy, Paasha Motamedi, Luis Hernandez Motta, Mae Noland, Tyler Noone, Harper Paradowski, Vera Jeanette Ponce, Max Rippon, Audrey Schmidt, Cynthia Sowder, Nova Thoreen, AJ Wilson
ON VIEW
April 18-20, 2024
SUMMARY
Curated with GAG! (Gallery Attendants Gallery), WIP! (Works In Progress) is an art show/experience focused on unfinished, temporal, and process based works. Responding to the nature of a temporary show, GAG! And Known Studio seek to bring viewers into questions of what is finished and unfinished and in turn what does a show of pieces in the midst of change look like. In the process of art making, pieces are left unfinished for some time before they are continued, the piece takes on a new life before it is finalized. With many shows displaying finished works, this show brings together artists willing to enter a new type of vulnerability in showing pieces they may never show because they have yet to be finalized. In this state, the viewers become part of the process, witnessing the piece and the artist in a state of limbo.
Relative to the unfinished works, artists will also be exhibiting pieces that reveal the process of artmaking. Within the nature of exposing the process, comes elements of the unfinished, the temporal, the limbo state of knowing what is done and what is being undone. As time becomes an element that artists are in constant dialogue with, viewers may wonder which pieces are in what state, bringing viewers to question the reality of knowing.
The show in itself will embody the same ethos of an unfinished or a show in process, using unconventional installation techniques and changing pieces from the first to last day of the show.
Realm
ARTISTS
Jung Yun, Marley White, Elías Hernández, Kevin Carneiro, BEAR
ON VIEW
March 8 - March 30, 2024
SUMMARY
Known Studio is excited to present Realm, a group exhibition featuring works by 5 LA-based artists. The show features furniture design, ceramics, sculptures and paintings which serve as literal and abstract realms that allude to the artists’ childhoods, ancestries, inner thoughts, sexuality, and fantasies.
While there are clear stylistic distinctions between each artist, the works in the exhibit find common ground in their ability to transport viewers to the worlds and themes that are most present in their makers’ minds. Hernández and Carneiro both explore heritage and childhood memories in their work, alchemizing early experiences into rich, textural dreamscapes and designed-objects for use today. Through her dollhouses, BEAR urges viewers to examine the rooms that make up our everyday lives through an omniscient perspective. Yun exhibits new reductive paintings that literally unveil additional layers to the viewer, and abstractly urge the viewer to engage in topics that have been on Yun’s mind (in this case, the consumption and consequence of cobalt as a resource). Similarly, White explores themes of purity, religion and the body through her sculptural pieces– a common motif that runs through her practice.
Growing Down
ARTISTS
Sarah Carliner, Kyle Fabi, Kati Kirsch, Matthew Moloney, Marco Passalacqua, Marley White
ON VIEW
January 19 - February 17, 2024
SUMMARY
Known Studio is excited to present Growing Down, a group exhibition featuring six New York and LA-based emerging artists– Sarah Carliner, Kati Kirsch, Kyle Fabi, Matthew Moloney, Marco Passalacqua, and Marley White. An opening reception will take place on Friday, January 19th from 7-10 PM. The gallery is located on 3520 W Washington Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90018.
Growing Down can be understood as the opposite of “growing up”. The theme reflects on childhood within adulthood, and how childhood memories, teachings, and traumas are carried with us and manifest in our adult identities.
The works in this exhibit are a reflection of that intrinsic connection between our grown selves and our inner child. Growing Down exhibits an attempt to reconnect with the more innocent, authentic, and playful aspects of one’s personality or emotional core.
The exhibit features paintings as well as wood and iron sculptures. Open hours for Growing Down are Wednesdays and Saturdays from 12-4 PM. The show will be on view until February 17, 2024.
Half Asleep
ARTISTS
Nina Koyfman, Rae Lieberman, Matthew Martin, Julien Sage
ON VIEW
October 13, 2023
SUMMARY
A one-night group exhibition showcasing the work of four local LA photographers whose work explores themes of autonomy, solitude, healing and intimacy. Info on specific photographs here.
Let It Be Known
ARTISTS
Julissa Aaron, Yashua Bloom, Aiyi Cheng AY266, Bella Marguerite, Karl Perkins, p0lar0idprinc3ss
ON VIEW
August 19, 2023
SUMMARY
Known Studio is excited to open its doors with a one-night group exhibition. This showcase features works by friends and LA-based artists— Julissa Aaron, Yashua Bloom, Aiyi Cheng AY266, Bella Marguerite, Karl Perkins and p0lar0idprinc3ss— embodying Known Studio's commitment to supporting talent and fostering community bonds.
