Waves of bright color undulated from the canvases that hung on the walls. Each piece carried an intonation of urban flair. Not one of the pieces resembled one another, but inside of the intimate enclosure that was the saltfineart gallery, they paid homage to the beauty of street art.
Saltfineart gallery’s “Street – Art” exhibition was as bright as the turquoise-colored sea that was just a stone’s throw away. Artist David Krovblit’s hand-cut collages were the first thing that caught my enamored affections. He exhibited three pieces that hung at the back wall of the compact gallery. Suzanne Walsh, the Director of the gallery informed me that they were a part of a series that represented the three layers of reality—The Portal Series.
As I stood in front of the collection, I saw my own reflection in the glint of the luminescent resin he poured over each canvas. All of the artworks contained a figure that was engulfed in a mass of vibrant botanical collages. Some of which has cut-outs of bugs that the artist manipulated to look like they had arched wings and backs.
My favorite piece of the three artworks was Portal Series: Astronaut. Compositionally, it was the same as the other two pieces in the collection, but the juxtaposition in that piece was executed differently. The figure in the middle was an astronaut whose helmet was stuffed with flowers that all had similar shades of fuchsia. The flowers also framed the circular enclosure the astronaut was situated in, entangled with sperm that swam between the plants.
I thought of life on earth and life outside of earth. It was a suffocating piece of art. It made me feel as though I was being swallowed by the beauty of life and reminded of its creation. I interpreted the astronaut as symbolic of the relationship between the earth and the universe.
The work of the street artist 1010 was what I found myself drawn to next. His canvases were situated on the side walls next to Krovblit’s.
I stared at I don’t want to go for a walk for a long time. My mind was tempted to compare it to Georgia O’Keefe’s landscape work because of its simplistic and crisp appearance. However, when I looked a little bit closer, I began to see the painting’s cadence.
The artwork was imbued with light blue, pink, and green organic shapes created with spray paint. They seemed to run past each other without truly interrupting one another. All of the shapes except for the light blue ones were gradient. It made me feel like I was peering through clouds at an abstract horizon.
1010’s other artwork on display, Rhythm of Growth and Decay, was much bolder. It did not have the same ethereal qualities as I don’t want to go for a walk. It had a darker beauty that was enrapturing.
The way the colors ascend into darkness leads the viewer’s eye through abstract coral-like shapes and into the unknown. It could be reminiscent of a nebula bursting in space or the deep depths of the sea. The lighter colors danced and surged in their own space, creating holes for the viewer to exit the picture. The painting radiated with energy that slowly fades away.
Another artist in the exhibition who caught my eye was Cisco Merel. When I asked about Merel, the gallery director told me that he was an artist from Panama who created colorful murals in low-income neighborhoods.
His work was like a playground of color. Primitivo and Construccion Lineal V had the most character. The lines on each canvas created images that looked like the visual representation of happiness. Primitivo, in particular, was impactful because of the prominence of the brighter colors emerging from the muddled black background.
Merel’s work was bold like Krovblit’s and 1010’s. I could imagine his bright compositions on the face of a wall in a tattered neighborhood, bringing happiness to the people who walked past it.
Street art is often something that people pass by, but saltfineart’s “Street – Art” exhibition forces visitors to reevaluate street art’s place in the art world and what it has to offer viewers and makers alike. The exhibition was a beautiful display of color, creativity, and use of space. It shows that the world of street art is much more complex than we are led to believe.
“Street — Art” was scheduled to remain on view through March 31, 2020. saltfineart + raw salt, 346 N. Pacific Coast Hwy, Laguna Beach, 92651. saltfineart.com. Hours and dates for exhibition may vary. Contact gallery for details.
