In Copro Gallery’s August celebrations, they are thoroughly treating us with not one, but five solo shows happening at once! Opening this Saturday 10 August, don’t miss the opening reception of their August Summer Soiree unveiling works by: Richard Ahnert, Shane Pierce, Tin, Rachael Bridge, and EGO!
Read ahead to learn more about each of the individual solo shows.
SUMMER SOIREE AUGUST 2024:
RICHARD AHNERT, SHANE PIERCE, TIN, RACHAEL BRIDGE, EGO
Copro Gallery
Bergamot Station Arts Complex, 2525 Michigan Ave, #T5, Santa Monica, CA 90404, United States
Opening Reception (Rachael Bridge will be in attendance): Saturday August 10 – 6:00 – 10:00 p.m. Free and open to the public!
Exhibition Dates: August 10 – August 31, 2024
NEW HOURS: Friday 11-7PM- Saturday 1-5PM – Sunday 11-6PM
Phone: 310/829-2156
E-Mail: CoproGallery@Live.com
Shane Pierce: ‘Eerie Musings’
Shane Pierce’s ‘Eerie Musings’ continues the narrative theme of Shane’s dark travellers, night watchers and passengers. “Traveling all over the United States, carrying with him his own personal baggage of memories and experiences, he paints a different world into existence.” describes Evan Senn. “Dark and ominous creatures, emotional weight, honesty and experience ring loudly throughout his paintings. Dark traveling characters bombard his imagination, and his artwork, angels and grim reapers haunt his creations in subtle ways, while the rough and raw American landscape keep his nomads company on their seemingly lonesome and aimless journeys.
“His artwork is as unique and haunting as he is. A storyteller at his core, his creations are hypnotic, drawing the viewer in and plaguing them with interest and intrigue. A cloaked man, with determination and fury across his brow, often paired with a suitcase and a pipe, ventures to the dark and unknown places of his imagination. Constantly followed by the shadows, Pierce’s nomads travel with fervour, unafraid of what lies ahead, or behind them.”
Tin: ‘XOXO’
Tin’s earliest influences in childhood were comic books and fantasy cartoons like “Star blazers”. “I sketched from time to time and did OK in high school art class then I decided to become a fisherman. The dangerous kind like out of the movie “Perfect Storm”. I almost died three times and should have lost my drawing hand at least a dozen times. After my last close call with death, I decided to become an artist. I didn’t look at art as a career though until I was 22”. Tin began doing commercial work and soon burnt out on it.
I was just going through the motions and creating things that didn’t challenge me anymore. One day I was finishing a pin-up girl and I remember saying out loud to myself “If I only had a heart” which reminded me of the Tin Man in “Wizard of Oz”. That moment I decided to do more interesting works and call myself Tin.
Tin
His main influences are Steampunk, a sub genre of fantasy and speculative fiction that came into prominence in the 1980s. The term denotes works set in an era or world where steam power is still widely used—usually the 19th century, and often set in Victorian era England—but with prominent elements of either science fiction or fantasy, such as fictional technological inventions like those found in the works of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne.
Richard Ahnert: ‘The View From Here’
Richard Ahnert’s “The View From Here” is a whimsical collection capturing animals in unexpected, out-of-context situations. With a voyeuristic quality and understated humour, each painting blends the familiar with the surreal.
Richard graduated with honours from the Arts York Program at Unionville HS with a Major in Visual Arts and went on to study Technical Illustration and Graphic Design at York University and Seneca College, graduating with the Presidents Honor Roll for Highest Academic Achievement. With a drive to explore and evolve as an artist, he continues studies and workshops ongoing to help define his style and practice. His work has won awards and can be found in private collections and businesses around the world.
Richard was also a 2018 Beautiful Bizarre Magazine Art Prize Finalist; read more about Richard here!
Rachael Bridge: ‘Wallflowers’
Issue 32 artist Rachael Bridge’s new solo ‘Wallflowers’ explores the idea of wanting to be invisible all the time – working more as an observer than an actor day to day. Each piece depicts figures caught in a strange void in their dreamlike and nightmarish surroundings, capturing both vulnerable and content feelings. Rachael Bridge has a unique take on traditional portraiture. She can be considered a master of the macabre, an artist whose portraits embody the terrors of the human mind drawing on the viewers’ proclivity for fear, and masterfully using her style to pull us into her dark and symbolic world. At first glance, Rachael Bridge’s work feels almost sinister. Her depictions of women are corpse-like and otherworldly. She uses horror to depict complexities of the human psyche with themes of anxiety, isolation, seduction, and despair.
Rachael obtained her BFA in 2010 from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY and now lives and works in New Jersey. Rachael will be present at the opening!
EGO: ‘NONENTITY’
‘NonEntity‘ is EGO’s latest series of small works. He continues to investigate transitional states of being that border on the edges of this reality. The figures in these paintings are seemingly solitary outsiders, representing ghostly apparitions that may not exist, or barely glimpsed visions of the dead. Yet seen another way, these works may highlight those who are considered unimportant and/or overlooked by society. Using classical painting techniques to conjure intricately crafted portraits of macabre yet whimsical solitary outsiders, Ego feels a kind of kinship with these characters, as a socially-awkward extroverted introvert himself. The seemingly melancholy, yet somehow also charming figures he dreams up appear to dwell in the spaces somewhere between the natural and metaphysical worlds. In his work there is often a juxtaposition between the grim and endearing, the modern and classical, the real and the surreal.
A self-taught painter, Ego’s distinctive style is informed by a lifelong fascination with popular culture (movies, music, comics, skateboarding, etc.), as well as a profound appreciation for the work of classical masters. From the masters he’s adapted the nuanced rendering of light and shadow, as well as the study of anatomy which he bends to fit the uniquely distorted nature of the denizens of his imaginary world. Living in the Pacific Northwest also influences the tone of his work. For a large portion of the year it’s dark and rainy. While many find this depressing, Ego feels the gloom contributes to a lush and hazy landscape that seeps into the colours and subjects of his paintings. Through experimenting with different mediums, the technique which ultimately developed emulates the smoothness, depth and richness of oil paintings, using acrylic paint. Ego has shared these specialized techniques by teaching classes and workshops, as well as mentoring aspiring artists.
About Copro Gallery //
The gallery, located at Bergamot Arts, is divided into two exhibition spaces, sometimes featuring a single artist but often two or three. Large group exhibitions are also featured often in conjunction with outside curators. In following with its original mission, Copro Gallery participates in International Art Fairs and curates outside exhibits to help promote their artists.
Focusing on museum quality installations showcasing emerging artists, Copro Gallery also exhibits many established and master painters. Placing works in private collections throughout the world, Copro Gallery strives to assist collectors new and experienced in building the most exciting collections possible.
