Curated by Dulce Stein and Tricia Banh, Dulcepalloza features the work of over thirty artists, and includes some incredible installations along with sculpture, found object art, pottery, paintings, and more. At the opening April 30th, live music and painting were also a part of the mix, in a truly engaging exhibition that transforms an El Segundo warehouse space into an exciting temporary museum.
Participating artists include:
Debi Cable
Amy Kaps
Mark Tovar
Skye Amber Sweet
Nikolai Molecules
Billy Pacak
The Night Owl Players
Vicky Barkley
Gabriela Zapata
Reidar Schopp
Arlene Mead
Mondo Bobadilla
Kellie Cracker
Sheri Neva
Sybil McMiller
Scott A. Trimble
Sheila Cameron
Jim Caron
Dulcinea Circelli
Shalla Javid
Achille Morie
Cie Gumucio
Bethann Shannon
Marianne Magne
Julian Hernandez
Robyn Hardy-Alatorre
Helena Gullstrom
JonMarc Edwards
Kristine Augustyn
Moe Betta
The curators included a wide mix of artists from throughout Los Angeles, including a number who call the South Bay home.
Artist Dulcinea Circelli’s mixed media – above and below – includes objects she found in the streets. “I try to up-cycle materials. I hand grow the crystals using a crystal growing kit. My artwork is an expression of Zen Buddhism.” Titled Indra’s Net Number 3 of 10, this piece represents the “totality of the universe and everything within it.” It’s a fascinating piece.
Below, artist Amy Kaps in her incredible black and white striped installation. “I’m primarily a performance artist. I was doing living sculpture with striped cloth, and I was approached by photographer Eric Schwabel. We made the first striped room, and the photos hung within this room came from that time. Curators started asking for this installation. My works have a lot to do with perception. I’m interested in you asking what you’re looking at, and what you see.”
Below, Hermosa Beach artist Scott Trimble with one of three pieces he exhibited in the show. “Is this Propaganda,” the title of this piece, refers to social issues regarding women. “I have a strong feminist background. The title really refers to the idea that while I find women attractive, I do not want to be exploitative.” Trimble paints up to sixteen works a week. “I never approach with a thought clear in my head. I let my hand and my eye paint. It’s a process that’s so freeing, to turn my mind off and engage in emptying myself into the canvas as I work.”
Below, co-curator Tricia Banh. This is her first curated show, and she hit it out of the ballpark.
Below, artist Vicki Barkley with a piece that she originally created at Coagula Curatorial. “It came from my heart. People respond to the emotional content here. It came out of a transitional phase as I was going through a divorce.” The panels are plastic but flow as if they were cloth. “There are eight panels hung in sequence, and they correspond to a little bit of numerology and metaphysical tradition. Water represents the heartbreak goddess, so I made them blue for that reason.”
Above, Robin Hardy-Alatorre provides an interpretation of the history of art itself that she says parodies perception.
Below, curator Dulce Stein. She designed the event to be “a celebration of art through the eyes of the artist.” She adds that taking over the warehouse space gave her “the opportunity to explore the many ways one can display art and still be fun and innovative.”
Below, inside the true “3-D Wonderland” of Debi Cable’s installation.
Below, JonMarc Edwards with his installation, Debriti. His “shop” sells text by the ounce: letters, sentences, words, poems. “Choose your words carefully,” he suggests. The installation texts are made of natural, bio-degradable tag board. “You can take it and throw it in the air, and the letters will decompose over time,” he says. “The excess and meaningfulness of words are both everywhere.”
Achille Morio, below, created another portion of the “Wonderland” installation, working in vibrant 3D. “I try to make visible a continuity between the visible and invisible, fluorescent and phosphorescent, to create a surprise,” he says.
Below, artist Cie Gumucio with one of several very diverse pieces in the exhibition. The striking red and white mixed media piece below is called “A Million Tiny No’s and I Said Yes, Yes, Yes.” Gumucio notes “The stitching was important, I think what’s so beautiful is that one object, the zipper, can be imbued with so much meaning, whether open or closed, it can be communicated across languages.”
Below, Shelly Heffler with a variety of ceramic works. “They’re very organic. Like my paintings, they come out of movement. They start with a lump of clay that I just start forming, it’s a sensuous movement of positive and negative space.”
Outside the exhibition, The Night Owl Players performed exciting live music, created and performed to inspire live painting.
Missed the opening? Head to 140 Center Street in El Segundo all the same – the exhibit runs through May 20th, hours are 7 to 9 weekdays and 2-5 Sunday, by appointment only. Call or text Dulce Stein at (424) 789-1788; the closing reception and an artist panel will be open to the public from 6-11 pm on Thursday, May 19th. Artist’s panel will run from 7 to 8 p.m.
- Genie Davis; photos: Jack Burke