above, Nicholas Bonamy
MIKE HABS | OLGA PONOMARENKO | CANTSTOPGOODBOY | NICHOLAS BONAMY
Opening September 8 at Gabba Gallery, artists Mike Habs, Olga Ponomarenko, CANTSTOPGOODBOY, and Nicholas Bonamy offer four solo exhibitions curated by gallerists Jason Ostro and Elena Jaboson.
above, Olga Ponomarkeno
Each artist offers a unique perspective on modern life, from Habs themes of fantasy, luxury, and death to Ponomarkeno’s blissfully angelic woodland creatures; the layered mixed media pop culture of CANTSTOPGOODBOY; and Bonamy’s surprisingly serene take on life in Los Angeles. Whether they are taking on the fantastical or the realistic in terms of subject matter, these solo shows are entirely original and vibrantly adept at navigating the emotional waters of human existence. 
Habs’ past work has followed a strong expressionist bent, but with his exhibition here, (gas)Lit, he relies on a collection of small Zip Lock bags, the type used to sell drugs, and shapes them into mosaic-like work that has both a dreamy sensibility and a precise, graceful style. Chicago born, Habs now works in Los Angeles; his work here evokes the pattern and flow of urban life, its vicissitudes and turbulence.
“This exhibition features some of my previous abstract expressionist work, as well as a new conceptual collection. The conceptual collection … will make commentary on some of the good and bad trends I am seeing in today’s modern art culture.” Habs adds “I would describe the newest works as combining the intensity of the LA Graffiti writers with the LA ‘finish fetish’/minimalist movement, which became a staple of the Los Angeles fine art world. The new work, though presented in a luxury aesthetic, carries with it a sense of impending danger and confusion. The intention is that the work will enable the viewer to question their own ideas of luxury and value in our increasingly instant gratification environment,” he says. Habs has an early-arrival alert for attendees: “100 free t-shirts will be given away to the first people in attendance.”
Also Los Angeles-based, Olga Ponomarenko’s work is infused with a sense of whimsy and delight. Riffing on Colette Miller’s Global Angel Wings Project as well as Renaissance-era painter Fra Angelico’s angels, here woodland creatures from bear to mouse stand before a wall of graffiti angel wings, personifying innocence, the angelic, the bliss that humans too could achieve if they recognized the paradise of earth and took a breather to revel in the truest aspects of life — its spiritual core — rather than corrupting the environment. Titled Angelos, Ponomarenko’s exhibition playfully considers both angels and the angelic right here in us as Angelenos.
Her careful attention to detail in creating these beautiful and humor-infused portraits and the soulfulness of her subjects adds to the viewing pleasure. Below, Ponomarenko adds some finishing touches to a bear’s claws.
Ponomarenko gives us beautiful, amusing, and perfectly crafted work that is entirely unique, and rivetingly alive. Her work is the epitome of magical realism, a true and touching look into the artist’s heart and city’s soul.
A frequent exhibitor at Gabba, CANTSTOPGOODBOY’s Eleven is a vibrant, layered collection of mixed media pop art. From depictions of rock stars like Bowie and John Lennon to a Native American chief, he combines precisely detailed acrylic grayscale painting with the bright primary colors of a splattered background, colorful collages, and the soft glitter of diamond dust. Take the feathered headdress of his native chief: the feathers bloom in searingly bright technicolor shades, a bursting flower garden of life and meaning. Along with larger scale canvas works, CANTSTOPGOODBOY shows a smaller series of paper works here, equally irreverent and blossoming with color.
It is to some extent the absence of color as much as its riveting presence that most fascinates Nicholas Bonamy. With his mixed media landscapes quintessentially about Los Angeles, Bonamy establishes an alternative universe, one both recognizable yet delicately different in Gray. The exhibition’s title is rather misleading: his work is layered both visually and emotionally: each piece begins with a resonant image that is taken from the freeway or the Hollywood Hills; beyond these iconic images he layers paint and collage images, creating serene, mysterious views of LA that are dream-like, awash in the color of an LA sunset, edging carefully between surrealism and the hyper-realistic.
Bonamy relates “I would describe my current work as cityscapes of unremarkable views of Los Angeles. I try to create a sense of time passing using layering and collage. Some of the things I paint, I see almost every day, and every day they are as much the same as they are different. I want my work to be something that you can look at for years and always find new surprises.” According to the artist, “I make paintings because I like to make things that are interesting, or pretty, or both, but once they are finished, my fun is pretty much over. I send them out into the world and hope people will see them, and maybe connect, and feel some of the pleasure I experienced while making them.” And for viewers, the experience is truly pleasureable and insightful indeed.
All four shows open September 8 from 7-11 p.m., and run through the 28th.
Olga Ponomarenko, above; CANTSTOPGOODBOY, below.
The gallery is located at 3126 Beverly Blvd. in Westlake; free parking is available across the street behind 3125 Beverly Blvd. off Dillon. Regular gallery hours are Wednesday-Saturday form 1203, or by appointment.
- Genie Davis; photos provided by Gabba Gallery and courtesy of the artists.