Art Spotting: Gallery (P)reviews
by Andie Villafañe


MJ Higgins Gallery
MJ Higgins Gallery celebrates Earth Day with “Animals of the Future,” a solo exhibition of mixed media 3D and sculptural work by Treiops Treyfid. All wild and exotic animals are under threat of extinction because of loss of habitat due to pollution, global warming and human population growth. Which critters will survive the coming catastrophe? Think of all those adaptive creatures able to live with or near humans and use garbage as a food source. Racoons, opossums, rats, roaches, crows, coyotes, squirrels, sparrows, pigeons, deer, seagulls, lizards, rabbits, skunks, chipmunks, mice, feral cats and stray dogs. The works – made of mostly recycled elements, holographic foil and lighting –will highlight and pay tribute to these survivors. Take part in Earth Day by coming to the opening reception on Tuesday, April 22nd from 6 – 9pm. Performance by local electronic music group Brain Garden will incorporate samples of animal sounds into their ambient set.On view April 10 – May 3.

Open Tues – Thurs, 11 am – 6 pm; Fri – Sat, 12 pm – 6 pm. 400 S. Main St. Suite 103 (entrance on 4th St., around the corner from Pete’s Café), Los Angeles, 90013. (213) 617-1700. www.mjhiggins.com

Corey Helford Gallery
Corey Helford Gallery presents a wide range of artists, from members of the New Fine Art Movement to early Modernist. “Twenty Two” is the first solo exhibition of new works by Korin Faught. Balancing strong narrative with delicate imagery, twenty two scenes reveal a world of stylish youth, sweet seduction and double entendres through a series of oil on canvas paintings and drawings. On view until April 19.
“Heroes & Villains” is a special two-day exhibition of new works by Los Angeles photographers Tatiana Wills and Roman Cho. Representing a three-year long project, “Heroes and Villains” features intimate portraits of the most notable emerging and established figures in the Pop Surrealist, Graffiti and Alt-Comic Book worlds: Shepard Fairey, Gary Baseman, Friends With You, Chris Anthony, Bigfoot, Herbert Baglione, Jaime Hernandez and others. Showing April 22 and 23.

Open Tues – Sat, Noon to 6:00 pm or by appt. 8522 Washington Blvd. in Culver City Arts District. (310) 287-2340 www.coreyhelfordgallery.com

Sam Lee Gallery
Sam Lee Gallery collaborates with its select roster of emerging & mid-career artists through museum-quality exhibitions as well as through domestic and international art fairs. Currently on view is "Walk," by Los Angeles-based artist Macha Suzuki. Five mixed-media sculptures deliver a dose of lighthearted storytelling with a splash of darkness and danger. Specializing in the handmade while using non-traditional materials such as epoxy clay, fluorescent lights, plastic and Bondo, Suzuki creates bubblegum-colored sculptures with over-the-top charm and open-ended abstract narratives that are loosely based on experiences from his personal life. His works range from four wooden letters with pulsating light emanating from within to a life-size sculpture of a snow-white sheep with plastic fur made of white pom-poms on a grassy pedestal and punctured by rainbow colored arrows.

"Walk", marks Suzuki’s first solo exhibition in Los Angeles and ends May 10. Open Wed – Sat, 12 – 6 pm. 990 North Hill Street #190 in Chinatown. (323) 227-0275 www.samleegallery.com.

Tropico de Nopal Gallery
Tropico de Nopal Gallery-Art Space promotes local emerging and mid-career artists that challenge our notions of culture and aesthetics. This month they present "Vaguely Chicana," a solo exhibition by Linda Arreola. Extending the boundaries of the feminine, abstract and Chicana identity, Arreola’s painted constructions and installations bring us a hybrid of modern hieroglyphic minimalism, geometry and echoes of Mesoamerican architecture. Arreola creates a visually powerful language using her own binary system of geometric forms with purpose and determination. The use of the grid as a foundation suggests the interconnection of all things, the colors and the repetitive lines, shapes, numbers and words are consistent elements that manifest and reveal her knowledge of architecture and sculpture.

On view from April 12 – May 17. Conversation with the artist and guests on Thursday, May 1st at 7:30 pm. Open Tues – Sat, 1- 5 pm. 1665 Beverly Blvd. in Echo Park (213) 481-8112. www.tropicodenopal.com

Young Art Gallery
Young Art Gallery exhibits new works by emerging, contemporary artists. "Paintings" by Stephen Aldahl showcases sculpture alongside abstract paintings, portraits and landscapes. Heavily layered in oil, pastel and house paint on board, canvas or wood panel, Aldahl’s paintings are reminiscent of De Kooning in composition and style. He uses both vibrant and muted color schemes, producing work that is figurative and abstract. His canvases range in size from 20 in x 22 in to 48 in x 38 in. The sculptures are smaller, built from common objects such as cans, string, a waist basket, cardboard and scrap wood. Aldahl paints over them with thick brushstrokes to transform mundane objects to meaningful sculptural works.

Opening reception: Saturday April 12 from 7-10 pm. On view through May 3. Open daily 10am – 5pm. 747 N Avenue 50, in Northeast Los Angeles,90042. (323) 344-1322 www.youngartgallery.com

-AV