Bergamot Station’s artist-owned TAG Gallery is currently showcasing the works of Dan Janotta, Alison Lowe Platt, and Linda Sue Price, who are all based in Los Angeles.
Dan Janotta’s exhibition is titled “Back to the Beach,” and is inspired by Southern Californian beach culture. Beaches, sunsets and surfers make up the subject matter of the majority of the works on display. Dark shadows and strong colors are contrasted with breaking waves and serene coastal settings, depicting California’s beaches as both gritty and beautiful.
“These works depict how he feels, and what resonates with him,” said gallery manager Rakeem Cunningham, about Janotta’s idiosyncratic vision of the Southern California coast.
“Instinct” is the title of Alison Lowe Platt’s exhibition. Displayed are a series of figurative drawings and paintings all created within a single session, and all based on live studies. Platt’s work is focused on the relationship between shape, composition and value, which is reflected in her range of styles, showcasing their human subjects in various levels of abstraction.
“She painted whatever came to mind, with no second guessing,” said Cunningham. Representing primal instinct was an important part of her process, he added.
Linda Sue Price’s exhibition is titled “Hitting the Pause Button,” and consists of a series of square canvases which all include a combination of words and a neon light display.
Many of the words embedded in these works are intended to reference current events or propose life lessons, using the neon colors and shapes as a method to provoke thought and open up dialog about the ideas represented.
Also at work is an undermining of the traditional notion of neon signs as we see them in our daily life. Using abstract shapes presents an alternate, abstract way of seeing, contextualizing the contained ideas within this alternate, abstract frame of reference.
TAG Gallery was established in 1993 and is co-owned by 40 different artists. It’s located in unit d-3 at Bergamot Station, which can be found at 2525 Michigan Avenue in Santa Monica. Janotta, Platt and Price’s works will remain on display through May 14th.
