A Narrow Passage
Noysky Projects
6727 ⅞ Hollywood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90028
Exhibition Dates | Oct 14th – Nov 12th, 2017
Closing Reception | Sunday, Nov 12th, 3-6pm
Noysky Projects is tucked away between souvenir shops in the heart of Hollywood, Los Angeles. As you approach the building, you’re invited to walk down a corridor of shops, a seemingly narrow passage, where you’re met by a quaint water fountain. It’s as if A Narrow Passage was meant to be curated by Noysky Projects. If I’ve learned anything from Elizabeth Gilbert, it’s that the right concepts meet the right people at exactly the right time. The theme of concealment, constriction, and compression invite us to consider the restrictions laid upon each other socially and politically, whether mentally or physically.
You’re immediately immersed in the theme of the show when you arrive, which is the best way to experience art. It May be Time to Rethink the Way You Think by James Gilbert towers over you as you enter the gallery. With the use of wood, wax, rope, and hand dyed canvas – materials commonly utilized to create art, this piece explores the loss of it, whether by natural disaster or systematic oppression, creating the need for protection. This piece is comfortably overwhelming, questioning structure and safety with all its weight. It May be Time to Rethink the Way You Think acts as a barrier that provides comfort, but simultaneously makes you wonder if you should cross it and continue inside.
From Lana Duong’s A Boat Rock, hanging freely but tied at its waist acting as a buoy, that itself needs saving, to Katya Usvitsky’s Connection, which alludes to the body with its stocking weighed down by what look like molecules, to May Wilson’s Untitled (Ground), literally on the ground and easy to miss in its dark and neutral color, as if a person was to curl up into a ball and make itself as small as possible, you can see that they are each waiting to expand – waiting for that moment they will be given permission to breathe.
Jenny Rask’s Clear Baby, created with spandex, tulle, salvaged cord and wool — all of which we wear on our skin in some way, and Megan Mueller’s Ssssss, created with hydro dipped frame and rope, materials that sound like they could be found in the shed in the backyard, make you want to touch your skin to explore whether it’s tightening or shedding, or compressing into a surface of softness or roughness.
Jenalee Harmon’s on or off (documentation is underway) is bright and so very immediate. The person shrouded in red satin hovers over something, and whether they’re ready or not, the photo will be taken. This sculpted-like figure echoes a sense of concealment tied to a world that will keep rotating, no matter what.
Nicolas Shake’s works, as stated by the artist, begins as “theatrical in nature…” and broadly stated, is influenced by the communities in Los Angeles. TPV:EGG.1.2017 triggers the feeling of being bandaged, building with layers upon layers, action upon action, and when the light is just right, you can see it shine through an indentation at the bottom right.
The varying textures next to each other give way to a roller coaster of experiences in one room. The use of material is fascinating, as most of these pieces do not use traditional or commonly used art materials to convey message or feeling. This is a show not to be missed. A Narrow Passage runs through November 12th, with a closing reception on Sunday, November 12th, 3pm – 6pm.
