We have a new neighbor in the Santa Monica Mountains. On April 23, National Park Service biologists captured and radio-collared a 210-pound black bear in…
Visitors of the Topanga Canyon Gallery will soon have the unique opportunity to see two very different yet complementary solo shows opening on January 29. “Unequivocal” a first-time collection by Gallery veteran photographer Patrick Ramsey, and “Pounds” by a new Gallery acrylic artist Ksenia Sadavodava.
Patrick Ramsey is showing a new collection of his black and white photography in “Unequivocal.” Patrons may be familiar with his past collections like “Woman at Work” and “Fragile Links.” This new body of work includes only monochromatic work driven by a strong perspective or point of view.
Although the show is arranged around several themes – social/political commentary, intensity of women, poetry of city dwelling – the commonality is the uncompromising nature of each image. “Black and white is my preferred medium because it brings the entire focus to the subject,” states Ramsey. “The subtleties of the infinite shades of gray, which is what we call black and white, gives form and dimension without distraction.”
All of Ramsey’s work has a strong narrative; it is what motivates his art. His interest is in people, often those one might otherwise not notice or even see, captured in their daily state of being. Every image has a story, which he intends to be open to the viewer without explanation. For “Unequivocal” Ramsey is sharing the background of each image, to hopefully enhance the experience.
Ksenia Sadavodava’s work is an interesting contrast to Ramsey. Her acrylic canvases are colorful, harmonious, and energetic. She reconstructs the world in her work, isolating things from their context, parts, and elements. Her intent is to reduce everything to what is essential, so that the subject will look as if it had been there for a long time, natural, expecting to be seen as she has created.
Sadavodava is new to the gallery and has come to the Los Angeles area from Belarus. Her show title, “Pounds,” is a statement of clarity – like pounding on the table to assert her point of view. “In an environment and time where art goes hand-in-hand with social rhetoric and narratives, I create something that does not carry a message of protest or satire,” explains Sadavodava. “Simplicity is valuable to me. Ideas come from everywhere, but they grow best in solitude.
Awareness is important, also the way you think and observe the world. I like contradictions, and I think freedom is not something we can achieve; it is what we choose to have from the start in creating unconventional distinctive works.”
These shows run from January 28 through February 13; Fridays 2 – 7, Saturdays and Sundays 12 – 5. Opening reception on the outside deck January 29, 4 – 7 PM. A safe environment is provided: masks required inside with distancing enforced, and a heated outside deck.
