6H to 8B, 2015

Fellows of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, Sep 19 – Nov 13, 2015

6H to 8B presents graphite and charcoal works by artists living in Los Angeles. Referring to the density range of graphite and charcoal pencils, 6H to 8B presents drawings, sculpture and animation in a spectrum of styles, spanning from photo-realism to abstraction. Demonstrating the multiple possibilities of charcoal and graphite, these works address ideas of comedy, violence, awkwardness, nostalgia and the politics of the present.

In our age of technological spectacle, these artists bring contemporaneity to a seemingly anachronistic medium and practice. The use of grey-scale, like a black and white photograph, becomes a signifier of history and nostalgia, and serves as a vehicle to imbue emotional and psychological depth. Without the punch of color, these works bring a complex gravity to their subject matter, whether tragedy or comedy.

6H to 8B links the work of 17 Los Angeles artists with very different practices and a full spectrum of styles, all who have a strong practice in drawing. Included are photo-realist works by Colin Cook (with Collaborator Bill Shambaugh), John Geary, Marissa Textor and Eric Yahnker; representational works by Sydney Croskery, Susan Logoreci, Rob Reynolds, and Yuval Pudik; lyrical realism by Chloe Boleyn, Brian Cooper, and Kiel Johnson; animation by Tanya Haden; sculpture by Michael Dee; and conceptual abstraction works by Tony de los Reyes, Claudia Parducci, Antonio Puleo and Aili Schmeltz. These artists examine contemporary complexities with the use of the most rudimentary of art materials.