Maddy Tello
Staff Writer
Shockboxx’s newest exhibit, “Oh Hey Ed Ruscha,” impresses viewers with complex pieces and a unique theme centered around work created by Ed Ruscha.
“Oh Hey Ed Ruscha,” opened on Jan. 12 and displays various pieces of art inspired by the American artist, Ed Ruscha. Paintings, prints and graphic art cover the walls and introduce vibrant pops of color to the otherwise stark black and white room. The majority of the pieces in the room incorporate the most colorful aspects of art created by Ruscha. All of the pieces are visually interesting and introduce controversial messages.
Shockboxx is committed to organizing exhibits that feature local artists and “Oh Hey Ed Ruscha” is no exception to this. Ed Ruscha is a Culver City based artist who creates vibrant pieces inspired by iconic buildings, culture and life in Los Angeles. The artists featured in Shockboxx’s exhibit are all California-based artists.
Of the art Ed Ruscha has created, “Porch Crop,” “Ville de Lyon,” and “Standard Station” are the pieces that the featured artists took the most inspiration from. The most popular forms of art selected by Shockboxx to display were graphic prints and photos portraying Los Angeles life. The art in “Oh Hey Ed Ruscha” is playful, colorful and paid homage to Ed Ruscha’s iconic style of art in a creative way.
Although Shockboxx is a very small gallery, “Serial Ed” by Dennis Dugan is prominent because of how it directly recognizes Ruscha’s art through the phrase “my favorite artist is Ed Ruscha,” composed of letters taken from pieces created by Ruscha. Dugan’s decision to use a simple, single colored background allows the bright colors and unique design of the piece to stand out, which makes it an especially eye catching piece in the gallery.
“Male Pattern” by Elizabeth Abaravich captures the interest of viewers and encourages people to continue to look through the exhibit and appreciate the variety of styles among the art in the gallery. Abaravich’s work incorporates bold, black fabric accompanied with embroidery, which sets it apart from other pieces in the gallery.
Shockboxx’s minimal space limits the amount of pieces of art up for display but also creates an element intimacy between the viewers and the art and make each piece stand out even more. Viewers are able to freely walk around inside the gallery or take in all the pieces at once from the outside. The pieces are evenly distributed inside of the gallery, which makes it easy for viewers to take their time connecting to and appreciating each piece.
“Oh Hey Ed Ruscha” is unlike other current exhibits because of how it uniquely takes inspiration from, pays homage to and celebrates work created by a single artist rather than a movement, time period or style. All of the pieces on display strike viewers differently through humorous messages, nostalgic themes and bright colors. This exhibit is a must-see for fans of Ed Ruscha’s work as well as graphic art enthusiasts.
“Oh Hey Ed Ruscha” opened on Jan. 12 and is open to the public until Jan. 26. Shockboxx is located at 636 Cypress Ave., Hermosa Beach, CA. To find more information visit Shockboxx’s website at shockboxxproject.com.
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