Until June 29, 2024, the Albertz Benda gallery in Los Angeles is showcasing the work of artist Jake Clark. For this occasion, the New York-based Australian shines a spotlight on the Californian city through a collection of striking ceramic pieces.
Courtesy of the artists and albertz benda, Los Angeles. Photo: Julian Calero
Born in Melbourne, Jake Clark is a ceramicist, painter, and sculptor. Through his creations, he enjoys exploring our relationship to contemporary culture and iconography. He draws inspiration from artists as diverse as Keith Haring and David Hockney, ancient Greek funerary ceramics, and the iconography of supermarkets and advertisements. These inspirations are freely interpreted in his art, which celebrates pop culture with unrestrained enthusiasm. And when it comes to pop culture, there's no place more emblematic than Los Angeles, the true heart of global entertainment.
Courtesy of the artists and albertz benda, Los Angeles. Photo: Julian Calero
Courtesy of the artists and albertz benda, Los Angeles. Photo: Julian Calero
Invited by the California branch of the Albertz Benda gallery, the artist naturally wanted to pay homage to Los Angeles, but in his own unique way. This homage takes the form of a series of eccentric ceramic sculptures, conceived and crafted to echo the aesthetic diversity of domestic life, as well as hotel life, made in LA. Notable among these are imposing vases, birdbaths, and large planters with naive designs, evoking iconic landmarks of the city such as the Hollywood Sign, the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, the Hotel Bel-Air, the Chateau Marmont, and the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Legendary buildings, just as famous as the Oscar, the famous golden statuette that adorns the Australian artist's works here and there.
Continuing in the same vein, a series of miniature, hand-crafted sculptures in bright, even garish colors evoke other Californian symbols, such as the tennis court or the swimming pool with its countless buoys, along with a few palm or cypress trees and deck chairs—a veritable local trinity. These trinkets also serve as pop-art ashtrays.
These miniature landscapes were clearly designed to mimic the glamorous gardens of Hollywood homes. Each ceramic piece becomes a miniature painting, showcasing objects that represent the essence of the local lifestyle. Often considered luxurious, private pools and tennis courts are ubiquitous in these neighborhoods and are quintessential architectural features. Through these whimsical pieces, Clark creates an intimate yet humorous depiction of the City of Angels.
For the first time since the opening of the Albertz Benda branch in West Hollywood, and for the first time in the gallery's existence, an artist has designed an exhibition exclusively for outdoor spaces, taking advantage of the unique setting of the Los Angeles site, with its garden, pool and terrace.
An exhibition that awakens in the visitor a feeling of nostalgia for the bygone era of old Hollywood, while highlighting the enduring appeal of iconic elements as well as the history of Los Angeles itself, which will never cease to fascinate the world.
“JAKE CLARK: CAROLWOOD” ALBERTZ BENDA LOS ANGELES
8260 MARMONT LN, LOS ANGELES (USA)
UNTIL JUNE 29, 2024
ALBERTZBENDA.COM
