FIRST LOOK: Josh Mayhem's Gravitate Exhibition at the Bruce Lurie Gallery!

For those that aren't familiar with him, Los Angeles-based artist Josh Mayhem's lifelong habit of collecting children's playthings has fueled his passion for transforming said toys into objects d'art. And among his best-known pieces are those constituting his "Blown Away" series, in which mass-produced forms are covered in strands of resin and layers of acrylic paint to create gravity-defying drips that give the impression of the work being deconstructed by a strong wind. Over the past two years, in the process of creating these works, Mayhem has used dozens of gallery-quality canvases as drop cloths. And as each became decorated with an accumulation of colorful drips, patterns began to emerge in the artist's mind. Deciding to transform each into its own painting, augmenting them with coatings of synthetic resin and additional painted splashes, these Gravitate series canvas works exude complexity through the floating effect these various layers create.
Visually psychedelic in aesthetic, these Gravitate paintings become more magical when one contemplates these as expressions of the Mayhem's subconscious. Similar to how automatic drawings manifest, the artist initially freed himself from rational control, incorporating chance into the process of their creation, allowing the random patterning to determine the direction of the finished works. And, to better inform the viewer of the work's full story, some are even accompanied by a matching sculptural piece.
Having debuted the initial two pieces in this series at a Bruce Lurie Gallery hosted group exhibition late last year, Mayhem is proud to return to the space for a solo exhibition of these works. Titled simply enough Gravitate, this exhibition consists of roughly 30 canvas works in a variety of sizes as well as several brand new sculptural works. With a portion of the proceeds being donated to P.S. ARTS, a nonprofit organization that provides high-quality arts education programs in underserved public schools and communities, this special solo exhibition will open on Saturday, May 5th with a reception from 6pm - 9pm. All works will remain on display until May 29th, 2018.
Bruce Lurie Gallery
2736 S La Cienega Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90034
☎ 310.876.1780
Business Hours: Tuesday – Saturday, Noon – 6pm, and by appointment