Last week, I had the chance to visit the William Griffin Gallery in Santa Monica, Los Angeles, and check out David Lynch’s second exhibition in this space: New Painting and Sculpture.
Using cold-rolled steel, plaster, gauze, tint, resin and other materials and objects like matches and cardboard, the movie director creates unique, story-telling paintings and lamps. Some would call these stories scary or bizarre, I found them amusing. Take “Pete Goes To His Girlfriend’s House”, where the seemingly romantic title of the mixed media painting gets contradicted with images of a terrified, doll-sized woman and a monstrous man carrying a gun AND a knife. I love dark humor.
Fire is present in many of Lynch’s works, including his paintings. Note the use of little light bulbs to visualize fire sparks.
And here’s the “new sculpture” as referred to in the exhibit’s title. Think of Lynch’s table and floor lamp sculptures as Tim Burton meets industrial.
There are a bunch of pictures from the exhibit’s opening night, attended by Lynch ladies Laura Dern, Laura Harring and Grace Zabriskie, available at isopix.be
By the way, mad props to Maggie Kayne for sporting a Black Lodge outfit to the reception.
From the press release:
While many film directors have made forays into the other visual arts—usually as filmmaking aids—Lynch’s paintings, sculptures, and photography are integral to his vision and comprise a body of work in their own right. Yet ultimately Lynch is unique in creating works that touch a nerve in the narrative of the American psyche no matter the medium. In this he is a poet and not merely a fantasist.
Through May 28, 2011 (Tuesday-Saturday from 10 AM to 6 PM) at the William Griffin Gallery, 2902 Nebraska Avenue Santa Monica, CA 90404 (310.586.6886).
Fire walk with 
Am I getting this right?
In, “Boy Lights Fire,” the artist is depicting “boy” as the bad thief in this golgothian tryptic to the *illiterate* (secular society; actors playing in “Left Side Story” of *The Bell Hill*). However, to the literate, the educated folk, the priestly class, *boy* appears as the *Good Thief*.
The work is making the point that the same information can manifest opposing meanings in the minds of the so edified from one end of the intelligence spectrum to the other. It is (I believe) the statement that he has found this thread running through his previous observation that the nature of life seems chaotic, as information dispatchers do not pay attention to the manipuable qualities of this phenomena.
Glossarism–the art of saying giving disparate messages to *insiders* versus *the unintitated*.
At any rate I absolutely loved, “Wild at Heart,” and thus pretty much trust this person’s intent.
Thank you very much, David Lynch and the people who’ve let me comment here. Thank you again.
Best regards,
Captian Phily
Am I getting this right? (finished version)
In, “Boy Lights Fire,” the artist is depicting “boy” as the bad thief in this golgothian tryptic to the *illiterate* (secular society; actors playing in “Left Side Story” of *The Bell Hill*). However, to the literate, the educated folk, the priestly class, *boy* appears as the *Good Thief*.
The work is making the point that the same information can manifest opposing meanings in the minds of the so edified from one end of the intelligence spectrum to the other. It is (I believe) the statement that he has found this thread running through his previous observation that the nature of life seems chaotic, as information dispatchers do not pay attention to the manipuable qualities of this phenomena.
I think too that the artist here is saying, most vividly (as usual for him), that he feels that the phenomenon of *Glossarism*-–the art of giving disparate messages to differinbg groups of individuals–is a phenomenon that should be paid much mind, as its potential as a manipulatory tool has the potential to interject a nearly ultimate amount of confusion into the milieu.
At any rate I absolutely loved, “Wild at Heart,” and thus pretty much trust this person’s intent.
Thank you very much, David Lynch and the people who’ve let me comment here. Thank you again.
Best regards,
Captian Phily