This is the final week to see Heather Benjamin's most recent curatorial endeavor PLAYDATE, closing this weekend at New Image Art in Los Angeles. Benjamin is no stranger to organizing killer group shows, like MAIDEN FORM at Andrew Edlin last year in NY and this project is no different. She blends her own punk and DIY proclivities with more fine art counterparts, resulting in an eclectic exhibition firmly rooted in individualistic style. PLAYDATE unites thirteen contemporary emerging artists whose work spans across different media including video installation, textiles, ceramics, drawing, paper maché, and more.
Presented in an electric yellow painted room at New Image, PLAYDATE's exhibition design is neither shy nor subtle. Each work is transformed amongst the highlighter yellow background on which they're displayed. Considering this group of artists is so distinct and bold in style, it only makes sense to match that energy and abandon the everyday white walls. In one corner, Diana Lozano's unique, fantastical mobile sculpture suspends ever so delicately, punctured with what looks like piercing jewelry circa 1999 while B. Thom Stevenson's intense graphic-text works harken back to his earlier ‘flyer paintings.'
PLAYDATE firmly challenges what is expected and breathes new life into what is so often a prescribed experience at group shows. With the aesthetic of early millennia internet culture and the LA punk scene at her back, Benjamin's PLAYDATE is a real treat for the viewer. Check it out before it closes this Saturday, May 11th at New Image Art.
Artists in PLAYDATE include: Marcel Alcala, Heather Benjamin, Caroline David, Sharona Franklin, Nina Hartmann, Lee Knight, Diana Lozano, Taeer Maymon, Aeja Monet, Claire Quilala, Sam Ryser, Lisa Signorini, B. Thom Stevenson
