Meeting David “Mr. StarCity” White, stripped away that layer of cynicism we’ve all acquired in recent years, and in the process, we can view things more incisively, more positively. As a painter and mixed media artist, The Mr. StarCity’s IG account is a place for joyful, experimental day-in-the-life documentation in the forms of poetry, fine art, music, film and now, animation, all in a gift basket of affirmation and inspiration for dialogue with friends and neighbors. If you have been on his account, a “BIG BLESS” sign off reminds you of how great the world can be imagined if tended with care. He lives every moment with a sense of purpose, reminding us of the power of social media platforms when used by an artist working in real time with real grace. 

 

In his newest solo show of abstracted figures at Kanton Gallery in Los Angeles, LOVERBOY: Moonlit Roses And Heartache, White channels his alter ego through one of the most tumultuous years in recent American history, his character navigating a fantasy world wallpapered in emotional and physical confusion. We travel with him in a quest to look forward with compassion and expression, even as the world turns socially selfish and politically intolerant.  As the gallery notes of the storyline of the paintings: “LOVERBOY: Moonlit Roses And Heartache recounts the story of a hopeless romantic named LOVERBOY — a traveling jazz musician by each sunset, broken-hearted once again by each sunrise. Chronically falling in love, restlessly traveling, LOVERBOY finds himself habitually alone and heartbroken. His only companion is his melancholic saxophone. Each piece in the exhibition illustrates LOVERBOY’s different states of internal torment as a hopeless romantic torn between two loves: music and his lover. Ultimately, LOVERBOY chooses his music and, as a result, is cursed by love, hopelessly falling in love with every woman he meets and broken-hearted by the time he must travel to the next city. “

The exhibition is accompanied by an animation that we are excited to debut in the coming days, one that bundles the elements of White’s practice (music, poetry, film, painting) and carries the story into a lively, engaging medium. That White has been able to capture his personality so vividly in LOVERBOY: Moonlit Roses And Heartache is testament that the world has beauty to see if only we’d open our eyes.  His career continues to evolve as one of the most unique in contemporary art, a Bohemian who revels in the universe that is Mr StarCity. —Evan Pricco

LOVERBOY: Moonlit Roses And Heartache is viewable through September 5, 2020, Monday through Saturday from 12pm to 6pm. To book an appointment to view the exhibition please email [email protected]. His animation is a collaboration with Eddie Codrington and animator Andrew Miller (aka “Drew Toonz)