PRESS RELEASE
LOS ANGELES (May 15, 2017) Jason Vass (1452 E 6th St, Los Angeles, CA 90021) is pleased to present “Unmade”, a solo exhibition of paintings by Los Angeles based painter Constance Mallinson. The exhibition runs from June 10-July 22, 2017. The exhibition will feature a diverse group of paintings composed from natural and manufactured detritus Mallinson has collected from the streets on her daily walks through her neighborhood. Decaying plant materials and a fantastical assortment of post-consumer items are deftly interwoven in monumental accumulations suggesting trash dumps, ocean gyres, and urban alleyways, or in intimate, singular portrait forms. The rich details, dazzling color, variety of objects and interplay of forms are rooted in 17th century Dutch still life painting as well as Cubist collage. Intermittent thick painterly gestures within the predominantly figurative compositions further the conversation with iconic Modernist painting. Past, present and future are evoked, prompting questions concerning the complexities and moral dilemmas of living in an a techno consumerist, disposable world as we simultaneously contribute to its demise. Postapocalyptic, darkly humorous, critical and celebratory at once, “Unmade” revisits Marcel Duchamp in the 100th anniversary of his “Readymades”. The 17 foot painting, “The Large- Blass-t”, a word play on Duchamp’s “The Large Glass”, depicts hundreds of found objects floating down through a stormy, smoke-filled Turner-esque sky. As Duchamp elevated common objects to the status of art, Mallinson’s images of degraded commodities situate us once again in a provocative endgame.
About Constance Mallinson
Constance Mallinson has exhibited widely throughout California and nationally. Recent solo exhibitions include The Armory in Pasadena, Woodbury University, Pomona College, UC Riverside, The Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, and Angles Gallery in Los Angeles. In 2016 she curated and participated in the acclaimed “Urbanature” exhibition at ArtCenter in Pasadena and in 2018 will be part of the Pasadena Museum of California Art’s “The Feminine Sublime” which she is also curating. She was the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship as well as a City of Los Angeles Artist’s grant (COLA). She has had numerous public commissions including the EXPO Line MTA Bergamot Station permanent artwork installation (2016) and the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C. Her work has been noted by art critics such as Christopher Knight and articles on her work have appeared in all the major art publications. Her paintings can be seen in many private and public art collections from LACMA to the San Jose Museum.
About Jason Vass
Situated in the burgeoning arts district neighborhood of Downtown Los Angeles in a 2,700- square foot space designed to accommodate diverse exhibitions and related programs, the gallery aims to create an exhibition platform that offers a historical perspective through the lens of contemporary artists. The gallery is committed to cultivating emerging talent and supporting established artists from around the world. Exhibiting artists include: Luke Austin, Deborah Brown, Dan Callis, Mark Dutcher, Nancy Evans, Emiliano Gironella Parra, Douglas Tausik Ryder. The gallery manages the estate of Gene Vass. Jason Vass is open Tuesday – Saturday, 11am – 6 pm.