Sat. June 17
Corey Helford Gallery presents
Sage Vaughn's “and the damage done”
Corey Helford Gallery
8522 Washington Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232
310-287-2340
Exhibition: June 17 - July 15
Opening Artist Reception: Sat. June 17, 7:00pm - 10:00pm
Regular gallery hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 12:00pm to 6:00pm
The Corey Helford Gallery, newly opened in April 2006, presents a solo exhibition by Sage Vaughn entitled “and the damage done” from Saturday, June 17, 2006 through Saturday, July 15, 2006. The opening night artist reception takes place from 7:00pm – 10:00pm on Saturday, June 17th and is open to the public. Coming from a background of urban and graffiti art, Vaughn’s work of guardedly optimistic images conveyed through a mix of illustration and paint has become his new mode of expression. Find more information on the artist here: www.sagevaughn.com. Painter, Matthew Heller will also be showing work in the upstairs loft area. Corey Helford Gallery is located at 8522 Washington Boulevard, Culver City, CA 90232. For more information please call 310-287-2340 or visit www.coreyhelfordgallery.com.
Vaughn was born in Jackson, Oregon on July 5, 1976. Art critic G. Burbank writes,
Sage’s work negotiates the boundaries that lie between the city and the wilderness by depicting a series of pastoral characters set against an indistinct metropolitan backdrop.
The markings we have adapted to distinguish ourselves (gang affiliations, neckties, etc.) are transposed onto animals in order to articulate the collective desire of all living things to find a way that will distinguish themselves and will rise above the din of their/our surroundings.
Sage populates his narrative with characters that are at once whimsical and threatening, inviting and grave, as they struggle to reconcile their innate instincts for love, communication, and survival with modern civic life. This uncharted area of our feral consciousness is where we can little afford to linger, yet it is the source of our passions and our fears.
Sage celebrates the 'wildlife' that survives in the city; the 'wildlife' that flies over our heads everyday as we trudge to and fro, the 'wildlife' that goes through our trash at night as we dream, and the 'wildlife' that thrives in the children around us before they are taught to be tame.
The newly constructed building that houses the Corey Helford Gallery provides the perfecting setting for precious works of art. Exposed rough wood beam ceilings, 21-foot high walls of glass and cinder block, the gallery has an organic cathedral feel. Designed by Ned Engs of E4 Architects (www.E4arch.com) in Culver City, Engs elaborates, “The building was conceived as a shipping container where only a portion of the contents are revealed street-side. A two-story volume of concrete block is relieved by planes of glass and wood. Architectural hide and seek hints at the event inside. Upon entering, the contents of the crate are unwrapped and revealed in the form of metal, concrete, wood and glass.”
Curator, Jan Corey Helford intends to represent a wide range of art, opening “old-school” (with William S. Schwartz in April) and following up with this eclectic group show in May. She comes from a background of film and television production, leading to music video direction, and is now putting her creative force behind her new gallery, Corey Helford Gallery, in the Culver City art community. Partnered with her husband, television producer and creator, Bruce Helford (“The Drew Carey Show”, “George Lopez”, “The Oblongs”), they plan to present new exhibitions approximately every six weeks. With the opening of her first gallery, Jan Corey Helford is a passionate collector of original works from the new wave of “no wave” fine artists, such as Todd Schorr, Camille Rose Garcia, Gary Baseman, Tim Biskup, Richard Colman, The Pizz, XNO, Bigfoot, Miss Van and Liz McGrath. Information on upcoming solo and group shows will appear on the gallery’s website, www.coreyhelfordgallery.com. The gallery will be open to the public Tuesday through Saturday, 12:00pm to 6:00pm.
