Subliminal Projects Presents
Deedee Cheriel and Louise Bonnet
New Works
Two-Person Exhibition
May 17 - June 13, 2008
Opening Reception: Saturday, May 17, 8 p.m. - 11 p.m.
SUBLIMINAL PROJECTS is pleased to announce the upcoming joint exhibition by California-based artists, Deedee Cheriel and Louise Bonnet. The exhibition which features new works and represents a new direction for both artists, will run from May 17 to June 13, with an opening reception held for the artists on Saturday, May 17 from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Deedee Cheriel creates visual narratives that explore our personal attempts to connect to the world and each other. Cheriel’s aesthetic is a satirical, yet touching illustration of how relationships between humans, animals, and nature are episodes of both compassion and discomfort. Her work features animal/human hybrids rendered in bright, bold colors who engage, often sexually, with each other and the larger natural environment. Elements drawn from the natural and urban landscapes are combined with pop culture to suggest the ability to find commonalities between ourselves and our surroundings, inevitably validating our greater humanity. Her materials flow from a myriad of techniques: haphazard drips, bold-gestured marks, quirky patterns, fragile expressions, and lustful, yet delicate lines. Cheriel’s work references outsider and folk art, East Indian temple imagery, DIY culture, punk music, and the Pacific Northwest natural environment, bringing together these various influences to develop a style that is truly her own.
Louise Bonnet is known for her illustrative aesthetic, which has been described as a “whimsical” blend of “hippieish style with punk iconography”. Coming from a graphic design background, Bonnet uses pen and ink to create a palette that is flat and concise, yet engaging. Bonnet, who admittedly does not like open displays of emotion, creates characters void of expression. Her images feature a sea of people with blank expressions, drawn at different angles to achieve a beautiful visual pattern that attests to Bonnet’s graphic design background. These characters, often uniform in appearance, remain anonymous from each other and the viewer. For this exhibition, Bonnet expands on this theme of interaction and isolation by creating portraits based on characters from the moving image. Although the characters in these portraits remain expressionless, they obscure the notion of the cinematic gaze. For this series, Bonnet has moved away from black and white in favor of creating planes of color, achieved through the use of gouache on paper.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Deedee Cheriel
Born in Eugene, Oregon, Deedee Cheriel began creating stencil and silkscreen art for punk bands at the age of 16. Always seeking inspiration from other cultures, Cheriel has spent a significant amount of time living outside of America. Her personal exploration of her Indian roots is reflected in the dualistic nature of her work. She has exhibited in group shows at Dirt, New Image Art Gallery, and Track 16 Gallery. Cheriel's work has been represented at Stall 54, London, David Allen Gallery and Capla Kesting Fine Art, New York, and Fluxco Gallery in Los Angeles. In 2007, Cheriel exhibited a solo show at McCaig-Welles Gallery in Brooklyn, New York.
Louise Bonnet
Born in Switzerland, Bonnet received her diploma in Graphic Design and Illustration from the Ecole des Arts Décoratifs in Geneva. Moving to Los Angeles in 1995, Bonnet went on to establish Poole, a successful cosmetics line, before permanently switching from commerce to art in 2003. Bonnet works as a graphic designer for companies such as X-Girl Japan, Tod’s, and various European magazines. She has shown with Los Angeles-based galleries Silho and Jeff Electric Gallery, Fresh Start in Santa Monica, and Colette in Paris.
ABOUT SUBLIMINAL PROJECTS
SUBLIMINAL PROJECTS is a multifunctional gallery space promoting diverse forms of art while providing a forum for contemporary dialogue. SUBLIMINAL, was originally created by Shepard Fairey and Blaze Blouin as an artist collective in 1995. The group played an integral part in introducing skateboarding culture and design to the art world, showcasing artists such as Phil Frost, Thomas Campbell, Mike Mills, Dave Aaron, and Mark Gonzales. Shepard and Amanda Fairey continued to host and curate exhibitions that featured artists such as Ryan McGinness, HunterGatherer, David Ellis, Doze Green, Aesthetic Apparatus, Space Invader, Jim Houser and Andrew Jeffery Wright. In 2003, the Subliminal Projects gallery was officially opened in the Los Angeles offices of Studio Number One. The scope of the gallery remained true to its roots while embracing new forms of graphic art, illustration, photography and time-based media. Now located in the historic Los Angeles neighborhood of Echo Park, Subliminal Projects continues to offer a platform for artistic exploration and innovation. The 2008 schedule includes art exhibitions by established and emerging artists, as well as a lecture series, workshops and artist publications.
**NEW ADDRESS**
1331 W. Sunset Blvd. • Los Angeles, CA 90016 • Tel: 213.213.0078
HOURS
Tuesday thru Friday
1 p.m. — 6 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday by appointment
