WEST HOLLYWOOD–The Christine Argillet Gallery will exhibit an unusual installation of sculptures–photos–prints and paintings by the Southern California artist Ani Kupelian. Kupelian is known for arranging her sculptures in many different ways creating new layers of meaning–while making sure each component remains a work by itself. Though her art is essentially sculptural in form–all media and styles are considered in order to achieve the end result.
Her art has been described as oscillating between a conscious–rational–constructivist approach of permanence to her work and a more perceptive–heartfelt–casual treatment of the material and its surface–telling of a transient quality. The photographic images of her sculptures cannot be proclaimed as photographs–nor as sculptures: they stand somewhere between object and idea–and between subject and content. As a result–content cuts away from subject matter to become a mental construct with a connotation of its own.
In making her art–Ani Kupelian strolls through time–space–her own unconscious mind–her intuition and through art history. In her recent installation–she invites the visitor to take a journey in a world where culture–sexuality–morality–race and war are eternally divisive–yet opposites become juxtaposed–connected–intersected and even entwined.
This is Ani’s 3rd solo show in Los Angeles. She received significant acclaim in 1996 for her piece Trespass. The single 15 feet high–2500 pound steel gate at the Brand Library Gallery has earned two art reviews in the Los Angeles Times–several in local papers and has been mentioned in the "Picks of the Week" of L.A. Weekly.
Kupelian’s exhibition at the Christine Argillet Gallery–located on 9013 Melrose Ave. in West Hollywood–will open on Saturday–June 9 (5-10 p.m.). The exhibition – featuring mixed-media installation–sculptures–paintings–photos – will run through July 7. For more information–call 310-858-3862.