David Kordansky Gallery Presents New Works by Lauren Halsey

WAZ UP!, 2019, acrylic, vinyl, steel tube with aluminum cladding, LED, and power supply, 144 x 48 1/4 x 30 1/4 inches (365.8 x 122.6 x 76.8 cm), Edition of 3 with 2 AP | Image courtesy of David Kordansky Gallery

The David Kordansky Gallery presents an exhibition of new works by LA-based artist Lauren Halsey (Art BFA 12), running from Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020 to Saturday, March 14, 2020.

The show will be Halsey’s first at the David Kordansky Gallery, displaying what the artist refers to as a “taxidermy” of South Central LA’s businesses. Currents of Afrofuturism, sci-fi and a mythos drawn from Black media undergird her works. In contrast to Halsey’s prior works, which have utilized immersion (we still here, there) and human-scale architecture (Crenshaw District Hieroglyphic Project), the exhibition takes “a more dreamlike approach to size.” The gallery further characterizes her work:

Halsey has rendered stylized reproductions of original signage and logos, ranging from vernacular to corporate aesthetics. While this technique places her legibly in the tradition of 20th century Pop artists, Halsey is equally interested in artists like Jasper “Brush Master” Travis of Indianapolis and other sign painters who work for mom-and-pop businesses in communities like Watts. For example, one large, bright purple box features a hand-painted copy of a local hair shop’s sign.

Recent solo exhibitions of Halsey’s work include the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris (2019) and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles (2018). She is the recipient of the 2019 Joan Mitchell Foundation Painter & Sculptors Grant, the 2019 Frieze Award, a 2019 Mike Kelley Foundation Grant, the Hammer Museum’s 2018 Mohn Award and the California Arts Council’s 2017 William H. Johnson Prize.