VAN ARNO "Sweet Home Valhalla" June 30, 2007

VAN ARNO
"Sweet Home Valhalla"

New works by Los Angeles artist Van Arno.
Guest artist Inky Dreadfuls will be featured in the Loft

Opening Reception: June 30, 2007 7-10pm
On View: June 30- July 28, 2007

Corey Helford Gallery is pleased to present Sweet Home Valhalla, a solo exhibition of new works by Los Angeles artist Van Arno.His first solo show with the gallery will feature a series of twelve oil paintings, combining elements from World War One and the Gods of Mythology to create narratives that are as visually exciting as they are extreme. Drawing from his lifelong fascination with history, Arno incorporates cultural references, historical icons and unusual storylines into his work. Medusa is caught in an unguarded moment engaged in her hair care and nutrition regimen. Dutch stripper Mata Hari is transformed into a tank-busting goddess. And an antlered Valkerie rescues a dying German fighter pilot. Working in a figurative style he calls Uber Mannerism, Arno presents his characters in the most dynamic way possible. “The goal is to represent the figure in a hyper-stylized way that is still tenuously believable. The rules of anatomy, gravity, lighting, and physics must be altered to fulfill this goal.”

Van Arno was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee and attended Otis parsons School of Design in Los Angeles, California where he supported himself working as a bouncer in nightclubs and adult video arcades. As a young illustrator, his images appeared on album covers, video game box art, and nightclub posters around the city. He has exhibited in galleries worldwide including Jonathan Levine Gallery, The Shooting Gallery, Copro Nason Gallery, Mendenhall Sobieski Gallery, and most recently, Galerie d’art Yves Laroche. Several of his works were included in a national survey of Lowbrow painters at the Hollywood Art and Culture Center in Florida along with Mark Ryden, Chaz Bojorquez, Kenny Scharf, Anthony Ausgang, and others. For more information about Van Arno please visit www.vanarno.com.

Upstairs in the loft, guest artist Inky Dreadfuls (Michael Mararian) will present Little Unfortunates, an installation of over twenty pen and ink drawings. Inky Dreadfuls darkly rearranges our fondest visions of childhood naiveté and bygone days in an attempt to allegorize the lost innocence of our modern times. Raised as an only child in Massachusetts, Mararian is a self-taught artist and children’s theater playwright. He graduated from the Art and Theater program at the University of Bridgeport and studied at the Arts Student’s League in New York. Mararian has exhibited at Corey Helford Gallery, Thinkspace Gallery, MF Gallery, and Mezco Toys inaugural art show in New York City. He currently resides in Brooklyn, New York with his wife Elizabeth and their two cats, 99 and Mavis. For more information about the artist, please visit www.inkydreadfuls.com. The opening reception for Sweet Home Valhalla and Little Unfortunates will take place on Saturday, June 30 from 7 to 10pm and is open to the public. The exhibition will be on view until July 28, 2007.

Located in the Culver City Art District, Corey Helford Gallery was established in April 2006 by Jan Corey Helford and her husband, television producer and creator, Bruce Helford (The Drew Carey Show, George Lopez, The Oblongs). Passionate art collectors, the Helfords are producers on the art documentary The Treasures of Long Gone John and have partnered to open their first gallery. Corey Helford Gallery presents a wide range of artists, from members of the new fine art movement, such as Andrew Brandou, Natalia Fabia, Korin Faught, Eric Joyner, James Naccarato, David Stoupakis, and Sage Vaughn, to early Modernist William S. Schwartz. Notable shows include Charity By Numbers, which was co-curated by Gary Baseman and featured an unprecedented lineup of artists including Mark Ryden, Marion Peck, Shepard Fairey, Todd and Kathy Schorr, Camille Rose Garcia, and Michael Hussar. Corey Helford Gallery presents new exhibitions approximately every four weeks. For more information and an upcoming exhibition schedule, please visit coreyhelfordgallery.com.

Official Website: http://www.coreyhelfordgallery.com