SHIT ART CLUB:
RESIDENT WRITER

My friends own and operate an art gallery in DTLA. As friends do, we help each other out, so, I write for them and they let me into shows.
Win, win

BABY NAMES
by Hetty Douglas

Hetty Douglas b. 1992 Sheffield, England. Currently London based, Hetty is a self taught queer artist, working predominantly in acrylic painting but often using other mediums such as cement, oil, and ink to build depth and texture. Taking inspiration from the complexity of her life- spanning childhood, to adulthood, Hetty creates work that explores fluidity and multiplicity of individual identity.

Hetty has exhibited in many group shows in London, New York, and Los Angeles. She successfully achieved her first solo show “Flooded” at Gallery Steinsland Berliner in Stockholm in 2022 and her upcoming second solo show “Baby Names” post-residency is set to take place in Los Angeles, April 2023, which will push her studio practice forward as she continues to make a name for herself in the realm of abstract painting.

Baby Names is a reflection of the past - exploring themes of self discovery through different stages of life. Each piece is a visual representation of a memory, depicting moments in time and articulating the emotions that are inextricably tied to them. Her paintings are visceral, eliciting angst, love, fear, hope. Her work invites the viewer to experience Douglas' process and evokes an awareness of a shared struggle and an appreciation of the human experience. Baby Names isn’t just a list of potential offspring, it's Douglas' interpretation of looking back, and acknowledging the self and its development over time. 

@hettydouglass

Cheeky little project we made to introduce Hetty’s show :)

EARTH DAYS
by Zac Hoffman
at Simchowiz Gallery

Zac Hoffman, otherwise known as Loser Angeles, uses bold colors, sinuous lines and well-endowed shapes to create a whimsical yet strangely familiar depiction of life on earth. His work draws on what he describes as 'the oddness of the ordinary', gathering inspiration from the mundane goings on of everyday life. Hoffman was born in 1992 in San Clemente, CA, and currently lives and works in Los Angeles. He's developed a distinct visual language with recurring characters and motifs, often including exaggerated depictions of powerful women, clocks, and baseballs - highlighting the abundance of components weighing on the modern human. Using a variety of mediums and textures, he creates paintings that celebrate society’s seemingly average moments on a monumental scale. Influenced by the novels and poetry of Charles Bukowski, his work follows a similar, honest approach of portraying daily life and illustrating the weight that comes with being human. Hoffman’s work has been shown internationally in Los Angeles, Detroit, New York, Paris and Beirut. 

@loser.angeles

SMALL WORLD
by Devo Plett

‘Small World’ speaks to humanity’s affinity to relate to one another, and the mediums by which we find connection. Like a cheeseburger- an immediately recognizable staple wherever you go on the planet. Plett utilizes the familiarity of a Mcdonald’s receipt to draw the viewer in, and uses it quite literally as a canvas for his figurative works. The receipts act as timestamps, historical documents grounding the viewer in reality, and his figurative drawings an abstraction of his internal process. Plett plays with scale and context throughout this body of work, bringing the energy of an intimate sketch on a small receipt to a larger than life depiction of the piece. The viewer is made to feel small, almost shrunken into reality by
the work. 

@devoplett

THESE WALLS HAVE SEEN SO MUCH
by Lucy Eyears

Lucy Eyears (b. 1992) lives and works in Los Angeles. Her paintings reflect the interplay between the external and internal worlds. Eyears explores the idea of growth, and the connection between nature and our emotional states. Her work is influenced by color theory, and neo-expressionism. She deconstructs her imaginative still life with bright colors, expressive, broad brushstrokes, and abstract movements. Her process is intuitive, allowing instincts to guide her through each piece, finding forms and shapes as she works through different emotions. 

“These Walls Have Seen so Much”, was developed during the time spent in her 1-car garage turned studio in Santa Monica, CA. She explains how the four walls have seen her in every form and witnessed her process every feeling. This body of work is an emotionally driven reflection of who Eyears is, and has been. Her studio is a vulnerable yet supportive space allowing Eyears to express herself freely, to grow, and to move through the gamut of emotions. This collection has changed shape and direction throughout the course of creation, reflecting the transformation and progression of Eyears as an artist and a human.

LET ME SHOW YOU
by Demi Boelsterli

It says a lot that Demi originally wanted her solo show to be called:
“I can’t bear to tell you, let me show you. “
Because sometimes words don’t do feelings justice.

But, it would be ridiculous to name a show something that long.
So she landed on: “Let Me Show you.”

This show is Demi’s expression of love and all the feelings that come with it. The highs, the lows, the sideways emotions. All of them. It is a visual interpretation of feelings in the best way she knows how: found objects, painting, words, poems, film.

A shrine representing the sacrifices we make for love smacks you in the face upon entering.
An experiential installation showcasing the cyclical nature of feelings, filled with love notes and coping skills, leads you into the colorful representation of Demi’s mind. Thousands of little knick knacks fill the space, each intentionally placed, ask her, she’ll explain the purpose of it all.
With every piece you get a little closer to experiencing Demi’s world as she feels it. A full force.

Demi is a romantic, and a realist.
She recognizes that life is a game and love is a force.
All we can do is play.
And feel stuff.

@losiveck