David Flores
Diego, 2017
160721
OPENING RECEPTION: 1ST THURSDAY, AUGUST 3, 2017, FROM 5 - 8PM
Something new is going up on the long wall of the largest gallery at Sullivan Goss, but it won’t involve hammers, hooks, or nails. Instead, David Flores will paint a new mural called Downtown 81 directly onto the wall in time to be seen for 1 st Thursday, August 3 rd . Opening night promises to be the contemporary art event of the summer.
Sullivan Goss last worked with Flores for its CA COOL exhibition in the summer of 2015. Since then, the artist has completed a 300 foot long mural commission in his signature style for the L.A. Coliseum , in addition to a number of other public mural commissions. In town, Flores recently painted the hangar doors on the block of East Yanonali street where Figueroa Mountain Brewing Company and other businesses are located.
For his first solo exhibition in at least seven years, Flores will be debuting not only a mural of Jean Michel Basquiat painting a mural, but a gallery exclusive print of that mural. In addition, he will debut a giant work in stained glass fabricated by Judson Studios, L.A.’s most historic and important glass studios. (They not only worked for Frank Lloyd Wright, but they fabricated the largest stained glass window in the world.) He will also show a large handwoven rug made from traditional methods in Nepal, as well as a broad selection of paintings, multimedia works, and prints.
Flores’ most recent body of work celebrates artists like Basquiat and Keith Haring – two early heroes of a movement that brought youth culture and a hip hop aesthetic into the New York gallery world. Flores also iconizes global contemporary artists like Ai Wei Wei and Marina Abromavic. His choice of artistic heroes and his principal artistic format – the public mural – positions him as an ambassador between these distinct creative worlds. David’s whole life has been devoted to the arts.
From his beginnings in Santa Barbara at Shorty’s, Flores’ work has grown global in its reach. His body of work transcends traditional styles and the traditional materials of paint and concrete or canvas. His imagery has been translated into clothing, toy collectibles, and exclusive interior furnishings. He has collaborated with everyone from Matt Groening (of Simpson’s fame) to Shepard Fairey. He has worked on brands as diverse as Disney, Oakley, Medicom, Vans, the Los Angeles Dodgers, Nike, and The Olympic Games. One of his vinyl toys was inducted into the Museum of Modern Art.
The artist will be on hand for the opening.
Many one-person art shows are elaborate affairs, long in the planning and making-of. Not so the fascinating current David Flores exhibition seizing Sullivan Goss, which came together in a spontaneous, fast-track burst of creative energy befitting the artist.
Prolific muralist David Flores, whose work adorns walls in Tokyo, Mexico City, Los Angeles, and the Funk Zone, brings his talents inside SULLIVAN GOSS—AN AMERICAN GALLERY from August 3 through September 3. Using the gallery’s wall as his canvas, Flores is debuting a new mural at his show’s August 3 opening from 5 to 8 pm.
