Downtown Los Angeles’ Corey Helford Gallery (CHG) is proud to announce The Unusual Suspects: Curious Creatures and Iconic Characters, featuring mini-solo exhibitions by six artists, including ceramic sculptor Andy Adamson, award-winning Japan-based artist Jun Makita, renowned San Francisco-based artist Martin Hsu, mystical painter Matt Dangler, Los Angeles’ own Robert Palacios, and British artist Sas Christian.
These artists are well-known for creating exquisitely stylized works inhabited by their own unique characters and/or creatures. Opening November 2nd in the Main Gallery, this exhibition is an opportunity for each artist to celebrate their creations.
Andy Adamson’s ceramic sculptures are a collection of cleverly crafted jokes, bawdy satire, gallows humor, one-liners, and playful puns, all reimagined as unique, campy ceramic objects. While some may dismiss a humorous approach to art as superficial, Adamson’s work masterfully reveals multiple layers of meaning concealed beneath its whimsical facade. Each one-of-a-kind sculpture is not only meticulously sculpted and beautifully detailed but also intentionally evokes the sentimental preciousness of molded, mass-produced, glazed ceramic figurines. Yet, the sincere and earnest nature of the perverse sculpting is often contrasted with a nuanced, ironic critique of the very pop-culture hyper-consumerism it embodies. Each piece is completed with a cleverly divisive title, adding a final layer of wit that underscores the tension between the frivolous, ridiculous, and profound.
Hailing from Niigata, Japan, and raised in Osaka, Jun Makita developed his artistic journey through a love of all things pop. His visual experience, coupled with his ability to captivate audiences with his extraordinary talent and boundless imagination, quickly caught the attention of the art world. Aside from earning prestigious awards, Makita was included in the one-of-a-kind bi-annual art fair GEISAI conceived and curated by Takashi Murakami, and has exhibited in Hong Kong, Tokyo, Seoul, Paris, and Los Angeles. Last year, Hypebeast described Makita as, “A trailblazing contemporary artist delivering a vibrant pop wave in the world of art…[transporting] viewers into a whimsical realm defined by explosive energy and heartfelt melancholy”.
Makita shares, “Primarily painted with acrylic paints on canvas, my work is inspired by animals, plants, the sky, and clouds, as well as old paintings, picture books, music (such as punk and hip-hop), and graffiti. My work moves me, as well as makes me laugh. It would make me happy if my new works made others smile”.
Falling in love with making art in his grandparents’ house while growing up in Taiwan, Martin Hsu is a contemporary artist renowned for his iconic and imaginative works that blend traditional Asian aesthetics with modern narratives. Influenced by 18th-century Asian art, Hsu creates his work by harmonizing delicate brush strokes, dynamic colors, and soft luminosity. Drawing inspiration from heritage, mythology, dreams, animals, and nature, his paintings often feature symbolic motifs (such as peony blossoms) alongside mystifying creatures and whimsical characters. Through his New Traditional Asian Art, Hsu invites viewers into a surreal and fantastical universe that bridges the past and the present, transcending time and space to evoke joy, wonder, and tranquility. Since 2006, the artist’s original artwork has been shown worldwide (including in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Los Angeles), as well as at Disney’s WonderGround Gallery and on the Google campus.
Born in 1984 in New Jersey, Matt Dangler graduated in 2006 with a BFA in Illustration from The University of the Arts (UArts) in Philadelphia, PA. While attending UArts, he won awards for his representation of the Human Figure, outstanding achievement in illustration, and for demonstrating inherent sincerity, intensity, and dedication to illustration. Dangler’s artwork has been featured in museum shows, books, albums, and stage backdrops. Over the last two decades, Dangler has exhibited eight solo shows and his works can be found in private collections worldwide.
Dangler constructs fantastically-inspired and engaging imagery, which contains the power to reveal new and undiscovered aspects of the personalities of each and every one of us, by speaking directly to our subconscious and therefore our inherent inner beings. Many of the imaginary oceanic and woodland creatures that appear in his art are inspired by his childhood growing up on the New Jersey shore and hiking many trails through the woods. Dangler likes to think of the characters he creates as expressive manifestations as opposed to being physical creatures.
Robert Palacios is a Los Angeles-based artist working primarily in the style of Pop Surrealism. His works are full of vivid colors, dramatic shifts in scale, and details that come together in captivating compositions. Palacios’ characters inhabit a dreamlike reality drawn from his own observation of modern life featuring repurposed elements from the everyday reconfigured into new and unique forms. With a preference for symbols and elements that are both familiar and whimsical, the artist allows the viewer to explore his delightful, surreal landscapes and discover their own narrative within the unexpected juxtapositions. Palacios’ work is both narrative and figurative, and his meticulous attention to detail and bold use of color bring his composition to life in unexpected ways.
Hailing from London, Sas Christian lives with her husband, sculptor Colin Christian, in Schenectady, NY. Her artistic journey began at boarding school in England and was honed at Bournemouth Art College in the UK. Christian’s distinctive style revolves around portraying big-eyed girls, a thematic thread woven through her body of work. Inspired by luminaries like Tamara De Lempicka and Mark Ryden, as well as influenced by cinema, fashion, and internal turmoil, the artist creates work that resonates deeply with her audience. Christian’s paintings are characterized by micro-expressions and an intense gaze, drawing viewers into the emotional tapestry she weaves on canvas. Her oeuvre is often classified as Pop Surrealism or New Contemporary, reflecting her ability to infuse modernity into classical oil techniques.
Christian’s artistic footprint extends nationally and internationally, with exhibitions held in London, France, Italy, and Hong Kong. Notably, her work has graced the walls of The Bristol Museum and Art Gallery in the UK and she was the headlining artist at the 24th annual Dirty Show in Detroit earlier this year.