LA Artcore Brewery Annex presents the recent works of Los Angeles artists Richard Godfrey and Kenzi Shiokava.

Multi -media artist Richard Godfrey has long been engaged in the use of light and the ways in which multi-dimensional space is perceived, and the investigation is continued in his current series of paintings.

In the summer of 2006, Godfrey was teaching at the Idyllwild Program for the Arts, after which he was given the opportunity to extend his stay in Idyllwild. Over a three month period secluded in the pine forests of the Janita Mountain Range, he created work which examines notions of mid-century Modernism along with contemporary concepts of time and space. Through the application of white reflective pigment and black acrylic paint, a series of paintings evolved that conflated the traditions of painting (the flat surface) with perceptual concerns of dimensional space. By using the reflective pigment in such a manner that light would reflect off the surface, the artist has created a time-space relationship with the viewer.

Richard Godfrey received his M.F.A. from the San Francisco Art Institute in 1978, and has exhibited extensively throughout the United States and internationally. Most recently his work was included in exhibitions at the Musee d’Adzak in Paris, and at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles.

Kenzi Shiokava current series of sculptures is composed primarily of recycled macramé and wood. Shiokava finds that discarded material which has been shaped by the elements and human use has the potential of presence, not only physically, but spiritually.

Shiokava finds the mystery of history embedded in cast-off materials. This interest has led him to a fascination with macramé that had been created in the 1960-70’s but thrown out by the 1980’s. An abundance of this material was found, projects that had been part of the cultural zeitgeist, yet did not hold an enduring interest. As Shiokava revitalizes forgotten remnants, he avoids the national attraction to “high tech” products and creates his sculptures with hand tools. In opposition to the contemporary need to work at a machine pace, Shiokava’s forms develop slowly over time as he strives to know the materials’ natural characteristics and essential structure.

Kenzi Shiokava received his M.F.A from Otis Art Institute, Los Angeles, California, and is a past recipient of the Pollock-Krasner Grant. Shiokava’s work has been exhibited in the United States and internationally, and included in collections throughout the world.