On July 19th, Thinkspace will be presenting "Paramnesia", a collection of new works by Dutch artist Joram Roukes. His work takes inspiration from his recent stay in Los Angeles and is influenced by his time spent immersed in the city. Roukes' paintings depict anthropomorphic creatures residing within unstable conditions. His rough and intentionally-chaotic collage-like paintings combine imagery that lack a visual connection, yet bring about symbolic representations of the artist's conceptual exploration of cultural tensions. Roukes paintings suggest the inevitable disasters that may often be overlooked due to misguided optimism. "'Paramnesia' refers to a phenomenon whereby the perception of realities both observed and imagined are inextricably bound." The power of our mind can often deceive us; a vivid memory may become interwoven with imaginative distortions, making it incredibly difficult to distinguish reality from the imaginary. Roukes captures this concept throughout this body of work through portrayals of reality and boundless fantasy that allow the viewer to get a taste of his personal experience while working in Los Angeles. "We are shown a world uncomfortably strung somewhere between disaster and dream, and the ideological and the personal; an unresolved interstice that begs the viewer to participate in its critical exploration."
Take a look at a few studio shots of his work in progress via the gallery.
Saturday, July 19th 6-9 pm
Thinkspace Gallery
6009 Washington Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232
www.thinkspacegallery.com
