Parma Smith constantly investigates the visual elements in our daily life through oil painting, blending this traditional art form with various formats of assemblage or juxtaposition. The painterly styles in his work span a wide range of genres, including still life, nudes, landscapes, calligraphy, and graffiti. Smith delves into the seemingly mundane through his paintings and creates works filled with references. His work displays remarkable versatility and adaptability to different styles while presenting a unique perspective on familiar and diverse sources. By incorporating elements such as coloured pencils, oranges, and origami paper, Smith reinvents the concept of mass-culture images reminiscent of the appropriation that was a defining characteristic of Pop Art in the 1960s. His art evokes a sense of nostalgia and revives experimental practices developed in New York in the 1970s and 1980s, such as fanzines, while also maintaining his focus on the status of images in current society, which are continually diverted and reinterpreted by digital culture. ...
Since 2009, François Ghebaly has presented an innovative, eclectic program of Los Angeles-based and international artists. With a history of identifying and championing diverse voices and emerging talent, the gallery’s roster has grown to include 27 artists and 2 artist estates, ranging from early career, such as Sharif Farrag and Ludovic Nkoth, to mid-career, like Christine Sun Kim, Meriem Bennani, Kelly Akashi, Farah Al Qasimi, and Genesis Belanger, to well established, including Sayre Gomez, Kathleen Ryan, Neïl Beloufa and Candice Lin as well as underground legends, like Patrick Jackson and Mike Kuchar. The gallery advances the reach of its artists’ visions by publishing exhibition catalogues and producing artist editions. Located since 2013 in a 12,000 square foot warehouse space in Downtown Los Angeles, the gallery is a mainstay of the burgeoning Arts District community, and recently expanded to New York's Lower East Side. François Ghebaly’s program demonstrates a commitment to challenging work across all media and to fostering the progressive, boundary-pushing practices of its artists. ...
