Mesmerized by the nuances of the female experience, Manuela Viera-Gallo centers her work on women, dissecting their expected and chosen roles.
NOT REAL ART NEWS
Inspiring Stories + Events
Ben Frost Ties Hyper-Consumerism to Addiction
Subverting messages from mainstream media, Ben Frost’s acerbic commentary on advertising, entertainment, and politics is self-aware without being self-serious.
Messy Desk’s ‘Cloudy Wonderland’ is a Joyful Romp Through the Painter’s Wildest Daydreams
In her new show, internationally acclaimed artist Messy Desk whisks viewers into a giddy fantasy among puffy cumulus clouds.
A Tree Grows in Los Angeles: Glenn Kaino’s Immersive Installation Captures the Magic of the Natural World
An immersive art show from Glenn Kaino, The Atlantic, and Superblue, ‘A Forest for the Trees’ inspires audiences to reimagine their relationship with the natural world.
Keya Tama and Elléna Lourens: The Creative Power of Friendship
In a new body of collaborative work, emerging South African artists Keya Tama and Elléna Lourens explore the tender familiarity of friendship.
Sad Sack Illustrator Travis Lampe Laughs in the Face of Fate
Influenced by fortune telling, mystical divination, and a healthy dose of pessimism, illustrator Travis Lampe debuts new work with a tragicomic vibe.
Pop Art Meets the Apocalypse in D*Face’s Hollywood-Inspired Work
Deceptively rose-tinted, new work from multimedia artist D*Face reveals the hairline fractures appearing in our quick-fix, instant-oatmeal society.
The Empty Promises of Luxury
‘Luxury’ Adjacent, a group exhibition at MASH Gallery, pokes fun at the more ridiculous aspects of consumer culture, in all of its artificial, materialistic glory.
Deborah Roberts Reveals the Rhapsodic Beauty of Black Childhood
Set against stark backdrops, Deborah Roberts’ dynamic portraits of Black boys and girls explore race, beauty, and identity.
True Colors: Photographer James Welling Unveils the Myth of White Marble
Digital photographer James Welling applies unnatural color to Greek and Roman statues, a choice that shreds contemporary assumptions about race and ancient aesthetics.
Sonya Fe Paints For Women, Children, and Those Who Bear the Weight of the World
Chicana artist Sonya Fe presents ‘Three Blocks from Dogtown,’ a biographical solo show exploring the cultural issues affecting our most vulnerable citizens.
Japanese Painter Ryoko Kaneta Looks at Nature With Wide Eyes
Emerging artist Ryoko Kaneta creates manga-style artwork that plays on an ancient Japanese philosophy: that god dwells in all beings throughout the universe.
Empty and Alone: Japanese Artist Hikari Shimoda Fights to Live in the Void
Hikari Shimoda debuts new manga- and anime-inspired work at Corey Helford Gallery in downtown Los Angeles.
Russ Pope and Friends Cultivate Long-Distance Creative Relationships
Curated by Russ Pope, ‘CONVERSATIONS’ surveys work by five groundbreaking artists who explore the complexities of communicating in the tech age.
Caution: Man One’s Contagious Art Could Be the Antidote to Your Pandemic Blues
Graffiti artist Man One debuts ‘Chance of Infection’ a new body of inventive, pandemic-inspired work that aims to make art as contagious as COVID.
Grand Opening: ‘The Cheech’ Builds A Home For Chicano/a Art in Southern California
The longtime comedian debuts ‘Cheech Collects,’ the inaugural exhibition at The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture in southern California.
Celebrating Pride: What June Means For LGBTQ+ Visibility in the Arts
While June is seen as a time to celebrate progress toward equality in the LGBTQ+ community, it’s also an opportunity to reflect on the fight for representation.
A New Way to Work: Creative Identity Gets a Contemporary Makeover in LA
‘I Don’t Wanna Be, I Am’ at Corey Helford Gallery explores personal and collective creative identity through a wide, international lens.
Pretty in Plastic Creates One-of-a-Kind Awards for NOT REAL ART Grant Winners
The pros at design and fabrication studio Pretty in Plastic worked with NOT REAL ART to conceive and develop one-of-a-kind awards for our 2021 grant winners.
Last Call: Apply for the Annual NOT REAL ART Grant by May 1
Apply for the annual NOT REAL ART grant by May 1, 2022. Founded in 2019, the grant empowers artists with financial backing, promotion, and recognition.
Albert Cleophus Willis: 2021 Not Real Art Grant Winner
Grant Winner, Albert Cleophus Willis, who prefers to go by ‘Cleophus’ in the fine art world, was a little surprised when he won the 2021 Not Real Art Grant because he wasn’t sure his art would be categorized as not real enough. “I feel like I’ve been discriminated against because my art is so traditional. I think people view it as something that’s been done, rather than what it is that’s being done. I’m one of those artists who shies away from interviews. I think people should focus on the art rather than the artist, even though I know this is naive because people really are buying a piece of the artist. But I hope that one day, they will look at the art and let the art stand on its own.”
Carmen Mardonez: 2021 Not Real Art Grant Winner
2021 Not Real Art grant winner, Carmen Mardonez grew up in Chile. The oldest of nine siblings, Mardonez shares that growing up in a big religious family meant that the expectations are, “to be a good woman who takes care of your husband, your house, and your kids. To be a woman who doesn’t speak too much or is too loud, who knows her place. I didn’t really like that. I was fighting with that idea for a long time. I was refusing to be that kind of woman, but when I realized I was pregnant, I was like ‘Oh my God, now I’m gonna be that woman.’”
Daniela Garcia: 2021 Not Real Art Grant Winner
Grant winner, Daniela Garcia, grew up in Lake Los Angeles, a small town on the outskirts of the Antelope Valley, and Guanajuato, Mexico, respectively. Splitting her time between the two communities, Garcia shares that “going back and forth between Lake LA and my dad’s small town felt very similar. The culture was the same. I was constantly surrounded by immigrants or my dad’s close-knit family.”
Nadyia Duff: 2021 Not Real Art Grant Winner
In high school, 2021 Not Real Art Grant winner, Nadyia Duff, chose Cooking as her elective. But, as fate – or the art gods would have it, cooking class was full, and Duff was placed in an art class. Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Duff moved to Miami, FL in the mid-‘90s where she still resides today. Her artist bio reads, “Nadyia Duff is a Jamaican/American multiethnic Artist, Art Educator, and Museum Educator living and working in Miami Florida. Nadyia combines the painterly and realistic to tell elaborate narratives using her method of drawing and painting.”
John Chang: 2021 Not Real Art Grant Winner
Not Real Art Grant Winner, John Chang was born and raised in Shanghai, which he describes as a “big city – the same as a New York.” While some might think that’s exotic, Chang says that as a child, he sometimes found it boring. But boredom would not dominate Chang’s childhood. Instead, his mother gave him an ultimatum – either make art or play the piano. For a time, John did both until his love of pencil drawing became his driving artistic force.