Last Rites Gallery presents two solo exhibitions of new paintings from artists Chris Peters (in gallery one) and David R. Choquette (in gallery two).

Chris Peters’ paintings try to find the beauty in that uneasy twilight place between life and death, between reality and unreality, between hope and despair. The objects in the paintings draw from the classic symbolism of Vanitas still life and Catholic religious paintings; all refer to the cycle of life, death and the promise of resurrection. Peters creates his art in his Los Angeles studio. He trained for three years at the Gage Academy of Art, completing their program that emphasizes academic painting techniques. His work has been exhibited in numerous galleries devoted to the Pop Surrealism art movement, including Copro Gallery in Santa Monica and La Luz de Jesus in Hollywood.

David R. Choquette is a 29 years old Montreal based tattooist and painter. He’s intrigued by the sense of discomfort that physical abnormalities cause. His portraits, often miniature, are aesthetic counter type to the popular standards. Obsessing over every square inch, he creates strange atmosphere where ugliness and beauty are hard to dissociate. With sharp details, he tries to communicate the sensibility of his inner world. Choquette writes about his art, “Setting down to work, I never know what the hell will come out. The only thing that’s for sure, the Devil is in the details!”.