Artists: Claudine Anrather / Dawn Arrowsmith / Luisa Caldwell / Rebecca Graves Mary Addison Hackett / David Kramer / Cati LaPorte / Norma Markley Mery Lynn McCorkle / Marilla Palmer / Gary Petersen / Roland Reiss Greg Stone Curated by Luisa Caldwell and Mery Lynn McCorkle

Flowers have a mixed heritage in the arts. On the one hand, they have not only acted as memento mori but have represented lofty emotions (Shakespeare’s “rosemary is for remembrance”) and sexuality (O’Keefe). On the other, they are pretty, a favored subject for Sunday watercolorists. They are a perfect metaphor for the half empty/half full debate: it all depends upon one’s viewpoint.

For contemporary artists, both viewpoints tend to be highlighted simultaneously. Flowers in the 21st century have come to represent consumerism, modernism, environmentalism, to reflect our architecture, our psyche, our utopias, allowing the artists to pry a more positive outlook out of misfortune. Impertinent pick-me-ups.

The thirteen artists in this May show expose a wide range of interpretations revolving around the word “flower”. Luisa forms flowers with commercial labels. David shows how they are employed as an advertising tool. Cati miniaturizes them into stamps with a contradictory message. Norma creates them out of dance steps. Rebecca uses them to symbolize the transitory nature of life. Gary explodes them into abstraction. Roland embeds them in modernism. Dawn teases them out of the web of LA street maps. Marilla concocts them from mushroom spores. Claudine explores the dissolution of forms. For Mary Addison, they are a juxtaposition of southern decay and play. Mery Lynn fashions them out of glitter. Greg burns them into being.