I have seized many opportunities to experience a wide variety of adventures in my short life. The adventure I experienced the night of November 5th was amongst the most joyful and intriguing of them. Reworked / Revamped was an art opening I was impatiently awaiting. It was the first solo show that composed by my son, Jeremiah Garcia. A few people may know him as N10Z (pronounced “intense”), his artistic signature. I was curious to see how the collection of unique (and what I thought to be unrelated paintings and subject matter) could convey a connectedness at the show. Would it be a total bomb? Or would it be yet another step forward in the creative development I have had the blessing to witness of this young man?
The evening provided much to talk about, many to talk to and lots to absorb. For me, the show was the place to be; a major party and at the same time a wonderfully professional presentation. Many people I had never met recognized a family resemblance. I was often asked the question, “Are you Jeremiah’s mom?” usually followed by, “You must be so proud of him.” I didn’t realize a family resemblance was SO obvious, however, the sheer number of people repeating this question has convinced me it exists. The proud mom part has always been easy for me to recognize and express. It is rare that people get the opportunity to share the heartfelt kindness and natural talents that are so freely given by of one of LA’s very unique artists, my son, Jeremiah.
Walking into the gallery gave me a feeling of warmth and excitement. I don’t remember the last time I was in an environment where I saw so many beautiful people mingling and having such carefree fun. There were three DJ’s providing the soundtrack for the evening. My first impression of the idea was that would be a bit much for an art show when I read it on the invitation. To my amazement it couldn’t have been better. First up was Cody, a handsome man who chose varied, subtly energetic music that seemed to exude his soulfulness. His music played as a perfect backdrop while friends conversed, creating this mixture of blended conversation with intriguing musical highlights accentuating time as the evening progressed. Patti Cakes brought a totally different feeling with her music, no better and no less than Cody’s, yet a refreshingly different flavor. She is a sultry young woman whose presence was masterfully conveyed through her musical choices. The final DJ of the night and definitely not the least, was Princessa Vanessa who seemed to breathe in concert with the ever expanding crowd as the night moved towards completion. Her music found a way to both reflect and at the same time drive the energy exuded by the crowd.
As I wandered around the gallery, I felt an aliveness in the room. This energy was matched perfectly by the vibrant yellow and orange colors in “Swank.” This painting holds various messages conveyed through high energy color and design, accompanied by a contemplative man. Some gallery goers suggested it was a self portrait, a repeated comment that elicited subtle chuckles from Jeremiah. Those chuckles left one wondering, as they were natural but didn’t reveal an answer one way or the other. Maybe it was seen exactly as intended, or perhaps a completely unimagined story was unfolding before the viewer without the artist’s slightest awareness of it’s presence. That’s the magic in art. It’s a playful joy one can experience; a vast potential for differing interpretation.
What seemed to be the largest draw of the evening was the “Birds on a Wire” triptych. Some proposed that the skyline in the background was Chicago, some argued New York, others thought it was LA. I was more interested in the different bird. The one red bird left all alone, yet as the eye followed the painting the bird was connected via the same utility line with the other birds in the flock. A pair of young men were sipping their Red Stripes, milling in front of the painting when I curiously asked one of them “Which bird are you?” I wasn’t expecting the response, “I am over here with the flock. I am a sell out.” Apparently he hasn’t seen the potential my brief interaction with him eluded to.
“An odd piece of art,” I thought as I made my way over to the vintage suitcases covered in stencils. How cute this drab luggage turned out. A little French girl repeatedly pleads “Oui! Oui! Oui!” on one suitcase and on the opposing, an angry French man responds with a bold “NO!”. What’s that story? Oddly enough, Jeremiah’s father was also in attendance and asked me “Aren’t those the suitcases you had when you took that trip to Iowa?” “No,” I responded (then noticed a resemblance as I thought of that trip years ago). That was a journey embarked upon before Jeremiah was even born! I had no idea I would be revisiting old memories tonight, replaying my own stories.
One of my favorite paintings was the high energy red color which can typically represent a sense of angry emotion that is used in “Not Every Revolution”. This masterful portrayal of typical blue-collar steelworkers balanced on a beam presumably very high in the sky offers much food for thought. It urges the simplification of ideas, a practice that our society seems to often strive for. For example, the word “revolution” conveys, to many people, a concept of violence, or of struggle to force change. This lends a scary sense of the word. Unnecessarily limiting the concepts conveyed by a word into one commonly used definition is both dangerous and narrow minded. It can lead to false assumptions that a word means exactly the same thing, to everyone, all the time. This painting illustrates a different meaning of revolution; one that is positive, an exciting thought. It represents a revolution that occurred with industrialization of our country. These differing concepts are often lost in history.
The painting on the TV has quite a different meaning to me as mom. “Boys lie” reminds me of the adventurous episodes my sons neglected to inform me of until they were much older (such as sneaking out at night while I was asleep).
That just covers a few of the pieces in the show, but I think you can get the idea of the diversity exhibited. It was amazing how beautiful they all fit together in the gallery, complementing and transitioning from one color to another, one message to another. Extremely diverse yet all with the noticeable signature style. It wasn’t as though someone could have planned it that creatively but that it was supposed to be exactly as it was. I thought it was great.
