Martin Wittfooth’s Dark Water

The much anticipated Dark Water exhibition curated by Martin Wittfooth soon to open at Copro Nason Gallery in Los Angeles is a wonderfully mysterious cabinet of artworks that each interpret the darker aspects of our inner selves.  Wittfooth began putting the show together a couple of years ago, and has been excited to be working on this kind of collaboration with some of his favorite artists.  About the backstory, he writes:

“The imagery of “dark water” shows up in a lot of my own work and I felt that it would be an interesting visual symbol for other artists to work with, since it makes allusions to both personal and universal topics, depending on its interpretation. The title, Dark Water, is the theme itself. Once I had this in mind I started approaching a group of artists whose work I really admire. I focused primarily on painters: I wanted to curate a show of contemporary representational painters, and this group comprises some of the best and most celebrated of these in the world. Many of them have inspired and influenced my own art a great deal, so it’s been a real honor to bring them on board this project.”

To quote the press release, Dark Water explores “the murky depths of the subconscious or the raging seas of our more turbulent moods.  Alternatively, in our modern age the imagery of dark water can also provoke a reflection on such topics as environmental imbalance and a global dependency on – and uneasy relationship with – the dark waters of industry.”  The exhibition contains paintings from many artists whose work frequently explores these depths, curator included.  Remarkable about the dark nature of such art, is its quality for redemption, relief or realization.  Furthermore, each of these work’s unique elements of beauty can be simultaneously stunning and soothing, offering solace for the heavy subject matter they symbolize.

Unique to this exhibition, compared to many others that have been installed at Copro Nason, a quintessential Lowbrow gallery, is the roster of artists involved.  Artwork by Steven Assael and Phil Hale, whose works reside in the collections of some of the most renowned museums and art collectors in the world, will be shown alongside paintings by established Pop Surreal artists whose work has not yet been fully acknowledged by those same institutions.  It is perhaps a sign that genres are mixing, and that the artists who have been relegated as mindless kitsch are being viewed in a more respectful light.

Artists on view are Marshall Arisman, Steven Assael, John Brophy, Dave Cooper, Phil Hale, Caitlin Hackett, Andrew Hem, Kenichi Hoshine, Charlie Immer, Josh Keyes, Brad Kunkle, Jean Labourdette, Jeremy Lipking, Adam Miller, Alyssa Monks, Christian Rex Van Minnen, Jenny Morgan, Billy Norrby, Alexandra Pacula, Mu Pan, Matt Rota, Jean-Pierre Roy, Ben Smith, Nicola Verlato, Eric White, Aron Wiesenfeld, Elizabeth Winnel, Jason Yarmosky, Martin Wittfooth.  You can see an online gallery of images on Copro Nason’s site here.

“The dullest soul cannot go upon such an expedition without some of the spirit of adventure; as if he had stolen the boat of Charon and gone down the Styx on a midnight expedition in the realms of Pluto…. The silent navigator shoves his craft gently over the water, with a smothered pride and sense of benefaction, as if he were phosphor, or light-bringer, to these dusky realms, or some sister moon, blessing the spaces with her light.”-Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)

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