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Join us for the opening reception of Martin Durazo: Shamans and Sham (Men) on Saturday, November 5, 2022, 5-8p. •••••••••••••••••• D2 Art is pleased to present a solo exhibition by Los Angeles-based artist Martin Durazo, titled Shamans and Sham Men, opening November 5th at the D2 Art Westwood location. For this exhibition, Durazo will present a new body of work consisting of painterly abstractions that have their roots in traced memory of reverie and now have transcended into literal storms of paint that reflect the current tumultuous times juxtaposed against sculptural installations. Shamans and Sham Men is an intersection of new work that creates harmony amid textures, color, light, and emotion, exploring conduits of experiences rooted in pleasure, trepidation, and the maintaining hope in the face of repressive status quos. New ceramic sculptures in the form of hanging 70’s style boho lamps enter the conversation of art and design, furthering the discussion of Durazo’s aesthetic cycle and creating a sense of nostalgia for a perceived stable past. Mixed between the space of conventional paintings and boho-style ceramic lamps will be what the artist refers to as “stations,” a grouping of objects (vintage doll houses) and materials that present as reduced-scale installations that double as a sculptural assemblage. Durazo has brought many approaches into his work while honing a practice firmly rooted in the archetypes of painting. He collects found objects that he interprets as cultural artifacts. Durazo’s multi-faceted installations challenge the viewer to question their perceived cultural reality, a reality often rooted in joy, hope, despair, or even of the illicit. The work takes the viewer down an aesthetic alley that blurs the boundaries of its media. It is not uncommon for Durazo to use clay to create ceramic pieces that are abstracted and yet contain figurative gestures, again blurring the notion of a thematic experience. Martin Durazo received his Master of Fine Arts from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Art from Pitzer College. Durazo is the recipient of the 2012 C.O.L.A. Individual Artists Fellowship from the City of Los Angeles and a 2011 California Community Foundation Fellowship Award, funded by the Getty Trust. His work has been included in the inaugural 2011 SUR Biennial, and in 2010 he was an Artist-in-Residence at the 18th Street Arts Center in Santa Monica. He has exhibited at the Torrance Art Museum; PULSE Los Angeles Contemporary Art Fair; Pomona College Museum of Art; MexiCali Biennial 2013; Harris Art Gallery at the University of La Verne; White Box in New York City; ArtForum Berlin and Art Basel Miami Beach. His work has been reviewed in Flash Art International, the Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, LA Weekly, Artweek, and Art Review. The exhibition will be on view from November 5th through December 10th, 2022. For inquiries and gallery hours, please contact Danica Derpic via email at [email protected] or phone at 310-570-6500. Additional Resources: Artist Instagram: @mdluxx Artist Website: www.martindurazo.com D2Art Website: D2Art.com D2Art Facebook/Instagram: @d2artla