ToyCyte: Toy Culture Collected

Corey Helford Gallery is proud to present “La Noche de la Fusión”, a colorful and climactic solo exhibition of new works by Pervasive Los Angeles artist Gary Baseman. Joining Corey Helford for the first time, Baseman will transform the gallery into a Carnivalesque festival celebrating the beauty of the bittersweetness of life. His new works of paintings and sculptures culminate in a synergetic event fusing visual art and a pan-cultural celebration. Open to the public, “La Noche de la Fusión” kicks off with an outdoor festival at 6:30pm followed by a gallery reception from 7 to 10pm on Saturday, May 2. Guests are encouraged and welcome to wear costumes to the opening, and the exhibition will be on view until May 23, 2009.

For “La Noche de la Fusión”, Baseman breathes life into his characters in this latest collection of work, notably introducing his Carnivale Girls, inspired by Brazil’s Carnivale, and the ChouChou Buddha to the world. The ChouChou Buddha breaks down the arbitrary walls imposed by societal convention that often prevent happiness and a true sense of self. While the globe is full of immense uncertainty, insecurity, and fear, Baseman’s work encourages us to destroy those negative forces in a ceremonial ritual, celebrating the madness of our lives.

In addition to Baseman’s paintings and sculptures, a series of ChouChou Buddhas as interpreted by artisans from Thailand, India, Mexico, Brazil, Russia and the US will highlight the blending of Baseman’s various cultural influences as well as the craftsmanship found throughout the world. The exhibition will also feature new drawings rendered inside vintage books that Baseman acquired during his world travels last year. He transforms these found “ephemera” that are written in Hebrew, Russian, Japanese, and Chinese into the language of visual art.

A unique celebration, the opening reception will be a one-of-a-kind live art experience featuring live performers, live music, beautiful women in Baseman-inspired Carnivale costumes, come-to-life Baseman characters, and a ritual transformation ceremony. An experience not to be missed, the opening for “La Noche de la Fusión” will be a night of fusing and melting cultures, of blurring lines of reality, and of melting the walls and forces that hold one back.

This past year, Baseman obliterated the boundaries of geography through his workshops, lecture series, and exhibitions in Russia, Brazil, Argentina, Barcelona, Italy, Cyprus, Thailand, Japan, and Israel. He observed the alarming rate at which the world is shrinking as a result of the accessibility of technology and discovered how closely fused so many different countries and cultures have become. During his travels, he filled sketchbook after sketchbook with characters influenced by the locales he visited. “Eventually I discovered a deity creature who can melt all the arbitrary boundaries away. He is formed from the same origin of one of my other creatures named ChouChou (the little fellow that takes away all the negative energy from girls and oozes out creamy, gooey love from his belly button). This new, all-seeing, all-knowing presence goes beyond the removal of fear and insecurity. He gives us complete freedom to know no limitations in our consciousness. He is a ChouChou Buddha. It resembles my ChouChou character, only he has three more ChouChou heads on top of his head. It’s all part of fusing these different cultures and ideas together.”

This new collection of work is also inspired by tales of desire, intrigue and living life to the fullest ‑ the first heartbeat, the last kiss, the final breath, all of which exist in the mythical realm. A world we don’t often enter because society keeps us in the lines. Baseman’s paintings and sculptures evoke ideas of power and passion, of laughter and joy from a different dimension, and a true atmosphere of desire where insecurities and fears are destroyed. As Baseman says, “the bottom line is this is a hard, crazy life, but it is worth it, and we should celebrate. We all should celebrate.”

Opening Reception Saturday, May 2 2009
Festival begins at 6:30pm and Gallery Reception from 7 to 10pm
On View May 2 until May 23, 2009