Play: Open Call 2016
August 18 – September 18, 2016

This artwork by Chenhung Chen features an installation of various, entangled wires from common or familiar electronic devices including, video game controllers, power strips, etc. mounted onto the gallery wall and messily draping down and out onto the gallery floor.
Chenhung Chen, Entelechy, 2014, courtesy of the artist
This artwork by Malado Baldwin consists of a large collection of old lottery tickets that the artist has altered by painting and drawing over them in various colors such as black, blue, red, orange, pink, and purple. The tickets are arranged side-by-side in a grid of four rows and twelve columns.
Malado Baldwin, My Lotto Tickets, 2014, courtesy of the artist
This artwork by James Berson includes two large square translucent encasings hung side-by-side from the gallery ceiling. Both square encasings are illuminated and contain text. The left encasing is illuminated with red-orange lighting and contains the text: Elvis has built buildings while the right encasing is illuminated with blue lighting and contains the text: Left the But the still there. Below the two square encasings are the visible wiring and connections to the wall outlet power sources of the gallery walls.
James Berson, Elvis, 2015, courtesy of the artist
This artwork by Allison Stewart features a painted or printed reproduction of the battlefield. The artwork includes large groupings of uniformed individuals both remaining in order and engaged in battle. Included are depictions of flags representing the United States along with one flag in the center of the artwork that is a deep aqua green. The entirety of the artwork's surface has been treated with a semi-translucent and still opaque or thick white providing the impression of hazy smoke lingering from battle.
Allison Stewart, Gettysburg 2013 #11, 2013, courtesy of the artist
This artwork by Nicole Sloan consists of a collection of organic and artificial materials posing as organic decorative objects and/or organisms. The collection of objects includes aqua hues of glass pebbles, a purple flower, red branches with fuzzy pods, an orange butterfly, and a rock personified by googly eyes. The assemblage of objects rests among a space consisting of organically transitioning colors reminiscent of the backdrop.
Nicole Sloan, Rock with Eyes, 2016, courtesy of the artist
This artwork by Valerie Daval features a painted or printed rendering of a group of children engaging together with the sand at a beach. The background of the artwork renders a beach scenery with a brightly lit blue sky. In the midground is a group of 7 children in bathing suits engaged with the sand beneath them. In the foreground of the artwork, and barely visible, is a white outline of an octagonal shape or form. The assumed eight corners of the octagonal shape are replaced with additional octagonal outlines individually marked with roman numerals. In the center of the artwork is one final octagonal outline that is not labeled or marked.
Valerie Daval, Octagonal Sand Castle, 2014, courtesy of the artist
This painting by Joseph Brovsk depicts a large gathering of individuals at a beachfront café. The background consists of a plain blue impression of the sky and bright dense cloud forms. There are also a couple of impressions of very tall palm trees. In the midground of the artwork is a pair of large pink two-story structures resembling a restaurant or café. Both structures have a large collection of individuals all seen socially engaged on balconies, roofs, porches, and in windows or doorways. In the foreground of the artwork is a similarly large collection of socially engaged individuals surrounded by and intertwined with luxury vehicles of various colors.
Joseph Brovsk, While You Were Gone, 2015, courtesy of the artist
This artwork by Andy Bauch includes the utilization or replication of a familiar self-portrait originally produced by the artist Chuck Close. The artwork here is representative of a headshot of an individual with messy medium length hair, glasses, an impression of a mustache and facial hair, and a cigarette in the individual's mouth. The portrait is fabricated by the use of collaging very small and colored square tiles of different hues, shades, tones, and tints.
Andy Bauch, Chuck Close, 2016, courtesy of the artist

Having begun as the “All City Outdoor Festival” in 1950, Open Call has evolved into one of LA’s premier exhibitions for emerging artists and students to exhibit their artwork and achieve recognition through cash prizes. In 2014, nearly 400 artists lined up to deliver their artwork to the Gallery and this year’s biannual Open Call followed a different format with artists encouraged to freely interpret the notion of play. Only works that spoke to the theme were accepted and the mediums included sculpture, paintings, and photography.

 

Open Call Play prize winners:
1st. Andy Bauch
2nd. Francesca Bifulco
3rd. Heather Mateko
Honorable Mentions: Ellen Cantor, Eva Andry, Chiho Harazaki

 

Juror, Scott Canty, Director Emeritus, Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery

About

Chenhung Chen, Entelechy, 2014. courtesy of the artist

Malado Baldwin, My Lotto Tickets, 2014. courtesy of the artist

James Berson, Elvis, 2015. courtesy of the artist

Allison Stewart, Gettysburg 2013 #11, 2013. courtesy of the artist

Nicole Sloan, Rock with Eyes, 2016. courtesy of the artist

Valerie Daval, Octagonal Sand Castle, 2014. courtesy of the artist

Joseph Brovsk, While You Were Gone, 2015. courtesy of the artist

Andy Bauch, Chuck Close, 2016. courtesy of the artist