By Sam Skopp
A new exhibit by Los Angeles painter Jim Barrett titled LA/Complex opened to the public July 9, at the bG Gallery in Bergamot Station. To celebrate the opening, bG Gallery invited Santa Monicans to visit the exhibit and share light bites, wine and stimulating conversation.
The title of the exhibition, LA/Complex, refers to the diversity Barrett perceives in the L.A. community. He was first inspired by a homeless man who claimed to have taken up residency in an abandoned train yard due to a curse prohibiting him from leaving the area. In the paintings showcased in this exhibit, Barrett has painted his L.A. neighbors who come from demographics sometimes looked down upon or forgotten so as to draw attention to their being fully realized human beings.
“Complex is a word that itself has nearly a dozen different meanings: a composite, a complicated arrangement of parts, so complicated as to be hard to understand, psychological emotionally charged feelings, memories, and impulses that is usually that gives rise to abnormal or pathological behavior, and an obsessive notion, just to name a few. People too, are complex, and in these paintings, it is my hope to free them from the compartmentalized prisons and abstract labels that we all are inclined to group people into,” said Barrett in his artist’s statement.
Also on display is a 30 foot multi-paneled work titled The War Complex, inspired by how humans function in wartime.
“Long overdue, this exhibit presents Jim Barrett’s enigmatic paintings as a positive message for the future of mankind for community, connection and peace,” said curator Lily Yu.
LA/Complex will remain open through July 23rd. For more information, visit santamonica.bgartdealings.com/jimbarrett2016.
