A review by Rachel Flanagan
Walking into Soap Plant, WACKO, and La Luz de Jesus Gallery in Los Feliz is like walking into one of the happiest places on earth for pop connoisseurs. The store alone has millions of items from books to toys, stuffed animals to home décor and gag gifts to clothing. Located within the store is the La Luz de Jesus Gallery and this is the place to be on the first Friday of every month when a new art show opens. February 5th was the opening night for
Jessicka Addams'
Please Stop Loving Me and
Lindsey Ways'
Shitty Teen with special guests Ave Rose, Deirdre Sullivan-Beeman, Lena Rushing, Peca and Valarie Bermudez.
Opening night at La Luz De Jesus Gallery is not only the place to be for art fans but also for those looking for a few celebrity sightings. Not only were all of the artists in attendance for their opening reception, but a few other celebrities showed up in support as well. Kevin Smith,
Frances Bean Cobain, and
Gerard Way (sporting a
Shitty Teen tshirt in honor of his wife's art collection on display) attended the event. Cocktails, snacks and other drinks were available in the back lot and many paparazzi photos were taken of the art, artists and celebrity guests. If you have not been to an opening night event at the La Luz gallery, you are certainly missing out.
Florida-born, Los Angeles-based artist Jessicka Addams is the singer of indie rock bands
Scarling and
Jack off Jill, curator and founder of Dark Dark Science pop up art gallery and a stunning artist. She took inspiration from
The Cure's
End and mixed in her own fascination with Goth culture, John Waters, death and cats to create
Please Stop Loving Me. As you glance around at the blood soaked art, white faces and black cats among other pieces, the art guides you through the pain of an unraveling person. Jessicka took experiences in her life that changed her and put those pieces of herself and her emotions into each piece. Within the heart of emotional turmoil is the
Dead Friendship makeup and blood caked broken mirror "Selfie Station". While the piece encourages viewers to take a selfie with the piece and share it on social media, the setup was a little low to get a proper selfie. However, this beautiful though slightly morbid artwork deserves to be shared. Her art may encourage you to
Please Stop Loving Me but Jessicka is an artist who makes loving and admiring her infectious.
Before there were cell phones, teenagers communicated by writing secret notes to one another and passing them between classes. Pulling from her adolescent days, Lindsey Way's
Shitty Teen explores her years as a self-destructive, self-loathing teenage years. Each piece in the collection takes each of those teenage angst filled letters and embellishes upon them with mixed media paintings. Some highlight phrases and words while others stand out with a painted image but the handwritten words remain forever embedded on pieces of paper. This collection will give you an insight into her, and possibly taking you back to your own, arduous years as a
Shitty Teen.
Lindsey Way is not only a California based visual artist, but also the bassist for electro-punk band
Mindless Self Indulgence, a mother and a wife to goth punk
My Chemical Romance front man
Gerard Way.
Guest Artist Ave Rose (right) is a Los Angeles based arts who uses clockwork, antiques, insects, bones and mixes them with mechanics to create quirky sculptures, jewelry and other pieces of art. In 2015 she was featured on the TV Show
Steampunked where her whimsical creations helped her create fantasy story lines, sculptures and clothing throughout each episode to create a fill a steampunk house. Her creation for this show is the
Butterfly Dream Machine. Using butterflies, moths, gemstones and crystals, feathers and antiques she created a magical machine that brings lights, music and butterflies to life with the turn of a magical hand crank or twist of the magical brass butterfly atop the machine. Take a moment to see all the wonders and mystery this machine holds inside.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjtOErtcfJ8
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Guest Artist Deirdre Sullivan-Beeman is a self-taught figurative and contemporary surrealist painter combining 14
th century painting techniques with magic realism to create pieces that glow with the wisdom and innocence of childhood. Each one of her pieces in the collection
One combines little girls and animals to create beautiful antique looking art with a bit of joy and wonder.
Guest Artist Lena Rushing created strong women surrounded by hints of intimidation. She uses card stock, paint, ink, shadow boxes and other materials to create the pieces in
Prey that provide intriguing imagery. She is a Los Angeles based artist.
Guest Artist Peca is painter, illustrator and stop-motion moviemaker based in Barcelona. Her collection titled
A Road between Strawberry Fields & Sky with Diamonds (a mantra for peace) takes you to another worldly place with furry little multi-eyed creatures. These creatures will transport you through another dimension to guide you and teach you their knowledge of peace if you look close enough.
Guest Artist Valerie Bermudez is a Southern California based artist whose work can be seen through popular brands like
Emily the Strange, Skelanimals, and
Too Fast. Combining beauty, mortality and cats her collection
Love Spells spills out as
acrylic on silk velvet.
Many of the pieces have already sold on pre-sale and opening night but the pieces will be up for sale and available to see in the store through February 28. So stop by WACKO for some unique gifts and beautiful artwork. Do not forget to look at the art in the hallway with pieces from previous collections at La Luz De Jesus Gallery. The artwork and special limited items are also available on the website.
laluzdejesus.com/jessicka-addams-lindsay-way-guests/
La Luz de Jesus Gallery
4633 Hollywood Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90027
(323) 666-7667
Hours
11 to 7 PM Monday to Wednesday
11 to 9 PM Thursday to Saturday
Noon to 6 PM on Sunday
The gallery is located inside the Soap Plant/Wacko complex.
Jessicka Addams and writer Rachel Flanagan.