LOS ANGELES, CA.- LAUNCH Gallery will present That Which Animates, an exhibition of figurative drawings and paintings from visual artists Curt LeMieux and Marley Van Peebles. The art depicts anthropomorphic and celestial entities as well as people, animals, and insects. LeMieux and Van Peebles push and pull figuration in unexpected directions. Both artists prod the depths of corporeal experience; creating expressive representations of bodies in motion and of lives lived. Eyes bulge. Digits bloat. Arms and legs lunge. Tails droop or stand erect.

Bodies are not stationary. They buckle and fold. They twist and contort. They twitch and quiver. They ooze and exfoliate. Bodies are dynamic. Legs kick. Arms embrace. Tongues prattle. Hair is coiffed. A man holds a dog tight to his chest. Two people with spotted craniums sit and think. A venomous spider appears in sprawling repose. A little monkey swings and a tiger gingerly steps forward.

-Curtis LeMieux

Curt LeMieux’s approach to art making is rooted in experimentation with process and materials. His practice involves a range of visual disciplines and he is best known for creating works that suggest a tension between fragility and strength; they are at once ephemeral yet anchored with a sense of permanence. The complex relationship between human industry and nature is a reoccurring theme for LeMieux and his artwork sometimes contains humorous political and pop culture references. LeMieux has been living and working in Los Angeles for twenty-five years. Exhibition venues include: The Santa Monica Museum of Art, Track 16 Gallery, Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions, Monte Vista Projects, The Armory Center for the Arts in Pasadena, and The SOO Visual Art Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. LeMieux received an M.F.A. in 2001 from Claremont Graduate University.

Marley Van Peebles uses found objects such as cardboard, wood and fabric to create what the artist calls “flat objects.” Using common domestic items, such as discarded food packaging and clothing, Van Peebles’s art is directly linked to his everyday actions.

When I create, I do it from an instinctive place. I don’t think too much. I just flow. Part of my goal as an artist, is not only to challenge the way I think about my art, but also to challenge the institution of art and the idea of what it means to “know” your own art. I create from a spiritual or instinctual place without theoretical grounding. The notion of improvisation is an important aspect to my process. Creating in the moment.

Van Peebles graduated from Parsons School of Design, The New School in 2020. Exhibition venues include: HVW8 Art + Design Gallery in Los Angeles, Highway Performance Space in Santa Monica, and One Peace at Bergamot Station Art Center in Santa Monica.