LOS ANGELES, CA.- LAUNCH Gallery is presenting Temporary and Corporeal Aviaries featuring Los Angeles-based artists Eve Wood and Andre Yi and their fascination with birds. Andre Yi is a serious observer, meticulous recorder and true friend to many different bird species he has depicted in this new series of paintings and drawings. Eve Wood’s new series of paintings and drawings are focused on the antics of the raven while also presenting keen observations from its point of view.
In this newest body of work, Eve Wood presents us yet again with her titular raven, part prankster, part sage, but always one to comment on the current state of affairs. Wood uses the image of the raven as both a vehicle to reflect the artist’s own life narratives, conflicts and concerns while also speaking to a broader narrative of political unrest.
"We are living in a very difficult socio-political moment in our history and it is true that the world may be ending, but you can be sure the raven will be present at every turn, providing, if not comfort, then sardonic commentary. There is a palpable tension in these drawings, a push/pull between humor and a darker more sinister impulse. These are echoes of a scream, residue from dreams, transformative and ever rupturing. While Wood’s opportunistic raven engage in mischief making, the humans in Wood’s work struggle for intimacy and connection, albeit at a high price. The raven, ever loquacious, ever shape-shifting, speaks both for and against us, revealing the absurdity of our all too humans wants and desires, fears and falsely constructed histories." - E.W.
These new paintings and drawings by Andre Yi are born from thoughtful observations, fulfilling an artist’s responsibility to reflect and record our times. In the spring of 2023, following a long COVID winter, a unique sanctuary emerged from a swarm of American bushtits that had descended upon a manzanita bush outside his window.
"For a few weeks, these tiny birds turned the home office into a temporary aviary, completely oblivious to the human eyes watching them from mere inches away. This unexpected, intimate encounter became the catalyst for a series of artworks that capture a complex and poignant reflection on our world.
The American bushtits in this exhibition are pensive, angry, and alert. The Manzanitas that surround them are covered in detritus from found materials in my studio. Perhaps these bushtits are what we see in America today. All of us, inhabiting an environment that is ever changing, buried, ruined by climate; maybe we understand the damage, our complicity, or maybe we deny our involvement, angry at those who would burden us with the responsibilities. This collection of work challenges us to see ourselves in the midst of this cluttered world and confront our relationship with it.
Additionally, there are selected drawings from my sketchbook, a quiet celebration of beautiful, mysterious, and often endangered creatures. These drawings are a powerful reminder that we are not the sole inhabitants of this planet; we share it with countless other remarkable beings. They serve as a gentle yet profound plea to remember our shared existence and our responsibility to protect the fragile beauty around us." - A.Y.
Eve Wood is both a distinguished critic and artist. She was represented for six years by Western Project and before that at Susanne Vielmetter; Los Angeles Projects. She is currently represented by Track 16. She has exhibited her work at numerous galleries and museums including The Riverside Museum of Art, Track 16, Angles Gallery, Tiger Strikes Asteroid in New York, The Huntington Beach Museum of Art, The Vincent Price Museum, The Western Carolina University Museum and The Weatherspoon Museum of Art, etc. Her work has been reviewed in the Los Angeles Times, Art & Cake, Artweek, Art Issues, The LA Weekly, Modern Painters, The OC Weekly, Art/US, THE Magazine and Art Press. Her art criticism has appeared in many magazines including Riot Material, Flash Art, Artnet.com, Art & Cake, Tema Celeste, Flavorpill, White Hot Magazine, Artillery, Art ltd. New York Arts, Angelino Magazine, Art Papers, Bridge, ArtUS, Artweek, Latin Arts.com, Art Review. She is also the author of five books of poetry published by university presses. In 2023 MOCA hosted the book launch for her Remarks on Color book published by Doppelhouse Press. A compilation of 4 of her poetry collections will also be published by Doppelhouse Press in the spring of 2026. A documentary entitled Unfurled about her life and work premiered at MOCA as well.
Andre Yi was born in California and raised in Texas. After receiving his BFA from the University of Texas at Austin and his MFA from the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan, he returned to Los Angeles, California. Yi has exhibited in Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Berkeley, Miami, Dallas, St. Louis, Berlin, Amsterdam and Seoul. His work is included in the collection of the San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art. He has been reviewed by the Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Weekly, Die Welt as well as numerous other publications.
