Sachiko Kodama 'Protrude, Flow' (Detail), 2001, in collaboration with Minako Takeno / courtesy Samuel Freeman Gallery
Andrea Offermann and Tom Felber for ceative face Magazine
Samuel Freeman Gallery currently exhibits works by the artists Andy Moses and Sachiko Kodama. Previously known as Patricia Faure Gallery, the gallery was founded in Los Angeles in 1979 as the Asher/Faure Gallery. Its tradition of excellence was quickly defined by exhibitions of such artists as Abstract Expressionists Franz Klein and Sam Francis, buffered by newer artists like Salomon Huerta and the Reverend Ethan Acres. Now well into their third decade, the Samuel Freeman Gallery remains dedicated to the Los Angeles artists who created the West Coast art scene, as well as a new generation of emerging artists.
In early 2005, Samuel Freeman was offered the opportunity to join forces with Patricia Faure Gallery. The union proved to be fruitful and on January 1, 2006, the Patricia Faure Gallery was officially purchased by Samuel Freeman, LLC, with Mr. Freeman serving as Executive Director. At Patricia Faure's longtime urging, the gallery finally assumed Freeman's name in March, 2008. In the tradition set out by the founders Betty Asher and Patricia Faure, the gallery continues to represent established artists such as David Reed, Robert Zakanitch, Helen Pashgian, Billy Al Bengston and Craig Kauffman, while adding to the mixture the work of Jimi Gleason, Andy Moses, Piot Brehmer, Katy Stone and Jesse Simon.
Exploring the interplay between space, color and light, Andy Moses showcases in the current exhibition (September 6 until October 13, 2008) large and medium format paintings of latitude abstractions, painted on concave and convex canvases. Andy Moses, son of artist Ed Moses, resides in Venice Beach. The idea of ocean-scapes and horizons immediately comes to mind when viewing his work, e.g. "Latitude 54 14 01", and suggests that it reflects impressions from his personal life at the ocean front. The addition of concave and convex canvas shapes adds to the movement he portrays on the canvas and takes the 2-dimensional painting into the 3-dimensional space, touching the viewer more directly than the mere painting.
One of the first artists to gain fame through the internet - with videos of her sculptural works on youtube, which got nearly a million hits from viewers - Sachiko Kodama is already becoming a phenomenon without having exhibited her work at a US gallery to this date. With her first complete showing of ferrofluid sculpture - set to open on September 6, 2008, at Samuel Freeman in Santa Monica, CA - anticipation is running high.
While most visual artists prefer traditional materials such as oil, acrylic, bronze and ceramic, Tokyo-based Kodama, who entered the art world coming from a science background, prefers ferrofluids. Composed of magnetic nanoparticles, ferrofluids often contain high levels of iron and, as such, are deeply affected by and responsive to the presence of magnetic fields. While ferrofluids were originally used by NASA, and are being used increasingly for commercial applications - on everything from compact disks to weight-responsive car suspension systems such as Delphi's MagneRide - Kodama is revolutionary in applying their wildly dynamic qualities to the fine arts arena. Using an electromagnet, computer controller and plastic housing, Sachiko Kodama coerces charged ferrofluids to rise and fall, dance and rest. Watch her sculptures at: http://thecampbellspressroom.wordpress.com/2008/07/22/future-of-sculpture-debuts-not-in-the-gallery-but-on-youtube/.
