Exhibition Opening: Quiet Luxury

 January 20 – February 16, 2024
Opening: Saturday, January 20, 4:00 – 6:00 PM

A celebration of art that pushes the boundaries of traditional mediums, Quiet Luxury invites art enthusiasts, collectors, and the public to experience these exceptional artworks that embody the spirit of quiet, yet profound, luxury. Don’t miss this opportunity to immerse yourself in a world where figurative surrealism and sculpture collide to create a truly unique artistic experience.

Eddy Lee’s figurative surrealist portrait paintings on exposed wood depict emotive sirens who evoke a sense of mystery and seductiveness. The artist’s work is inspired by the works of Audrey Kawasaki, lifestyle illustrators of the 60s such as Robert McGinnis and Bob Peak, and anime. Lee’s colorful, intriguing women are painted with acrylic and gouache on hand-built cradled wood panels.

Originally from Seattle, Washington, Eddy Lee relocated to Los Angeles in late 2012 to pursue a full-time career as a fine artist. He started his career on the Venice Beach Boardwalk and quickly gained a large following across the United States with exhibitions in San Francisco, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles.

Nando Kallweit is a renowned German sculptor who specializes in creating unique sculptures using bronze and oak. His passion for sculpting began at a young age when he was inspired by a bust of Nefertiti that he saw in the Egyptian Museum of Berlin. With the fall of the Berlin Wall, Kallweit was able to travel to Egypt and see his inspiration in person, which fueled his passion for sculpting even more.

Kallweit works with bronze and oak using the “lost wax process,” allowing the artist to create intricate and finely detailed sculptures. The strength of ancient Egyptian sculptures, the dynamic forms of the modern Cubist movement, and an observation of contemporary life are all inspirations for aspects of his aquiline figures. Combined with a considerate approach, Kallweit renders archaic materials, such as blackened oak and bronze, with a palpable sensitivity. Kallweit’s work has been exhibited and collected across Europe and the United States.

Mark Acetelli traces his interest in creative practice to his mother’s passion for painting and has explored many forms of creative expression including music, painting, photography, and poetry. The artist’s work is inspired by the intensely personal, introspective journey of life, and he seeks to evoke a feeling rather than a defined image. He describes the context of his work as “simple expressions of complex thoughts, created by capturing the physical mixed with the spiritual.” Acetelli additionally refers to his work as “Absence and Presence” believing that something or someone can be gone, while a presence remains.

Reminiscent of Swiss artist Alberto Giacometti’s figures, Acetelli’s figures take on a translucent architecture within the minimal dimensionality of the surface of the canvas allowing the viewer to imagine each subject’s movement, motion, and intention. As such, this renders the artist’s works distinctly perfect embodiments of the principles of Existentialism and its lived encounters — encompassing our existential angst, anxiety, and all things absurd.

Since the opening of Artplex Gallery in 2018, the gallery continues to be one of the world’s leading art galleries specializing in high-quality, original contemporary art representing a broad spectrum of major international artists. Right at home in West Hollywood and within immediate proximity to its sister gallery Artspace Warehouse, Artplex Gallery is an expansive modern space that specializes in international urban, pop, graffiti, figurative, and abstract art catering to the visual impact.