LAUNCH LA is proud to present “Beauty and the Beast,” a two person exhibition presenting works by multimedia artists Jorg Dubin and Andrea Patrie. The artist’s opening reception is Saturday, May 11, 2019 from 6 – 9pm.
Dubin and Patrie both demonstrate a reverence for formal figurative tradition, and seek to carve new spaces for conversations related to our current cultural vantage. While both artists’ works contain self-reference, Andrea Patrie exists within her process of creating, whereas Jorg Dubin relies on recognition of political references to confront his viewer. Unlike Patrie’s introspective and frenetic works, Dubin takes a stark political stance and forces viewers to contend with their own actions and beliefs within our current political climate.
Brimming with kinetic energy, Andrea Patrie occupies the liminal space between figurative representation and the awareness of artistic processes existing beyond the finished product. Her figures exhibit a mask-like quality and ambiguous, disconcerting sexualities. The distinction between “male” and “female” is all but eroded as Patrie scrapes, sands and layers paint and materials onto her canvas and sculpture. The resulting figures are infused with a psychological complexity that is both haunting and arresting.
Jorg Dubin’s politically charged paintings affirm his respect for formal portraiture while harshly condemning the current U.S. President. Dubin strategically deploys references to our contemporary political moment within his formally rendered portraits, allowing for a straightforward interpretation of his urgent and accusatory paintings. Dubin creates tension by juxtaposing expressive, lushly rendered figures with seething irreverence towards the White House. His subjects are confrontational, depicted with expressions ranging from angry and cloying to sarcastic and grimacing. He forces the viewer to meet the gaze of his subjects, and they all seem to ask: “why isn’t everyone addressing the beast in the room?”
Based in Laguna Beach, CA, Jorg Dubin has had an extensive career working within several disciplines for nearly forty years. Dubin studied painting at the Art Institute of Southern California with Stephen Douglas, and ceramics with Kris Cox and Richard White. He later developed an interest and self-taught practice of sculpture and design. Dubin currently acts as a mentor and advisor for the MFA program at the Laguna College of Art and Design, where he formerly taught advanced figure painting.
Andrea Patrie worked as a special education teacher for eleven years before receiving her MFA from California State University Fullerton. She is affiliated with Pathways to Independence, a non-profit dedicated to helping women who have been victims of abuse receive higher education. She is based in Huntington Beach, CA and is currently developing an inclusive education program for teens in Los Angeles, CA.