BUREAU OF ARTS AND CULTURE: ART PHRANC / WINTER at CRAIG KRULL GALLERY

CRAIG KRULL GALLERY 
Bergamot Station Santa Monica CA 
Thru to January 11th, 2014




PHRANC : winter


PHRANC who is a multi disciplinary artist, singer, performer 
& even a bit of a comic in many ways: lets just call her one 
of Los Angeles' original entertainers. Currently showing at 
the Craig Krull Gallery at Bergamot Station has a new series 
of seasonally - in - tune - assemblage. 

Phranc is and has been working with sewn sculpture for some 
amount of years, utilizing paper, cardboard and bright acrylic 
colors. This season, Phranc brings us a fun and straight ahead, 
(excuse the term), floating object series of sculpture mounted 
directly to the walls. With some allusions to Citizen Kane and 
the ever famous final words of the fictionalized empiric news  
man made famous by Orson Welles, wherein the search for the 
meaning of the word ' ROSEBUD ' turns out to be a pet name for 
his lover's, uh, favorite anatomical area, as it were. In the movie 
version, the object in question turns out to be a snow sled.  

Phranc has recreated the snow sled here, made of cardboard, 
acrylic and sewn together in a matter of fact and simple style.
One is reminded of the early works of the artist Claes Oldenberg, 
scaled down a bit. A clean and somewhat humorous take on the 
idea of winter. There are ski pants, ski gloves, a ski jacket or 
'Anorak' as the work is aptly titled. These are the type of works 
that hang well in the home, family related works that could 
easily be displayed with a more formal collection.   


Our favorite is the afore mentioned, 'Girls Anorak' a light blue 
jacket with bright red gloves. The works also include the ever 
famous Red & Black lumberjack pendleton style shirt jack, worn 
by Jack Kerouac and later by those tapping into a sort of symbol 
of male-ish strength and rough and tumble warmth. In this 
case, it is subverted or as the kids on the street say, '… flipped 
the script…' to serve a whole other idea of what this symbolizes. 


Also showing are a series of winter related paintings, wonderful 
stocking stuffer sized works that relate the idyllic winter scenes, 
a snow flake like variety, textural, quaint, collectibles that have 
been lovingly painted and well curated to bring you a quiet, solace 
and humorous christmas event. This is an understated & reserved 
exhibition with a funny yet formalized vibe. 

One could hear the jingle bells and had only to imagine for ourselves, 
the meaning of those famous final words echoing softly from the lips 
of the great director and actor Orson Welles, so famously spoken in 
a simple hush tone: 'Rosebud'. As the final shot of the film displays 
the sled being tossed into a furnace with many of the great collectors 
objects. Phranc saves the sled from such destructive acts, preserving 
this symbol, thus liberating the falsely accused so called ' witches ' 
that have been known to be demonized for simply being real and 
liberated women. 

Craig Krull represents a serious photography catalogue, but here, 
he shows that humor, size & visceral choices of work as well as 
assemblage artists are just as important in creating an effective 
exhibition & collection as the fine art of photography. For collectors, 
many of these works will be tempting for purchase, the snatch and 
grab it size, the: 'Lets add that to our collection.' of it all. For viewers,
this exhibition is well worth a visit. We lingered a while, spoke to 
Phranc and had a great little pre holiday party.  Merry Christmas Everybody.


Plus : " A Little snow … " 
Paintings by : Marc BOHNE, Ann LOFQUIST, Andrea PETERS,
Asrtid PRESTON, Pamela Kendall SCHIFFER and Nicole Strasburg




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