The current show featuring the works of artists Haleh Mashian and Angela Johal spotlights tangible, colorful art in an accessible gallery.
I haven't experienced many galleries in my lifetime that are as inviting as Mash Gallery in the Downtown L.A. Arts District. On the opening night of the current exhibition, Psych-O-Delic, I entered a vibrant atmosphere where young and beautiful Hollywood wannabes rubbed shoulders with those of the older, established art set.
Psych-O-Delic features the works of two artists, Angela Johal and Haleh Mashian. (Mashian is the founder of the gallery.)
The two artists' paintings aren't psychedelic in a traditional sense, though both artists create works that are still incredibly visually stimulating. Both Johal and Mashian utilize a diverse color palette. Fittingly, both artists use similar colors in their work even if their art is quite distinct.
Mashian is like a modern-day Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec who, instead of hanging in the brothels of late-nineteenth-century France, appears to hang in the retirement homes of the once-beautiful and now wilting faces of Los Angeles.
Okay, so maybe these faces come from the poolside in Palm Springs, or the nail salons of the Beverly Center. Still, no matter how much plastic surgery these personas might have undergone, Mashian reveals them for what they are: regal has-beens who are nevertheless vivacious in their hideousness.
Mashian's painting, Cougar Town, depicts four older dames ostensibly out on a night on the town as if they are octogenarian Sex in the City characters, while Tinder portrays three surgically enhanced ladies who look like they stepped out of an episode of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, cast in Mashian's namesake lurid light.
The subjects of Mashian's work are truly L.A. denizens turned inside-out. Angela Johal's work, on the other hand, favors clean lines to create crisp geometric forms. Ironically, Johal's work still complements Mashian's in that hers samples from the same hues.
Whereas Mashian's art is over-the-top and character-based, Johal's work is form pared down to its barest essence. In Johal's piece, City Trees, trees leaves and trunks are abbreviated as stripes on the canvas.
A gallery for Los Angeles as we emerge from the pandemic.
What I find most interesting about the current show on exhibition at Mash Gallery is that the intention of both artists is to be firmly based in a pandemic world.
A description of the show on the gallery website says:
"As this abhorrent rupture of the social fabric heals, Johal and Mashian recognize it’s going to take a monolithic act of goodwill to fortify our bonds of community. The administration of vaccines is essential to get back to normal life outside the home, connecting with friends and strangers, renewing an openness to genuineness and trust."
That was the thing about this show's opening, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Friends and strangers were thrown together into a vivid setting outside the home. A giant window in front of the gallery rolls up so that the whole space opens to the street.
That was inviting.
The gallery was packed on the opening night of Pysch-O-Delic. This was the first time I'd been in such close proximity to so many people since the pandemic began. There was a line of people down the street waiting just to get a glass of free champagne.
I’ll definitely be circling back to visit Mash Gallery again for their next show opening on July 10th, After the Rain, featuring the work of Marko Gavrilovic. You can still catch Mashian and Johal's show until June 21st, and I recommend you do.
And afterward, you can enjoy a coffee at Blue Bottle, a three-minute walk away from Mash Gallery, on the corner of Willow Street and Mateo. They make a great Italian-style macchiato.
Let me know how it goes in the comments.
Mash Gallery:
1325 Palmetto Street, Unit 130
Los Angeles, CA 90013