You can’t accuse Gary Baseman of being predictable. Although his work has a very recognisable style, the Los Angeles artist’s exhibitions are always a bit different – just look at his previous show The Door Is Always Open, in which he created themed rooms filled with items from his childhood home as a way of shining a light on his development as an artist and his creative process. With Mythical Homeland, at Shulamit Gallery in Venice, California, Baseman again displays a willingness to engage on a personal level. Something of an extension to his previous show, this time around Baseman explores his father’s past, hiding out in the forests of Poland as a partisan during World War Two.
Different is demonstrated in the imaginative hanging of Baseman’s paintings and drawings too; displayed amongst an indoor forest, the silvery bark of the birch mirroring that within the work itself, the artist injects a welcome dose of fun into the traditional white walls gallery setup. In the midst of the artist’s trees are gathered a varied collection of humans, animals and spirits with his distinctively-shaped eyes who play out scenes exploring personal stories and larger political issues. Mythical Homeland runs until 14 December.
Gary Baseman
Wolyner Forest, 2013
3’ x 4’
Acrylic on canvas
Gary Baseman
Mythical Homeland
Installation shot
Gary Baseman
The Happiest Place on Earth, 2013
18” x 24”
Acrylic on canvas
Gary Baseman
Kibbutz Room, 2013
11” x 14”
Colored pencil on paper
Gary Baseman
Mythical Homeland
Project space
Gary Baseman
The Excavation of the Brave, 2013
18” x 24”
Acrylic on canvas
Gary Baseman
Mythical Homeland
Installation shot
Gary Baseman
Beverly Park, 2013
18” x 24”
Acrylic on canvas
