California, D*Face. All photographs by Sam Graham, courtesy of the artists and Corey Helford Gallery
The works of 115 artists, including resin sculptures of ghoulish fruit, trippy neon paintings, and a sculptural recreation of Blink-182’s comeback album cover (acknowledged by the band themselves), infiltrates a gargantuan 12,000-square-foot exhibition space. Yes, to celebrate a decade of artistic excellence, LA’s Corey Helford Gallery has put on a show of epic proportions.
Watermelon, Nouar
Jan Corey Helford, one of the gallery’s co-founders, has opted to co-curate the anniversary exhibition alongside Caro Buermann. Rather than honing in on a specific theme, which would be near impossible given the sheer number of artists included, the exhibition focuses on artists that Helford genuinely likes, most of which have shown with Corey Helford Gallery in the past.
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Daughters, Hannah Yata
“I chose artists whose work draws me in, catches my attention. The exhibition is very personal. I have to love what I exhibit, and if the collectors fall in love too, that’s fantastic. An artist with a strong voice and distinct style is crucial, after the falling in love, of course,” Helford tells The Creators Project. “Curating 115 artists in a group show was definitely a challenge, but having a co-curator made it a lot less daunting.”
10th Anniversary Exhibition Opening Reception
Although the organization of such an enormous exhibition was demanding, the gallery’s ten-year milestone represents the completion of a much more difficult accomplishment. “It took an endless amount of energy and creativity and patience. My husband and partner Bruce Helford has been a driving force in the gallery’s growth. He’s the idea man. He came up with some very innovative group shows. He would tell me an idea and sometimes I’d shake my head and be like, ‘I don’t know…’ When he told me he wanted to buy a bunch of old paint-by-number paintings for artists to add their own art to, I thought it sounded a bit odd, but it turned out to be one of our most successful group shows,” Helford admits.
Wreath With Yellow Background, Erik Mark Sandberg
“Things are so different now. Crazy different. I had no idea how to run an art gallery when I started, but there was nothing that excited me more than art, so I jumped in. I thought I’d just be sitting around drinking tea all day and talking about art. Not the case and I’m so happy it wasn’t. This has been a great adventure and continues to be.”
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