Magically Thinking

Masters of world-building, these artists transport viewers into their creative consciousness with visual language, often employing obsessive or even ritualistic methods to yield their desired outcome. In painting, drawing, sculpture and installation, these artists travel between the physical world and worlds of their own creation, often blurring the lines between abstraction and representation.  Their expression serves as a response to the insecurity of an uncertain world that leads to the mental gymnastics of magical thinking.

“Magical Thinking is the belief that one’s ideas, thoughts, actions, or words can influence a course of events in the material world. Magical thinking presumes a link between one’s inner, personal experience and the external physical world1 . It is something that most people have engaged in, consciously or otherwise, to fabricate a sense of control in an often uncertain world. This can be as simple as a harmless superstition or can spiral into detrimental, ritualistic behavior.

By definition, artists engage in a kind of world building to produce their work. Their practices often employ obsessive or ritualistic methods, but within the confines of the work, it yields their desired outcome. The work artists make is an output of personal ideas, beliefs and creative expressions. It is an outlet to cope with uncertainty; it is an effective response to the insecurity that leads to the mental gymnastics of magical thinking and other unproductive coping mechanisms.

Artists travel between the physical world and worlds of their own creation, often blurring the lines between abstraction and representation. By utilizing self-imposed rules about how their work is made and what it should be, artists are manipulating these worlds in response to their own desires. This method of Magical Thinking is different in one way: it works.

The artists exhibiting in Magically Thinking are masters of world building, transporting viewers into their creative consciousness with visual language. Relying on inspiration from environmental elements, this work comes together to elicit a sense of recognition and comfort while never forgoing a sense of dreamlike wonder. Magically Thinking invites you to submit to the worlds and minds of eight contemporary Los Angeles artists, let go, and enjoy the magic.” –Kim Marra

Gallery Conversations with Kim Marra, Sharon Louise Barnes, Margaret Griffith and Dakota Noot.
Saturday, September 24th, 2 – 3:30pm at the AGCC Gallery. Masks required for this limited capacity event.

Magically Thinking is supported by the Department of Cultural Affairs, City of Los Angeles. Additional support for the AGCC exhibitions program provided by City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks, the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture, The Ahmanson Foundation, Norris Foundation, the Ralph M. Parsons Foundation, and the Pasadena Art Alliance.

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