Alex Couwenberg: Working Space by Bruno David Gallery

ALEX COUWENBERG WORKING SPACE

ALEX COUWENBERG: Working Space April 25 - May 31, 2008 Bruno David Gallery 3721 Washington Boulevard Saint Louis, 63108 Missouri, U.S.A. info@brunodavidgallery.com www.brunodavidgallery.com Director: Bruno L. David

This catalogue was published in conjunction with the exhibition Alex Couwenberg: Working Space Editor: John McLoyd Designer: Sage A. David Designer Assistant: Claudia R. David Printed in USA All works courtesy of Bruno David Gallery and Alex Couwenberg Artwork photos by Bruno David Gallery staff Cover Image: Alex Couwenberg Delta (detail), 2008 Acrylic on canvas mounted on panel, 48 x 45 inches (121.92 x 114.30 cm) Copyright ÂŠ 2008 Bruno David Gallery and Alex Couwenberg All Right Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of Bruno David Gallery, Inc.

Contents

Essay by Peter Frank Afterword by Bruno L. David Checklist of the Exhibition Biography

ALEX COUWENBERG: ZEN AND THE ART OF IM-PERFECTION Essay by Peter Frank

Supposedly devolved into its own conventions, abstract painting was dismissed almost half a century ago as irrelevant and decorative. But in fact, the modernist allegiance to visual language freed of conventional syntax, self-sustaining and evolving, threads its way unbroken between abstract expressionism and today, eclipsed but never eliminated by the subject-, motif- and medium-driven concerns of post-modernism. And now, however timely its appearance may be, a new generation of painters is emerging that seems more than superficially dedicated to the exploration of non-objective composition on a two-dimensional plane. Such “neo-modern” abstraction manifests with particular conviction in southern California – perhaps because such idealism (and idealism about idealism) flourishes best at a remove from primary commercial centers and/or in primary intellectual centers. (The Los Angeles area may have burgeoned as a gallery locus and home to mega-collectors, but it remains the largest concentration of art schools and art departments in the country.) As well, abstract form has always been regarded by southern Californians as, at worst, an armature available to those who would explore concept or perception – and at best a higher, even transcendent, experience in and of itself, a potentially meditative, decidedly reflective approach to the distinctive regional abundance of, yes, light and space. “Hard-edge” painting, after all, began in Los Angeles. Actually, it began in Claremont, east of L.A. proper, in the cluster of colleges that have anchored academic discourse in the “southland” for over a century. Alex Couwenberg was raised in this part of Los Angeles County and went to school in the Claremont Colleges. With many of his classmates, he was encouraged to paint abstractly all the way through his studies – not forced, not urged, but simply encouraged, and given the technical tools and the historical exposure to evolve his own approach to formulating and distributing abstract forms across a plane. The poise and elegance of Couwenberg’s style, which would engender suspicion in a New York context, is seen as second nature – and “good chops” – in California, a natural byproduct of the “finish/fetish” trajectory that began in the military fabrication shops of World War II and took root in the region’s postwar surf and car cultures. Couwenberg, an accomplished surfer, grew up familiar with the designs and glossy finishes given surfboards, fiberglass or otherwise.

The reliance on line as a critical component of image, the exploration of color – especially close-hued colors placed near one another – and the meticulous, just barely articulated surface all bespeak Couwenberg’s comfort with the language of abstraction, especially one derived from the techniques and materials of the late-industrial (and, for that matter, early-digital) era. For him, non-objective painting is a commitment, but not an ideological stake, as it would have to be back east. Rather, it is an expression of sensibility formed by time and place, an exploitation, and finally reflection, of sensory input – input that includes the manual as well as the visual, the practical as well as the theoretical. Handicraft is not the subject of Couwenberg’s work, perception is. But handicraft is the experiential armature on which he has structured his perceptual arrangements; it is the characteristic that distinguishes his art as a product of a distinctive southern California art, and social, history. Couwenberg’s painting is more than a mere souvenir of the “southland,” however. In its rhythms, its interplay of line and mass, its subtle illusions, and its engagement of a palette that seems to find an exact, knowing midpoint between the “good taste” of interior decoration and the raw taste of (outdoor) sport design, Couwenberg’s art is impelled by a highly tempered intuition and subtle wit. His approach is gently self-aware, slightly satiric but not mocking, and indulgent of its sources while rigorous in their translation to abstraction. Couwenberg distills his life and times into these paintings, as if they were diary pages recording his retinal and tactile observations and reflections. There isn’t the same one-to-one relationship of seen shape to rendered shape, environmental color to painted color that one witnesses in, say, Ellsworth Kelly’s work. Rather, like John McLaughlin’s meditations on the real, Couwenberg’s paintings make use of everything seen every day in the construction of a less cacophonous and dispersed reality. Couwenberg does not aspire to McLaughlin’s purity, but that contemplative state operates at the heart of the young painter’s approach to reality. Finally, Alex Couwenberg seeks to calm the tumult of life without losing the vibrancy of that tumult. The sense of exquisite balance that shivers through his work comes from Couwenberg’s search for that exact midpoint between the mundane and the transcendent, the sensuous and the disembodied. Hitting that midpoint exactly is itself a zendo exercise, and may rarely be achieved; but in their ready appeal, graceful and antic, Couwenberg’s paintings – rather like those Indian weavings with deliberate flaws -- make an art of missing perfection by a hair. —Peter Frank, Los Angeles, California (March 2008) Peter Frank is an art historian and art critic who lives and works in Los Angeles, California. He earned his B.A. and M.A. in art history at Columbia University. He was art critic of New York’s Soho Weekly News and later served as chief art critic of The Village Voice. He is currently the art critic for the L.A. Weekly, a contributing editor to Art Ltd. Magazine and Angeleno Magazine, and is senior curator at the Riverside Art Museum. This essay is one in a series of introductions to the gallery’s exhibitions written by fellow gallery artists and friends.

Afterword by Bruno L. David

Bruno David Gallery is pleased to exhibit Working Space by Los Angeles based painter Alex Couwenberg. This is his first exhibition in St. Louis. For several years, Couwenberg has forged a unique reputation in California by producing a distinctive body of work that is a product of his obsession with the process of painting. Born and raised in Los Angeles and Orange County, Alex Couwenberg was exposed to many of the visual elements that create the So Cal terrain. Strongly influenced by his Dutch/Indonesian heritage, Couwenbergâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s works recall mid-century modernism, but with a cleaner look on the old method - the fragmented paintings are softened by more organic shapes and a whimsical interplay of forms. The subject matter in his work comes from a deep appreciation of the aesthetic associated with the Southern California culture. The paint, pin striping, and finish associated with hot rod and custom car culture all show up as influences in his work. Mid-century design, furniture, and architecture, surf and skateboard culture, color and graphics, geometric and hard-edge abstraction, and the love of craft and technique all fuel the work. Applying paint to a surface and the experiences that occur while creating an image are the purest form of his motivation. The paintings themselves diagram the process of paint application and the interpretation of how these influences manifest themselves in the form of shape, color, texture, and space. Each of his paintings become an experience of constantly juxtaposing elements and forms within a composition attempting to arrive at a relationship between balance, tension, and harmony. Mr. Couwenberg is a recipient of the 2007 Joan Mitchell Foundation Grant. He was born in Upland, California, and currently lives and works in Southern California. He received an M.F.A. from the Claremont Graduate School, a B.F.A. from Art Center College of Design, California. Alex Couwenbergâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s art has been widely exhibited, and his work is included in museum collections, including the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento, California; the Long Beach Museum of Art in Long Beach, California; the Riverside Art Museum in Riverside, California; the Georgia Tech University Museum in Atlanta, Georgia; the California State University in Stanislaus, California.

Checklist of the exhibition and Images

Everlong, 2007 Acrylic on canvas mounted on panel, 78 x 96 inches (198.12 x 243.84 cm)

Neptune, 2007 Acrylic on canvas mounted on panel, 24 x 24 inches (60.96 x 60.96 cm)

Groundpiece, 2008 Acrylic on canvas mounted on panel, 24 x 24 inches (60.96 x 60.96 cm)

Kukui, 2008 Acrylic on canvas mounted on panel, 24 x 24 inches (60.96 x 60.96 cm)

Upstart, 2007 Acrylic on canvas mounted on panel, 24 x 24 inches (60.96 x 60.96 cm)

Sometimes, 2008 Acrylic on canvas mounted on panel, 24 x 24 inches (60.96 x 60.96 cm)

Fastback, 2008 Acrylic on canvas mounted on panel, 24 x 24 inches (60.96 x 60.96 cm)

Speed Trap + Sucker Punch, 2008 Acrylic on canvas mounted on panel, (diptych) 44 x 66 inches (111.76 x 167.64 cm)

Delta, 2008 Acrylic on canvas mounted on panel, 48 x 45 inches (121.92 x 114.30 cm)

Strummer, 2007 Acrylic on canvas mounted on panel, 60 x 48 inches (152.40 x 121.92 cm)

Starwood, 2008 Acrylic on canvas mounted on panel, 48 x 45 inches (121.92 x 114.30 cm)

Rumbler, 2008 Acrylic on canvas mounted on panel, 24 x 24 inches (60.96 x 60.96 cm)

Working Space (Installation view), 2008

ALEX COUWENBERG Born 1967, Upland, California Lives and works in Alta Loma, California

EDUCATION 1997 1995

MFA, Claremont Graduate School, Claremont, CA BFA, Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, CA

GRANTS & AWARDS 2007

Joan Mitchell Foundation Grant (Painting)

ONE-PERSON EXHIBITIONS 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 1999 1997 1996

Bruno David Gallery, Working Space, St. Louis, MO Markel Fine Arts, Bypassing Referents, New York, NY d.e.n. Contemporary, Cosmetically, Aesthetically, Unregrettably, Los Angeles, CA Gilman Contemporary, New Paintings, Ketchum, ID Peter Blake Gallery, New Paintings, Laguna Beach, CA Peter Blake Gallery, New Paintings, Laguna Beach, CA Dolby Chadwick Gallery, Black Labeled, San Francisco, CA University Gallery, CSUS, Alex Couwenberg: a ten year evolution, Turlock, CA Markel Fine Arts, de Stad, New York, NY 455 Market Street Lobby Gallery, Metropolitan, San Francisco, CA Ruth Bachofner Gallery, tussenruimte, Los Angeles, CA Ruth Bachofner Gallery, Primo, Los Angeles, CA Gensler, Paintings, San Francisco, CA Riverside Art Museum, Paintings; a seven year survey, Riverside, CA Ruth Bachofner Gallery, New Paintings, Los Angeles, CA Ruth Bachofner Gallery, New Paintings, Los Angeles, CA Ruth Bachofner Gallery, New Paintings, Los Angeles, CA East Gallery, Claremont Graduate School, The Hot Rod Series, Claremont, CA Dillingham/Caples Gallery, New Paintings, Claremont, CA 37

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS 2008 2007 2006 2005 38

Liquid Light, Modern Masters Gallery, Palm Desert, CA 15 Years/15 Artists, Peter Blake Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA Keeping It Straight, Riverside Art Museum, Riverside, CA Liquid Light, Museum of Design Art and Architecture, Culver City, CA Works on Paper, Gilman Contemporary, Ketchum, ID West Coast Abstraction, Peter Blake Galley, Laguna Beach, CA Liquid Light, DBA256, Pomona, CA Off the Grid, William Turner Gallery, Santa Monica, CA Paintings Edge, Riverside Art Museum, Riverside, CA Inland Emperors, DBA256, Pomona, CA Group Exhibition, Orange County Museum of Art, Newport Beach, CA Inaugural Exhibition, Gilman Contemporary, Ketchum, ID Summer Group Show, Peter Blake Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA Art Auction 12, Long Beach Museum of Art, Long Beach, CA Venice Art Walk, Venice, CA Decade, Dolby Chadwick Gallery, San Francisco, CA Out of Line, Cal State Stanislaus, University Gallery, Turlock, CA Grey Scale, Peter Blake Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA Art Auction = Stimulus, Laguna Art Museum, Laguna Beach, CA Let There Be Light, Phantom Galleries, Los Angeles, CA Aligning With Abstract Los Angeles, d.e.n. Contemporary, Los Angeles, CA Landscape Perspectives, Art + Industry, Palm Springs, CA Summer Abstraction, Peter Blake Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA Monotype, d.e.n. Contemporary, Los Angeles, CA 2nd Gwang Hwa Moon International Arts Festival, Sejong Center, Seoul, Korea Flow: Fine Lines on Water, Peter Blake Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA Flow: Fine Lines on Water, Lisa Coscino Gallery, Pacific Grove, CA Recent Acquisitions, Riverside Art Museum, Riverside, CA Border Crossing, Sopa Fine Arts, British Columbia, Canada Out of Line, Parks Exhibition Center, Idyllwild Arts Academy, Idyllwild, CA Inaugural Exhibition, Sopa Fine Arts, British Columbia, Canada A Common Thread, Soho Myriad, Atlanta, GA Out of Line, Riverside Art Museum, Riverside, CA Out of Line, Brandstater Gallery, La Sierra University, Riverside, CA Abstract Los Angeles, Louisiana Tech University Galleries, Ruston, LA Art Auction 11, Long Beach Museum of Art, Long Beach, CA Theories: LA Paint, Post, Los Angeles, CA Venice Art Walk, Venice, CA

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS (continued) 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994

Luster, Gensler, San Francisco, CA Abstract Work from the Permanent Collection, Long Beach Museum of Art, Long Beach, CA Continental Divide: LA/NYC, Planet Thailand, Brooklyn, NY Abstract Los Angeles, Soho Myriad, Atlanta, GA 20th Anniversary Exhibition, Ruth Bachofner Gallery, Los Angeles, CA No Chaser; Straight Ahead Abstract Painting, Post, Los Angeles, CA Group Show, Dolby/Chadwick Gallery, San Francisco, CA Black and White, Ruth Bachofner Gallery, Los Angeles, CA New Paintings, Soho Myriad, Atlanta, GA Venice Art Walk, Venice, CA Art Auction 10, Long Beach Museum of Art, Long Beach, CA California Dream, Il Museo I Magli di Sarezzo, Brescia, Italy Summer Group Show, Ruth Bachofner Gallery, Los Angeles, CA Sam Maloof and Friends, dA Center for the Arts, Pomona, CA New American Paintings Group Show, OSP Gallery/Open Studio Press, Boston, MA Homage: Roland Reiss, Claremont Graduate School alumni show, dA Center for the Arts, Pomona, CA Art Auction 9, Long Beach Museum of Art, Long Beach, CA Monothon, 2001, Riverside Art Museum, Riverside, CA Sequence, Mt. San Antonio College Art Gallery, Walnut, CA Art 2000: Applauding Revolutionary Talent, Millard Sheets Gallery, Pomona, CA Faculty Exhibition, Mt. San Antonio College Art Gallery, Walnut, CA Faculty Exhibition, Chaffey College, Ontario Museum of Art, Ontario, CA Six Gallery Artist, Ruth Bachofner Gallery, Los Angeles, CA Synchronicity, Mt. San Antonio College Art Gallery, Walnut, CA Contemporary Works of the Ruth Bachofner Gallery, Antelope Valley College, Lancaster, CA Convergent Abstraction, Ruth Bachofner Gallery, Los Angeles, CA L.A. Emerging, Marcia Wood Gallery, Atlanta, GA Art Auction 6, Long Beach Museum of Art, Long Beach, CA 3 Weeks in L.A., Richard Heller Gallery, Los Angeles, CA Recent Paintings, Marcia Wood Gallery, Atlanta, GA Fringe of the Fringe, dA Gallery Benefit Art Auction, dA Center for the Arts, Pomona, CA 42.2 - CGS to Paradiso, Gallery Paradiso, Newport Beach, CA Painting and Sculpture, Art Center Alumni Show, Thousand Oaks Municipal Art Gallery, Thousand Oaks, CA Raw Data, East Gallery, Claremont Graduate School, Claremont, CA Recent Work, Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, CA Youth Culture, Lava Room, Costa Mesa, CA

BIBLIOGRAPHY Gay, Malcom “Alex Couwenberg”, Riverfront Times, April 23, 2008 Bonetti, David “Alex Couwenberg”, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 24, 2008 Frank, Peter “Alex Couwenberg: Working Space”, Essay, Catalog, Bruno David Gallery Publication, April 2008 ___________ “Brother Culture”, New York Sun, 2008 Myers, Holly. “Like 50’s lounge music, remixed,” Los Angeles Times August 17, 2007 Gleason, Mat. ArtScene, July/August 2007 ___________ Artdaily.org, July 2007 Tibbitz, Ashley. Flavorpill, July 17-23, 2007. Cripps, Mike “Pulse”, ART ltd., July 2007 Bossick, Karen. “Buzzer, Gilman Contemporary”, Wood River Journal, August 1, 2007, Carasso, Roberta. Coast Magazine, September, 2007 Frank, Peter. “Grids Unlocked”, LA Weekly, June 6, 2007 Jit Fong Chin. “Grey Matters”, SqueezeOC, January, 2007 Walsh, Daniella. “Shades of Gray”, Orange County Register, January 14, 2007 Carasso, Roberta. “Artwaves”, Laguna News Post, January 4, 2007 Walsh, Daniella. “The Radar Art”, Riviera Magazine, January, 2007 Rupe, Cynthia. “Picks of the Week”, SqueezeOC, January 4, 2007 Mckenna, John Page. Palm Springs Life, Winter/Spring 2007 Melrod, George. “ Culver City: Chelsea West?”, Art Ltd., October, 2006 Cripps, Mick “Artist Profile”, Lifescapes, September, 2006 Allen, Bobbie “Seven Abstractionists for summer”, Coastline Pilot, July 6, 2006 Frank, Peter “Art Pick of the Week”, LA Weekly, October 2005 Muckenfuss, Mark Press Enterprise, September, 2005 Simou, Alexandra New York Sun, January 26, 2005 Kugelman, Kerry Art Circles, fall 2004 Cullum, Jerry Atlanta Journal Constitution, Review, August 29, 2004 Gilbert, Debora. Greenline, March, 2004 Gleason, Ma Artscene, February, 2004 Frank, Peter “Art pick of the week” LA Weekly, February, 2004 Novick, La Rue Daily Bulletin, February, 2004 Litz, Paige “Going Beneath the Surface”, Los Angeles Times, October 10, 2003 Moyle, Andrew 210 Magazine, October, 2003 Nelson, Harold Director, Long Beach Museum of Art, Statement, 2002 Alfred, E. Anne Asst. Director, Riverside Museum of Art, Statement, 2002 Dennison, Lisa New American Paintings, vol. 37, 2001-02 Roth, Charlene “Alexander Couwenberg at Ruth Bachofner Gallery”, Artweek, March, 2001 Frank, Peter “Art pick of the week”, LA Weekly, January, 2001 Johnstone, Mark ART 2000: Applauding Revolutionary Talent, Millard Sheets Gallery Catalog

SELECTED PUBLIC COLLECTIONS California State University, Stanislaus, Turlock, CA Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, CA Georgia Tech University, Atlanta, GA Long Beach Museum of Art, Long Beach, CA Riverside Art Museum, Riverside, CA