7 minute read
Arts & Culture
ARTIST’S SHOW IS INSPIRED BY ALBERT CAMUS POEM
BY KAMALA KIRK
or years, a Post-It note with a quote scribbled on it from French philoso
Fpher Albert Camus’ “Invincible Summer” poem remained stuck to the edge of Anne-Elizabeth Sobieski’s computer screen.
The quote reads: “I realized, through it all, that in the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer.” Years later, that quote has become the inspiration for the South Pasadena artist’s upcoming art show dubbed “Invincible Summer.”
“I keep that note to remind me that no matter what is happening around me, there is always the opportunity to dig deep and show up to life in a beautiful way,” Sobieski said.
“Invincible Summer” is on display at Plan:d Gallery in Los Angeles and will run from August 5 to September 5. To adapt to COVID-19, a smaller group of works are available and will be presented online and by appointment only.
Sobieski partnered with Edwina Dedlow, the gallery’s co-owner and curator, whom she met 26 years ago on the Hathaway-Sycamores El Nido campus, a home for abused boys in Pasadena.
The idea for the show came up during a discussion between the longtime friends, who were reminiscing over how they met, how they came to be reunited, as well as the pandemic and art.
“I collect art and I have tons of artist friends,” Dedlow said. “Once I sold my business, I decided to open a gallery. Anne-Elizabeth and I talked continuously about doing something together. In these wretched times, we were both trying to have an ‘invincible summer.’ A vision, a place where beauty abounds and where for one short minute, we could escape. These thoughts became this virtual show. Her pieces are available online for sale and I will take one-on-one appointments at the gallery. Everyone will wear masks and hand sanitizer will be available.”
All 12 of Sobieski’s works on display feature oil-on-linen canvas. They depict a variety of subject matter, including floral and botanical scenes, butterflies, and young boys with dogs and horses. Of the two framed paper pieces, one is oil and the other is a charcoal drawing.
“The words in this show speak to the undeniable life force within and around us,” Sobieski said.
“To navigate the darkness and fight the light, to commit to life’s vitality and continue to show up each day that we are given is what I see in these works. They are optimistic and resilient. They offer a vibrant immediacy and psychic presence, are open and sincere in their tone. The surface of the linen is loaded with crystalline colors and rich paint punctuation. There is a gentle tug between image and the formal application of paint for paint’s sake. The drawings are earnest and imperfect, capturing the vulnerability of the unguarded. The floral paintings are lyrical compositions of harmony and action, while the figures breathe with the tender affection of the viewer. These pieces remind me of what artist Philip Guston once said about painting: “It’s a long, long preparation for a few moments of innocence.” n
Plan:d Gallery 3041 N. Coolidge Avenue, Los Angeles 323-664-7888, plan-dgallery.com
South Pasadena artist Anne-Elizabeth Sobieski and Plan:d Gallery owner Edwina Dedlow have partnered for the virtual art show “Invincible Summer.”
Ballet Story: “Ballet Story,” 16 inches by 14 inches, oil on linen ($1,850).
TRAX BY BLISS
OUMOU SANGARÉ, Acoustic
(No Format): HHH½ A stripped-down redo of the Malian diva’s 2017 album “Mogoya,” with guitar, ngoni, and hand percussion supplanting the original recording’s electric instrumentation. “Kamelemba” exchanges instrumental build for slightly more hypnotic rhythms; this version of the funky “Fadjamou” mellows the groove, while the title track’s swaying cadence benefits from acoustic treatment, stripping away synthesizer effects to allow Sangaré’s expressive vocals and guitarist Guimba Kouyate’s intuitive fretwork to carry the mood. Sangaré’s socially conscious themes and trademark call-and-response harmonies remain, true to her Wassoulou traditions, though they sound more organic here (especially during “Mali Niale”), like real women gathered together. facebook.com/ oumousangareofficiel
GORDI, OurTwoSkins
(Jagjaguwar): HHHH Australian singer-songwriter Sophie Payten negotiates isolation and questions of sexual identity and relationship throughout this spare yet commanding follow-up to 2017’s “Reservoir.” Intimacy and distance stare each other down during tense six-minute opener “Aeroplane Bathroom,” a melodic piano ballad that sets up the losses and discoveries that follow (“I’m wondering why I haven’t seen myself before/ In naked lights and sleepless nights/ … the contents of my chest are down there on the floor”). “Unready” and “Sandwiches” kick up the pace with bright pop arrangements and thrumming electronics, but hushed ballads such as “Volcanic” (“Am I burning us out to keep your interests piqued”) make the strongest impact. RIYL Phoebe Bridgers, Bon Iver, Imogen Heap. gordisounds.tumblr.com
KAMAAL WILLIAMS, WuHen
(Black Focus): HHH After breaking through as one half of widely acclaimed South London jazz duo Yussef Kamaal, keyboardist/ producer Williams teams with LA-based Katalyst drummer Greg Paul and a smooth combo for his sophomore solo outing. Rather than the ’70s fusion flavors of Williams’ 2018 solo debut “The Return” or the streetwise sense of rhythmic discovery of Yussef Kamaal, “Wu Hen” colors its esoteric jazz palette with funk and R&B. Emotional hooks are supplied by distinctive contributions from string player Miguel Atwood-Ferguson and saxophonist Quinn Mason (notably during “Pigalle,” which sounds like an afterhours jam, and the meditative “Early Prayer”), though overall it sounds more exploratory than focused. kamaalwilliams.com
THE NAKED AND FAMOUS, Recover
(Somewhat Damaged): HHH The New Zealand-raised, LA-based duo’s fourth album finds Alisa Xayalith and Thom Powers turning away from the crunchy drums of previous releases into even sleeker synth-pop sounds. Purportedly intended at least in part to be an agent of healing, the album sets lyrics addressing depression, survival and loss — of childhood, of a parent, of expectations and relationships — against hooky melodies and pumpedup production that promise acceptance but sometimes smother hopeful messages. Highlights: the selfempowering title track, “Come as You Are,” “Death,” “The Sound of My Voice.” thenakedandfamous.com
CARY MORIN, Dockside Saints
(self-released): HHHH Opening with the New Orleans-flavored “Nobody Gotta Know,” the Colorado guitarist and songwriter displays the range of his “Native Americana” with vibey support from accordionist Corey Ledet and fiddler Beau Thomas and songs ranging from bluesy grooves to atmospheric instrumentals (the lovely “Bare Trees”), Southern gospel, and historyhaunted narratives (“Chosen Road,” “Valley of the Chiefs,” inspired by his Crow family heritage). Morin’s evocative acoustic and slide playing and earthy vocal delivery position him on fertile terrain, somewhere between Malcolm Holcombe’s shamanistic intensity and Van Morrison’s gruff soul. carymorin.com
NAIMA SHALHOUB, Siphr
(self-released): HHH The Bay Area artist’s 2015 album “Live in San Francisco County Jail” focused on inspirational folk and gospel and social justice anthems; her first studio album likewise works with American and Middle Eastern folk forms, albeit on a more expansive musical canvas stretched out by cellist Ed Baskerville, bassist Marcus Shelby, and especially oudist/lead guitarist/percussionist Tarik Kazaleh aka Excentrik. Singing in Arabic and English, Shalhoub nimbly navigates blues, jazz and folk rhythms while tracing borders and connections between beliefs, cultures and heritages through nine interlinked tracks. The most potent — “Two (Rivers in the Desert),” “Four (Roumieh Prison Blues),” “Six (Distraction Suite)” — are those where stringed instruments and Kazaleh’s frame drum conjure environments both compelling and transporting. Naimashalhoub.com
COURTNEY MARIE ANDREWS, OldFlowers
(Fat Possum): HHHH The restless singer-songwriter’s seventh album sustains the emotional integrity and compositional excellence of 2016’s “Honest Life” and 2018’s “May Your Kindness Remain,” extracting cathartic beauty from heartbreak bandaged in image-rich lyrics and simple country-folk melodies and arrangements. Standout tracks such as “Burlap String,” “Together or Alone” and piano-centered tearjerker “How You Get Hurt” feel like old friends, the kind who’ll commiserate deep into the late hours when memories stir and sympathetic ears get you through the night. courtneymarieandrews.com
PAUL KELLY & PAUL GRABOWSKY, Please Leave the Light On
(Cooking Vinyl): HHH½ Beloved Australian songwriter Kelly and celebrated jazz pianist Grabowsky salute inspiring icons — Tony Bennett and Bill Evans, Frank Sinatra and Nelson Riddle — throughout this elegantly produced set. Grabowsky ramps up the rhythmic playfulness of Kelly’s “Sonnet 138” (reprised from his Shakespearean 2016 EP “Seven Sonnets & a Song”) and responds to the title track’s yearning with restrained finesse, while Kelly’s rhythmic, interpretive phrasing and exquisite opener “True to You” (the only new Kelly song) beg for more jazzy explorations. paulkelly.com.au, paulgrabowsky. com.au
