Goddesses and gods will materialize in the flesh and in galleries this Saturday, June 22 along Chung King Road in Los Angeles’ Chinatown. “Goddesses & Gods” is a group show across two galleries, featuring over thirty artists delving into the divine that run from June 22 through July 20th. Along with the art show in two galleries, on opening night, Chung King Road becomes a midsummer festival with live music and DJs, and a costumed company of stars.
Gallerist Lisa Derrick conceived this dream show and was developing it for Mat Gleason at Coagula Curatorial, a longtime anchor on Chinatown’s Chung King Road gallery row. The fates and some magic conspired, and Derrick, an initiated Thelemite, was able to open her own gallery in January of 2019, also on Chung King Road. She and Gleason decided to expand “Goddesses & Gods” into both galleries, making for a festive event that falls close to a major celestial holiday.
“Illumination finds expression through the arts,” says Derrick. “Fittingly, this dual gallery show falls on the summer solstice, Midsummer’s Night, a reference to well-documented religious festivals throughout history and cultures, and to Shakespeare’s magical comedy. I hope this propinquity will inspire outrageous and inventive costumes as attendees dress as their deity of choice, making this a true revel.”
“Goddesses & Gods” explores concepts of apoptosis, apotheosis and auto-theogony through a range of artists drawn primarily from the Los Angeles area. Works embrace both classical and modern techniques; themes pull deities, traditional and self-created, from sacred texts, folk traditions, and artistic gnosis while eschewing rigid fundamentalism in both inspiration and execution.
With a background seeped in folklore and mythology, as well as Western religious and esoteric history, gallerist Lisa Derrick curates an expansive array of artists from Los Angeles, with Las Vegas, Ireland and Mexico also represented in a wide panoply of deities. Says Derrick, “These talented artists express the gods as they know them, both as sources of wisdom and as false idols. In some works, there are gods of the artists’ own creation, adding levels of query and wonder into the nature of the divine.”
Opening night will include a DJ set by Spirits of the Night and a live performance by Marty Goldstandard and the Gold Standard. Pan’s Apotheka, East Hollywood’s complete occult supply shop, will be providing gift bags for the first 111 attendees costumed as a deity (aside from themselves).
