Koplin Del Rio

March 2012 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Shay Bredimus: Kotomi: Female Personifications of the Sister Cities of Los Angeles
Outer Limits at Koplin Del Rio – Preparatory Drawings by Tattoo Artists

Exhibition Dates: April 14 – May 12, 2012
Reception for the Artist: Saturday, April 14, 2012, 6:00 – 8:00 pm
Gallery Hours: Tuesday-Friday: 10:00 am – 5:30 pm; Saturday: 11:00 am – 5:30 pm
Public Contact: 310-836-9055

Koplin Del Rio is pleased to announce our second solo exhibition with emerging Los Angeles artist
Shay Bredimus.

A figurative painter and renowned tattoo artist, Bredimus employs languid and gestural marks using tattoo ink on drafting film to portray spontaneous and personal moments of his models. His classical training in portraiture is evident, to which he has added aesthetic influences from Japanese tattoo and Ukiyo-e prints. In his recent series, Kotomi, Bredimus casts female personifications of the Sister Cities of Los Angeles as his subjects in a series of large and small portrait paintings. The tradition of allegorical female representations in art popularized in Ancient Rome with depictions of The Cardinal Virtues has remained a classically recognized and often referenced mode of expression through today. Aware of that tradition, Bredimus was particularly moved by the French baroque painting by Noel Coypel the Elder, La Rosée (Dew) or The Female Personification of Rain to create a series adopting the long honored conceptual convention of female allegory. Kotomi, a Japanese word meaning “the beauty of cities”, is Bredimus’ homage to Los Angeles’ participation in the global Sister Cities organization established in 1956 by President Eisenhower. Still going strong, the program promotes “international relations, trade, cultural exchange and peace” between cities around the world. Los Angeles alone actively builds ‘people to people’ relationships with 25 Sister Cities. For more information: http://www.sister-cities.org/

In addition, the gallery will feature a sampling of preparatory drawings by the tattoo artists of Outer Limits in Long Beach. The oldest operating tattoo shop in the United States, Outer Limits employs some of the most talented artists in the business. We are delighted to exhibit drawings by Billy Sarno, Brian Ragusin, c.classico, Jeremiah Barba, Kari Barba, Laura Bullets, punk, and Shay Bredimus. Including a special presentation of assemblages by Los Angeles artist and model Chantal Menard.

A public tattoo demonstration given by Shay Bredimus will be held at the gallery on Saturday, April 28th at 4pm.

Shay Bredimus earned an MFA in 2008 from the Laguna College of Art and Design in Laguna, California and a BFA in painting from Emily Carr University in Vancouver, Canada in 2004. He has studied under mentors F. Scott Hess and Wes Christensen, among others. His work was featured in a solo exhibition at the San Luis Obispo Art Center in 2008 and in a solo exhibition at Fresno City College Art Space Gallery in 2011. Bredimus has earned critical praise from Artweek and the New Times San Luis Obispo.