839

Andrés Janacua: Bestial Burdens

 

Saturday, September 14, 2024

11 am - 9 pm

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Other Places art fair (OPaf)
Battery Leary-Merriam

Angels Gate Cultural Center

3601 S. Gaffey St.

San Pedro, CA 90731
 

Free Admission

 

839 is excited to announce a solo presentation of Los Angeles-based artist Andrés Janacua’s “Bestial Burdens” at the Other Places art fair (OPaf) in San Pedro, taking place Saturday, September 14, 2024.

 

The artist, perhaps best known for his flat and sculptural works made from woven toquillo (a synthetic lanyard material), will exhibit a different facet of his practice, in this presentation. The exhibition will feature figurative sculptures produced in various media, including ceramic, fiberglass, and wood. These works reference an array of  abstracted creatures, evoking ducks, devils, dogs, mythical beings, and more. 

 

“Low Quality Children,” 2023, depicts a nearly four-foot tall, bright cadmium red, fiberglass, foam, and aqua resin figure, a young satyr wearing the mask of Silenus, a character from Greek mythology known who offered drunken wisdom and became a sort of tutor to the god Dionysus. Intriguingly, the satyr’s own arm emerges from the mask’s mouth, creating a surreal, self-consuming image. A second mask made of green chlorite and rendered in a proto-Mesoamerican style, hangs from a brass chain around the figure’s neck. This work, and others in the “Bestial Burdens” series, explores intersections of folklore, pop culture, and personal mythologies.

 

“Legs Akimbo,” 2023, is a four-legged, canine-inspired sculpture crafted from cedar. Resembling a robotic dog similar to the creations of  Boston Dynamics, it features only the body and legs, with no visible head. The form invites viewers to consider the dehumanizing nature of militarized technology, particularly in a context of urban policing. Through his use of cedar, a traditional craft material, Janacua draws out the contrast between the warmth of the wood and the care with which it’s been handled, and the cold, ominous nature of 21st century surveillance. 

 

Andrés Janacua (b. 1982, possibly Los Angeles). P’Urhépecha. Received a BFA from the University of Southern California, MFA from Claremont Graduate University. He was an artist in residence at MFAH CORE (Houston), Queens Museum (New York), SOMA (Mexico City), and more. He has exhibited at Rio Hondo Art Gallery (Whittier, CA), CSUN Art Galleries (Northridge, CA), Charlie James Gallery (Los Angeles), Elephant Art Space (Los Angeles), Shelter in Place (Boston, MA), Vitrine (Albuquerque, NM), and Commonwealth and Council (Los Angeles). His solo exhibition with 839 is forthcoming: November 2 - December 21, 2024. He currently resides in Los Angeles, and works at times in Chilchota, Michoacan.

About OPaf
Fluid in definition, bonded by an intention to operate in other places outside the traditional art gallery systems, OPaf (Other Places art fair) features participants presenting site-specific booths encapsulating their projects and programming. Representing the growing movement of hard-to-define art spaces, OPaf provides an alternative art fair structure designed specifically for these unconventional projects.
opaf.info

 

For images and inquiries: info@839gallery.com