Tanja M. LadenBeneath glowing lanterns along Chinatown's Chung King Road on Friday the 13th, more than 400 people passed through the doors of Coagula Curitorial to check out Gordy Grundy's one-man, one-night-only art-show, “BURN.” Two bartenders and a spokesmodel poured lemongrass-tinged Bombay Sapphire East Gin while the founder of Destroyer Radio Network, DJ CROWN, manned the turntables. Meanwhile, a dapper Grundy greeted guests who came to see his artwork one last time before he metaphorically “burned” it all by either selling it or giving it away.
The show featured upwards of 300 paintings, works on paper, objects and etchings from more than 13 bodies of work. Art hung on the walls salon-style, in no particular order, looking more like a giant group show with multiple artists instead of a solo exhibition by a man with many different creative styles and interests.
The gallery sold more than half of the artworks featured in the one-off art show. Two days later, Grundy gave the rest of away to Echo Park's Out of the Closet, and handed out more than 100 pieces after Sunday's Artillery magazine debates — practically unloading his entire reserve of canvases, works on paper and monoprints.
Now that he's “burned” up his art, Grundy says he's found the secret to giving people good luck, so he's planning to host a “luck-up” for those of us who need it. “Sometimes, we need to burn or destroy our own work to start anew,” says Grundy. “But I'm a creator, not a destroyer, so I wanted to share my artwork instead.”
Check out photos from Gordy Grundy's figurative art-fueled bonfire below.
Credit: Marlene Picard
Artillery Magazine Editor Tulsa Kinney shares a laugh with artist Alex Shaefer and Coagula Curatorial engine Bryan Chagolla. Best known for his paintings of bank buildings on fire, Shaefer bought Grundy's artwork featuring a recipe for the Molotov cocktail.
Credit: Marlene Picard
Coagula Curatorial's Mat Gleason counts the cash from Grundy's sales with Laura Delgado casting an eye.
Credit: Marlene Picard
New media mogul Mike Delgado hangs with Tara Thomas, chef at Traxx Restaurant in Union Station, who prepared a special menu in honor of Gordy Grundy's “BURN.”
Credit: Leah C. Dixon
Gordy Grundy looking sharp in his tuxedo while his art burns away.
Credit: Leah C. Dixon
The Liberator is from a series of paintings in which Grundy gives greater so-called utility to his work by adding a custom cocktail recipe. The artist liberated himself from the painting once it sold, and the ones he didn't sell, he gave away.
Tanja M. Laden manages Flavorpill Los Angeles and blogs at Pop Curious. Follow her on Twitter at @PopCuriousMag and for more arts news follow @LAWeeklyArts and like us on Facebook.
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