David Korty, China Art Objects Galleries

David Korty’s new paintings are somewhat of a cross between Matisse, Munch and Peter Max, if you can imagine. Swirling stripes and rainbowlike patterns are the backdrop to seemingly mundane activities like strolling through the Huntington Gardens or dining in an airport lounge. Korty’s subject seems to have shifted from landscape and architecture to the way humans interact with these surroundings. The paintings have a bleached-out and subdued feel, which captures the light particular to Southern California, while the watercolors have a much more vibrant palette, are less controlled and embrace accidents like drops of hot pink sprinkling the surface of an outdoor café scene. These surprises create a sense of immediacy, making Korty’s works on paper buzz with life.

933 Chung King Road, Chinatown | www.chinaartobjects.com | (213) 613-0384 | Through July 21

“flipside exterior” at Overduin and Kite

This group show, curated by L.A. artist Richard Hawkins, shows work by Jeff Ono, Stefan Thater, Alessandro Pessoli, Kirsten Stoltmann and Amelie von Wulffen. Hawkins organized the show around some seemingly heady concepts such as the tension created when artists confront oppositional forces in their work. For instance, Thater deals with volume — or the lack thereof — in his paintings of flattened-out containers taken from the trash; Ono has a keen interest in how interiors become exteriors and vice versa; and von Wulffen’s images and photos burst through opaque clouds of paint. Each of the five artists explores aspects of this concept through painting, sculpture, collage and ceramics. This is the second exhibition at this exciting new gallery with a program that not only shows young artists, but also plans to revisit influential and rarely seen historical exhibitions to provide a context for contemporary work. Check out their program for upcoming exhibitions and performances, some of which have never been seen in Los Angeles.

6693 Sunset Blvd., Hlywd. | www.overduinandkite.com | (323) 464-3600 | Through August 11

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