From the Edge of the Rock is Che Lovelace’s second solo exhibition in the US. Che Lovelace is a Trinidad-based artist.
This exhibition offers vibrant and colorful paintings that were inspired by flora, fauna, and multicultural identity at Trinidad. The viewers can find palm tree leaves, coconut trees, and birds everywhere in Lovelace’s paintings. He also sometimes picks his neighborhood as settings in his artworks, like port and east coast village of Matura.
The main figure in Lovelace’s paintings can easily remind us of Trinidad and Tobago’s Carnival. Bright and colorful costumes blend with the cheerful and festive celebrations. In the late 18th century, the carnival was originated as a counter-culture of upper-class customs and costumes. At that time, when the plantation owners hold masquerades (mas) and parties before the fasting Lent period, the slaves created a parallel celebration called “Canboulay”.
Che Lovelace. Courtesy of Artist and VSF. http://www.vsf.la/
Each painting in this exhibition depicts Lovelace’s personal “encounter” with the place where he was born and grew up. It doesn’t mean only physical encounter but also in spiritual, intellectual, emotional senses. The multiple layers of colors in his paintings suggest different ethnics backgrounds that live in Trinidad.
Che Lovelace. Courtesy of Artist and VSF. http://www.vsf.la/
From the Edge of the Rock addresses multicultural identity issues in a fresh and brilliant way. This exhibition is on view until April 17, 2021, at VSF (Various Small Fires), Los Angeles.
Che Lovelace. Courtesy of Artist and VSF. http://www.vsf.la/