El Nido (the nest) art space, shares their first exhibition presented by VC Projects “In Your Absence Something can be Born” An allegory of love June 7 – July 12, 2021 Curated by VC Projects BY APPOINTMENT ONLY | Contact: victoria@vcprojects.art A group exhibition, displaying small-scale works in drawing, painting, photography, and sound. Exhibiting artists: Erica Shires, L. Mikelle Standbridge, Denis Forest, Shane Guffogg, Dennis Ekstrom, Greg Smith, Yuri Boyko, Takafumi Iimura, and Victoria Chapman The works in the exhibition share narratives about transformation. Some were selected based on material, while others by composition. As a curator, I am intuitively prone to gather works on instinct. I believe that all objects have a frequency designated by the maker. It is from this place, that art reminds us to bear witness to a greater understanding. There is also a type of immortality realized by the medium that each artist explores. Erica Shires’ (images printed on silver photographic paper) are made from the time-consuming and methodical Collodion process, L.Mikelle Standbridge fuses photography and sculpture. Denis Forest and Greg Smith both construct (mixed-media) work in gold and silver leaf. Victoria Chapman saturates the canvas with layers of precious powders and ink. Yuri Boyko’s contemplative (photographic) arrangements are dedicated to the deconstruction of identity. Dennis Ekstrom’s egg shell-like surface (paintings) is derived from his own scientific findings, which took years to formulate. The hidden marks within Shane Guffogg’s works imbue a sense of energy and timelessness that draws the viewer in. Lastly, the exhibition also features a sound diary by Japanese composer Takafumi Iimura, whose use of natural elements is intriguing. The exhibition is also inspired by a verse from Jalāl ad-Dīn Mohammad Rūmī’s book, the “Masnavi”, which begins to unveil the elixir of life. “I died to the mineral state and became a plant, I died to the vegetal state and reached animality, I died to the animal state and became a man, Then what should I fear? I have never become less from dying. At the next charge (forward) I will die to human nature, So that I may lift up (my) head and wings (and soar) among the angels, And I must (also) jump from the river of (the state of) the angel, Everything perishes except His Face, Once again I will become sacrificed from (the state of) the angel, I will become that which cannot come into the imagination, Then I will become non-existent; non-existence says to me (in tones) like an organ, Truly, to Him is our return.” El Nido (the nest) is an art space, located at Western Avenue Collective, and is presented by VC Projects. 1028 N. Western Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90029 Western Avenue Collective is located on Western Avenue just shy of a block from Santa Monica Blvd and historic Route 66. The collective is host to 22 art studios nestled in a 1920s-era courtyard. Inside the courtyard is a large tree that grounds all the artists and their creative endeavors. The inhabitants see this enclave as a bit of a sanctuary just off the beaten path. There is also space for appropriate distancing, conducive to Los Angeles County guidelines. If you are lucky you might even see a Monarch Butterfly as this location has been noted on the California Migration Map.