Hashimoto Contemporary is pleased to present Dinner Party (While the World Burns), a solo exhibition by Los Angeles-based artist Nicholas Bono Kennedy. When does a cherished object cross the line into burdensome excess? How can we attempt to enjoy our lives when the world burns around us? In his debut solo exhibition with the gallery Dinner Party (While the World Burns), Kennedy examines the intricate relationship between beauty and burden amid a backdrop of pressing political and ecological challenges through his rich, colorful paintings. Balancing life’s beautiful moments with the chaos of living, the LA-based artist fills his compositions with lush arrangements of potted plants, pet piles, and scenes of domestic life, prompting viewers to find appreciation for our lives in a world that is beautiful and tragic. We are also excited to present new works by Lou Benesch! In this newest series of works on paper, Benesch considers the existence of a second, invisible realm that exists “not on the pages but in the folds, waiting for us to discover them.” Long, deep slumber, it seems, may be one of the gateways into the other realm—the one where Benesch’s mythological creatures and settings exist. “Sheets, nightgowns,” the artist writes, “are the attire to access this universe of contemplation, a maze with an invisible hand guiding us along the paths that we forget to see.” ⁠ We are also is thrilled to present Night Market, a new collection of watercolor miniature dioramas by Shannon Danielle Taylor. Often conjuring the decorative and figurative qualities of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and aesthetic movement, Taylor’s work is an exploration of beauty. Taylor’s exquisitely detailed miniature dioramas are an amalgamation of the artist’s talents. Painting the scenes in rich watercolor hues first, the artist then cuts the individual elements out, layering them into antique cosmetic compacts. Made to fit in the palm of the viewer’s hand, these tiny, intricate worlds offer an intimate moment between artwork and viewer—a moment to contemplate our own belief in the magic of another world offered in these dioramas. ⁠