Saudade Into Light is an exhibition of Arthur Cooke’s (b.1996-2020) prolific image-making and multidisciplinary photography practice. The presentation of works at Human Resources includes a selection of his artist prints, self-published books, video works, hand sewn clothing and fabric prints. Alongside this impressive archive, a selection of photographs have been posthumously printed by his family to be shown in the exhibition. Borrowing its name from one of his books on view, the show’s title Saudade Into Light, incorporates the Portuguese word “saudade” – a word that is untranslatable in English for its complexity of feeling but references what Cooke writes as “…the love that remains when someone is gone.” In the description of his book with the same name, which explores family archives, Cooke continues “…this project consists of images and words based around the realization of ‘a missing,’ in this case a person, and the stages of recognizing, coping and discovering through this sense of a void.” As the family of the artist organizes this exhibition, the title assumes new meaning – through honoring and curating Cooke’s brilliant body of work, they are tasked with finding the light within grief. As the title suggests, Cooke’s practice is steeped in an intuitive poeticism. His photographs read like visual poems, mixing analogue and digital photography, then further manipulating the photographs in post-processing, either through effects or application of text. Through this process of editing and re-editing, Cooke would confuse the image at every layer, abstractly interrogating photography as a form. His photographs were often reused in his video and clothing works, continuously changing the format of the medium he was working in. In an enduring search for meaning and connection in the digital age, his work remains steadfast in its intention of capturing and exploring specific feelings through image. This ethereal sensibility characterized his digital practice – applying a combination of layering, blurring and convoluting qualities to images he had previously taken. Oftentimes, the original subject is natural, like a rose, with the photographic image then transplanted into the digital space, removed from its logical environment and obscured into a symbol. The work becomes something that transcends its natural place and lives on, forever changing. Born in Venice, California, Cooke formed his artistic vision at an early age. Cooke began working with images as abstractions at seventeen in class at Venice Arts, a photography mentorship program for low-income youth. He was then awarded the prestigious National YoungArts Silver Award in photography in 2014. He went on to be accepted to NYU Tisch School of the Arts with the largest scholarship ever given in the Photography & Imaging program. He would graduate from the university in 2018 and moved back to Los Angeles shortly after. At the time of his passing, he was working on several video and hand sewn clothing works that he was excited to debut once the pandemic ended. He is remembered by all who have encountered his work for its strikingly singular and evocative vision. Cooke’s images continue to evolve while staying distinctly his; marked by their foregrounding in a deep and complex emotional landscape and his applied alchemical process of transforming feeling into being through imagery. Saudade Into Light is organized by Nicole Cooke, Elna Cooke and Michael Cooke. Gallery Hours: Thursday to Sunday, 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. and by appointment The Cooke Family would like to thank: Lee Baxter, Benny & Irina Chan, Claire Dorfman, Roni Feinstein, Kate Kelley, Rachael Knotz, Scott Oshima, Roxanne Reicheg and Issa Sharp. Additionally, the Cooke Family would like to thank: Arthur’s friends and those close to the family who have supported this exhibition. About the Cooke’s: Nicole Cooke is an LA-based artist, working in performance, clothing design and soft sculpture. Sewing live with a Singer sewing machine that she’s converted into a musical instrument, Cooke has previously performed at Murmurs Gallery and Los Angeles Contemporary Archive. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Design | Media Arts at UCLA. Elna Cooke is an artist, seamstress and clothing designer from Cleveland, Ohio. At eighteen she attended the renowned AndersonRanch Arts Center and went on to earn degrees in art studio and fashion design. For almost two decades she taught fashion design at SMC and FIDM and has currently resumed a practice in oil painting. Michael Cooke is an accomplished actor, writer and musician. Born and raised in New York City, he studied under the greats; jazz piano with the legendary Walter Bishop Jr. and acting with the acclaimed Peggy Feury. Cooke has worked extensively in theater, television and film – most notably playing Herb in David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive.