JOHNNY 'KMNDZ' RODRIGUEZ :: AUTOMATON
Opening Reception :: Saturday November 6th, 3-8pm // RSVP to: RSVP@KPPROJECTS.NET
For a Private Digital Preview :: PREVIEW@KPPROJECTS.NET
633 N. La Brea Avenue | Los Angeles CA 90036 // Tues – Sat, 12PM to 6PM
T: 323.933.4408 | info@kpprojects.net (following cdc guidelines)
KP PROJECTS is proud to present a solo exhibition of new paintings by Los Angeles based artist Johnny ‘KMNDZ’ Rodriguez entitled “Automaton.” In 30 new paintings spanning 2 years of studio work, Rodriguez explores ideas of Free Will and Determinism as an individual, artist, and creator.
The paintings in the exhibition present questions that have been a part of philosophical and social discourse throughout the ages. Can one truly act freely? What degree of control do we exert over our lives? Determinism dictates that all particles in the universe follow a trajectory that leads to calculable predictability, yet what happens when variations in our cellular code or environment deviate and chaos ensues? In Rodriguez’s work, disruption is the stuff of creativity.
On the surface, the artist’s glass-eyed Automatons seem static and lifeless except for the faint glow behind glass-button eyes. Composed of discarded metal pieces that have been beautifully re-purposed, these inanimate figures carry the patina of age and wisdom. They float and emerge from mono chromatically patterned or brightly abstracted backgrounds indicating purpose and life force. Often dressed in ornately beaded or dyed cloaks resembling priests or warriors, they exist in harmony with living creatures and flora, taking on the life and the motion that surrounds them.
Circling back to his Latino roots, whether consciously or subconsciously, the animistic belief that objects, places, and creatures all possess a distinct spiritual essence becomes a way of relating to a world inclusive of ideas of choice and destiny. The work is a celebration of the small perturbations in life’s equations that makes us unique, while acknowledging ways in which we are are programmed or wired. “Automaton” celebrates the random variations that are at work in the creative process and how the smallest action or motion can affect change in a personal or universal way.
