Cruising

Helen Rebekah Garber
Esmeralda Montes
Kim Tucker
Curated by Paul W. Evans
February 28 - April 11, 2015
Opening reception: Saturday, February 28 from 6-9pm at Fifth Floor Gallery



Helen Rebekah Garber

Fifth Floor Gallery is pleased to present Cruising, a group show curated by Paul W. Evans featuring Los Angeles artists Helen Rebekah Garber, Esmeralda Montes and Kim Tucker. Stealth glances and peripheral looks encompass a world of hopeful connections. With their own agendas and their own flaws, the work shown here presents itself, then withdraws. Secretly conversing with each other, yet slyly catching a glimpse of their audience, these players are well aware of their idiosyncrasies, their powers and the stage they command.

Helen Rebekah Garber's no-nonsense portraits confront us with a delirious confidence, much like the way the artist masterfully applies paint. Her claustrophobic works demand attention, are sinister yet oddly comforting. Garber received her BFA from the California Institute of the Arts, Valencia, CA.

Esmeralda Montes' dreamlike pastorals are suffused with memory. Shy bodies, slightly hidden, call out to be found. They heroically speak of romance, of idealized fantasies of what has occurred, what could have been and what could possibly yet be. Montes received her BFA from CalState University, Long Beach, Long Beach, CA and her MFA from the Tyler School of Art, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA. 

Kim Tucker's mementos to love's clumsiness are cool and unabashed in their total lack of decorum. While their private scenarios seem destined for certain failure, each figure confidently stands ground and insists on being noticed. Tucker received her BFA from the California College of the Arts & Crafts, Oakland, CA and her MFA from the Ohio State University, Columbus, OH.