SUPERSENSE opening Friday 9/9 at Gallery 825

Los Angeles Art Association proudly presents Supersense, an all-media exploration of tactile fetishism in contemporary art practice. Juried by Simmy Swinder, Director of Carmichael Gallery, opening at Gallery 825 on September 9, 2011 (runs through Oct. 7). In addition to Supersense, artists Jillian Kogan, Jason Lockyer and Julia Strickler will be featured in solo exhibitions.

The artistic reinterpretation of flags challenges the viewer to demystify their iconography and alter their symbolic perceptions in hopes of offering new and contemporary points of view. The subject matter and concept for Jillian Kogan's solo show American Iconomics: Stars & Stripes stems from the artist's fascination with the "contemporary icon" and its power to seduce us by waving its own conceived image. America's mania with money, obsession with celebrity, and the ubiquitousness of pop culture branding prompted Kogan to reconstruct the world's most omnipresent U.S. trademark into an objectified representation of art as commerce.

Jason Lockyer's installation, Here We Are, is not simply an investigation into the natural world around us, he is taunting you to participate in that world. As Hugh Raffles said, "There are other worlds around us. Too often we pass through them unseeing, contained by the limits of our senses and the banality of our imaginations." Lockyer challenges us by forcing us to examine the nature that envelops us on a daily basis in a way that can't be ignored. Using discarded refuse materials, an exaggerated scale and video projection, Lockyer creates a temporary world where bug is king.

Julia Strickler's new work, The Garden conveys the surreal and incredible diversity of the Medical Marijuana plant and explores what cannabis actually is and looks like without the tired clichés surrounding it. Strickler's fascination with the macro and micro brings us into worlds that we would never otherwise visit, changing our perception of the subject. Strickler seeks to go beyond the legalization debate and hopes to start a new conversation about this extraordinary plant.

Reception: Friday, September 9, 6-9pm (show runs through October 7)

Admission: FREE

Location: Gallery 825 - 825 N. La Cienega Blvd. Los Angeles 90069

For more information call 310.652.8272 or visit www.laaa.org.

Top artwork by Jillian Kogan, Julia Strickler and Jason Lockyer.

About: Los Angeles Art Association (LAAA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide opportunities, resources, services and exhibition venues for emerging Los Angeles artists of all media. LAAA began as a civic art institution in the 1920s, connecting elite art interests to Hollywood collectors, emerging after World War II as the center of Los Angeles modernism and finally becoming the city's nexus for emerging artists of all media. LAAA serves as a dynamic force for contemporary ideas, outreach, and community. Gallery 825 and Los Angeles Art Association are located in the heart of La Cienega Boulevard's Restaurant Row at 825 North La Cienega Bl., Los Angeles, CA 90069. Gallery hours are 10am - 5pm, Tuesday - Saturday or by appointment. Please call 310.652.8272 or visit www.laaa.org.