Los Angeles Art Association proudly presents five solo exhibitions by Matthew Morse Jones, Marilyn Lowey, Shana Mabari, Raksha Parekh and Luke & Ginger Van Hook opening on Friday, September 7 at Gallery 825. Matthew Morse Jones' new body of work entitled These ideas are not mine, yet I have them is an exhibition of cast aside artifacts created by non-traditional scientists. This "artist as collector" presents a diverse collection; there's an apology note written in blood, a homemade Hadron collider by a JPL machinist, an architectural rendering found in a dumpster-each telling the story of a person expanding their sphere of knowledge, often through error. In the realm of experimentation though, there is no failure. Every failure helps hone in on the better solution or the better idea. Progress is non-linear, especially when viewed up close. This show continues Jones' masterful exploration of lineage in science, this time from the perspective of civilian scientists, experimenting outside the traditional system. Marilyn Lowey's compelling exhibit Translating Transitions #3 electric light and video sculptural installation plays with narrative and abstraction, assaulting and disrupting visual perception. Lowey's dynamic work questions the difference between what the eye sees and the brain understands. Lowey's work will reside in the windows of Gallery 825, activating both the gallery interior as well as providing an experiential street level presentation. Shana Mabari's installation Infinity is a compelling multi dimensional space expanding the customary use of verticals and horizontals in the Kusama tradition of mirror and color. The space simulates the rapid activity of the brain that manipulates imputed information and distorts it into something perpetually unreal and imagined. Informed by interactions with Tibetan Lamas, Caltech Psychophysicists and Indian Sadhus, the artist's understanding of the mind at work has evolved into embracing the inevitable pitfalls of misinterpretation. Mabari's goal is that the viewer's consciousness expands walking through Infinity as the walls transcend into an altered reality illustrating our most valued processing mechanism - the brain. Raksha Parekh's exhibition Nomzamo Shakkara (A Study of the Deep Struggle for Sweetness) is a fusion of two languages, Xhosa, a South African language and Sanskrit, an ancient Indian language. "Nomzamo" in Xhosa roughly means "trial or struggle has happened" and "Shakkara" derives from Sanskrit and is the word for crystallized rock candy and is the root word for sugar. Parekh's work is generated though exploration of the shared historical interstices of the Indian and African diasporas. Parekh's current work references the practice of manual and repetitive labor through the mediums of cotton and sugar. Luke and Ginger Van Hook's Paper or Plastic? exhibition seeks to extend the dialogue of the light and space movement by showcasing small intimate works normally reserved for recycling or disposal. Light as life becomes the focal point of the exploration. The ephemeral qualities exhibited by inanimate objects becoming living works of art are where the exploration of light and space in the sciences and arts intersect and this theme opens a portal into a new dimension of art. This exhibition/installation hopes to raise new questions about the human condition and the functionality of recycled materials. Paper or Plastic? additionally explores the unique phenomenon of refracted light in the confines of a dark space. These exhibitions debut on Friday, September 7 and run through Friday, October 5, 2012. Reception: Friday, September 7, 6-9pm (runs through October 5) Admission: Free Location: Gallery 825, 825 N. La Cienega Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90069 For more information call 310.652.8272 or e-mail gallery825@laaa.org. Top images, clockwise from upper left: Shana Mabari, Matthew Morse Jones, Luke & Ginger Van Hook, Raksha Parekh and Marilyn Lowey. | 
