Playing with myselves

chashama is pleased to announce the reopening of the 112 West 44th street gallery space with a solo exhibition featuring the work of New York artist, Danny Licul. No stranger to chashama, Licul will be presenting his newest collection Playing with myselves, with an opening reception on February 18th.

 

Licul's work explores themes of fantasy and imagination. For this project, Licul was influenced by film noir. He sees each piece like a frame in a film; they are filled with action, having a before and after. He was also greatly influenced by the best Christmas gift he ever received – a highly coveted Millennium Falcon Star Wars figurine in 1979. The Millennium Falcon looks like any other Star Wars spacecraft, but within it's walls, lays powerful secrets. The craft was thought to be impregnable due to all of its modifications, however, despite all of its benefits, it was in fact prone to recalcitrance. Perhaps that loss of control and emergence of chaos is what influenced Licul's work the most. Later in life, the Millennium Falcon will no longer instill joy in Licul, but rather a very different feeling. The shape of the spacecraft resembles that of a deer tick, something he knows quite well after being diagnosed with Lyme Disease.

 

Licul was raised in a Croatian household in Whitestone, Queens. To produce his new series of work, he recreated a model of his family's living room from memory. Setting the scene with clay figures, and lighting the space from different angles, Licul created a tangible template to base his work off of. Working with oil on canvas and charcoal on paper, Licul composes worlds of vibrant color and sweeping motion. Covering the entire canvas with no blank space to spare, the work draws the viewer into a thrilling world. The paintings do not end at the edge of the frame but rather the viewer is encouraged to explore beyond what is seen. Some of the pieces included are more simple and straight forward, while others are more of a complex and abstract mystery. Either way, Licul captures your attention and drives you into a world of swirling, rich hues that you won't want to leave.

 

The black paintings, found object constructions, video and audio works are investigations of time passing, unfolding, expanding, and collapsing. They examine what we gather, what remains and what we leave behind. It's about the inherent struggle against nature and time, and how this defines us. 

 

Licul received his BFA in 1999 from Queens College in New York. His work has been shown in chashama galleries, The Umbrella Arts Gallery, The Sara Meltzer Gallery, among others. He has also collaborated with artist Kristin Anderson.