Coagula Curatorial (Los Angeles) is pleased to present Insect / Mammal, a two-artist exhibit of new distinct bodies of work by Abel Alejandre & Paul Paiement.

Abel Alejandre frequently explores the public and private spheres of masculinity, and while observing male codes of conduct through the men in his life, often makes use of the rooster as the central allegorical image. As he interprets this beautiful, regal, fierce, and common, creature, the artist highlights the similarities in how some men embody these qualities; its aim is to convince an opponent of its wisdom and prescience.

In his latest series, Constructed Monsters, Alejandre steps further into the animal side to depict the man who resists change. This man may respond with anger, frustration, indignity, and/or confusion. Constructed Monsters straddle the line between right and wrong.

Hybrids CS (ceramic sculpture) are the latest in Paul Paiement’s Hybrids series. The conceptual premise of this series is based on Max Wertheimer’s theories of visual perception and Gestalt psychology. At its core, this theory explores the boundaries between what we believe to be factual and what is fictitious. Paiement’s ceramics morph technological gadgets into insect shapes. At first glance they appear as representations of insect specimen. Upon further inspection, the viewer discovers that they are actually techno gadgets posing as bugs. Molds of hand-held techno devices such as Bluetooth speakers, Gameboy controllers and vibrators used for sexual gratification, are just some of the found objects used as a base for the finished sculpture. The gadgets are then cast in clay and porcelain. Using acrylic, Paiement transforms the gadgets by painting them to resemble various insect forms such as beetles, wasps, moths and butterflies.

Paiement uses the co-mingling of nature (insect) and technology (man made) to express the notion that mankind (including his creations) are not distinct from nature, but are nature. These little hybrid creatures suggest what will happen when mankind creates beings that are more intelligent, physically fit, and self-aware than their creators.

Abel Alejandre is an internationally exhibited artist who has exhibited at the Museum of Art & History Lancaster, National Museum of Mexican Art Chicago, Mesa Contemporary Art Museum, Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, Palos Verdes Art Center, among others. He is the recipient of the 2016 Metro Expo Line (Westwood/Rancho Park) Public Project. He is represented by Coagula Curatorial.

Paul Paiement has shown widely in solo and group shows in New York, Norway, Italy, the Netherlands, Canada, England, France, Austria, Japan, Chicago, and Southern California, including The Laguna Art Museum, Laguna Beach, CA; The Centré d’Art Contemporain, PontAven, France; The Center for International Culture, Milan, Italy; The Armory Center for the Arts, Pasadena, CA; and the Oxford Castle, Oxford, England. Coagula Curatorial has been exhibiting cutting-edge contemporary art since 2012.