Bennett Slater ‘YONDER!’ Solo Exhibition @ Corey Helford Gallery [Los Angeles]

We’ve long appreciated the work of Canadian artist, Bennett Slater. Using traditional methods of oil painting on wood, he demonstrates remarkable skill and ability when it comes to realism, but the way he chooses to utilize these talents is what’s most interesting. Too often, we see artists rest on their abilities to replicate subjects with photographic accuracy resulting in work that feels far too technical and sterile to engage with. Slater pulls out some fancy tricks, but always does so in the service of the pieces, while inserting warmth, and humor. His work is inviting and comforting, yet lively and playful. His subjects are often still lifes and vintage knick-knacks. His influences range from the Dutch and Flemish masters to the kitschiest elements of pop culture and hacky B-movies. These worlds collide in ways that generate a surrealistic sort of nostalgia where dynamic, beautifully rendered imagery leaps out in ways that offer something simultaneously familiar and bizarrely foreign. Some of my favorite pieces feel almost like John Waters was tapped to reboot Twilight Zone.

Slater‘s latest collection of work will be on display at Corey Helford Gallery in Los Angeles beginning this Saturday, June 29th. Titled YONDER!, this marks the artist’s 3rd solo exhibition at the gallery, following Giving Up The Ghost (Nov. 2021) and Homemade Easy (Nov. 2020). Bennett is a consistent standout whenever he’s included in group shows, so it’s always great whenever we can see him do a full show of his own presented as one complete vision. YONDER! will feature 20 new oil paintings created over the better part of a year.
Bennett Slater offers the following artist statement regarding his new collection:

“It’s a grand ol’ journey west! Tumbling weeds, living skies, and dusty trails don’t tell the whole tale. This series kicks over the logs of the fabled west and spies a gander at the wild critters that scuttle out. With the promise of the West, came the ideal of wealth and opportunity, but while the train laid its tracks down and screamed across the wild plains, it wasn’t slowing for anything in its path. The wild roses of the land were ripped up by the roots and replaced with cold iron. The vibrant colors and shapes of the land, the people, and the cultures were stripped away to build monuments to a new world ‒ totems of a hollow promise. This series explores the dualities of past and present, elemental and manufactured, love and loss, spirit and ego. The land holds no secrets, and it’s ready to reveal what awaits…YONDER!”

If you’re in the Los Angeles area this weekend, we highly recommend checking out this show. If you need an additional incentive, YONDER! will be opening alongside Kirbyvision: A Tribute to Jack Kirby. The group show paying homage to the late King of Comics includes a piece by Bennett Slater and will be on display in the main gallery at CHG. Meanwhile, a collection of rare Kirby originals, curated by the Jack Kirby Museum And Research Center, will be viewable in Gallery 3. All of the art will be on display until August 3rd, so there’s time to get out and see it, but this opening night should be bananas for those who can make it.

Check out preview images for the exhibition below the following event details…

WHAT:

YONDER!
Bennett Slater solo exhibition

WHEN:

Opening:
Saturday, June 29th, 2024
7pm-11pm

WHERE:

Corey Helford Gallery
[Gallery 2]
571 S Anderson St (Enter on Willow St)
Los Angeles, CA 90033
Phone: (310) 287-2340

ADDITIONAL INFO:

Opening is ALL AGES w/NO COVER
Many artists will be in attendance
Show on view until Saturday, August 3rd, 2024
Gallery hours: Tues – Sat. noon – 6pm