LA RANDOM (SWAPMEET)
MACO (Museum of Contemporary Art Oaxaca) Exhibition 2018
LA RANDOM 2
LA RANDOM 3
A jagged kaleidoscope of iPhone photos, appropriated street art and digitally altered images peppered with ground glass, powdered pigments and enamel spray paint comprise the underpinnings of Peter Liashkov’s vigorous L.A. RANDOM Posters. Through the layered use of black and white Xerox print transfer printing of photos, torn phone pole ads, Mylar and applied paint, the artist provides a peek into the psyche of the city of Los Angeles. Startled faces are juxtaposed against expanded graphics, linear elements created through the ToonCamera App rub up against darkened silhouettes. Throughout, the struggle and richness of cross-cultural living is apparent.
Born in Rouen, France Liashkov moved to Argentina with his Russian emigrant parents here he lived for 6 formative adolescent years. The L.A. RANDOM Posters, focused largely on existence in the Latino community of LA, present vividly modernistic images that oddly parallel Dutch scenes of everyday live in Rembrandt’s time. It seems likely that the artist’s complex cultural background (Russia-France-Argentina-LA) contributes to his explosive collage/posters that combine digital techniques and fashionable materials with examination of quotidian life, creating striking images that are both familiar and foreign, timeless and contemporary.
Susanna Meiers
Art Gallery Director/Curator, El Camino College