Various Small Fires and Jessica Silverman are pleased to present Tangerine Dreams, a group exhibition bringing together new work by Dashiell Manley, Hayal Pozanti, and Davina Semo. Drawing inspiration from the optimism that arises from the symbolism of Tangerines, hues of orange and red throughout the exhibition reverberate feelings of warmth, radiating energy and vitality. Employing unique modes of abstraction, the works on view each consider themes of time, language, and our lived environment to imagine a more fruitful, abundant future.
Dashiell Manley’s paintings emerged as an exploration of abstract landscapes, connected by the subtle, at times almost imperceptible, appearance of a horizon line that bisects the canvas at their midpoint and defines the bounds between earth and atmosphere. The newest works for VSF have energy that moves in one direction and then becomes interrupted by a new energy moving it in a different direction.
Referring to her new paintings as ‘visual poetry,’ over the last year, painting has become a means for Hayal Pozanti to practice being in the present moment, a tool to process emotions and reflect on the inner self thus, leading to works that are more colorful, gestural and intuitive.
For VSF Davina Semo has made a new cast-bronze Bell whose painted blue surface holds the history of the wax from which it is cast. The hanging bronze clapper invites viewers to ring the bell. On the wall is one of Semo’s Bearing pieces, which consist of warped acrylic mirrors shot through with constellations of radial ball bearings. Reflecting the viewer and the other artworks in the show, these pieces offer curatorial comment, drawing attention to and even coloring the conversation between the works.
_
Dashiell Manley (b.1983, Fontana, CA) has a BFA from CalArts and an MFA from UCLA. Manley’s work has been featured in international exhibitions, including the Hammer Museum’s 2012 “Made in L.A.” and the 2014 Whitney Biennial.
