Preview: Ron English “TOYBOX: America in the Visuals”

On Saturday, December 2, Corey Helford Gallery (CHG) in Downtown L.A. presents “TOYBOX: America in the Visuals,” the latest solo show from pop art visionary Ron English.

English's new body of work deconstructs the search for new meaning in a culture that is based on both imagination and the physical realities these human concepts are played against. The toy-based childhood imagination aesthetic of the work allows for a playful new look at a society in the throes of reinventing itself.

The exhibition, featuring 36 new oil paintings, as well as sculptures and installations, examines the creation of the self, and thus the greater society, as an act of imagination, a skill developed in childhood largely through the activity of play and the use of toys. Toys introduce a codified visual narrative of the individual and the archetypes that construct the collective narrative that is the underpinning of society.

One of the most prolific and recognizable artists alive, Ron English is considered the Godfather of Street Art and Seminal Pioneer of Pop Surrealism. For this exhibition, English has also co-produced a musical soundtrack to be performed by new character DJ Popaganda. The exhibition will also include a new outdoor mural and a pop-up store selling Ron's limited-edition toys.

The opening reception for “TOYBOX” will be hosted Saturday, December 2 from 7-11pm in Gallery 1 at Corey Helford Gallery. The reception is open to the public and on view through December 30.

About Ron English:
One of the most prolific and recognizable artists alive today, Ron English has bombed the global landscape with unforgettable images, on the street, in museums, in movies, books and television. English coined the term POPaganda to describe his signature mash-up of high and low cultural touchstones, from superhero mythology to totems of art history, populated with his vast and constantly growing arsenal of original characters, including MC Supersized, the obese fast-food mascot featured in the hit movie “Supersize Me,” and Abraham Obama, the fusion of America’s 16th and 44th Presidents, an image widely discussed in the media as directly impacting the 2008 election. Other characters carousing through English’s art, in paintings, billboards, and sculpture include three-eyed rabbits, udderly delicious cowgirls and grinning skulls, blending stunning visuals with the bitingly humorous undertones of America’s Premier Pop Iconoclast.

About Corey Helford Gallery:
Corey Helford Gallery (CHG) was first established in 2006 by Jan Corey Helford and her husband, television producer and creator, Bruce Helford (Anger Management, The Drew Carey Show, George Lopez, The Oblongs) and has since evolved into one of the premier galleries of New Contemporary art. Its goals as an institution are the support and growth of young and emerging, to well-known and internationally established artists, the production and promotion of their artwork, and the general production of their exhibits, events and projects.

CHG represents a diverse collection of international artists, primarily influenced by today’s pop culture and collectively encompassing style genres such as New Figurative Art, Pop Surrealism, Neo Pop, Graffiti and Street Art, and Post-Graffiti.

After nine years in Culver City, CHG relocated in December 2015 to a robust 12,000 sq. ft. building in Downtown Los Angeles, seven times larger than its original space, where it continues to host exhibitions within the heart of the city’s art community. The current space boasts three separate galleries, each of which house individual artist and group exhibitions, whereas the main gallery offers 4,500 sq. ft., providing total immersion for its attendees. New exhibitions are presented approximately every four weeks. For more info and an upcoming exhibition schedule, visit CoreyHelfordGallery.com.