Gary Garay

Rotaciones

Exhibition dates: January 15—February 19, 2022

LaPau Gallery is pleased to announce Rotaciones, a multimedia exhibition of work by Gary Garay that assembles ideas and materials related to transnational cultural and economic exchange. The exhibition presents sculpture, painting, and a site-specific gallery installation to reflect on the circulation of commodities and cultural signifiers within local and global contexts. 

A key component of the exhibition is the Abalone Disco Ball (2014), a sculptural installation created from discarded remnants of highly-commodified abalone shells. The intricate sculpture is a result of a two year collaboration with Mexican fisherman and diver Isasias Garcia Cruz, who Garay met and visited within remote Bahía Tortugas, Baja California, Mexico. Garay and Cruz arranged numerous abalone shells to form an iridescent vessel, a disco ball that slowly rotates with four directional lights. Refractions of light from the shell’s mineral deposits manifest deep energetic forces from the ocean and serve as a reflection of a particular time and space. 

The materiality of the abalone shell, along with the other works in the exhibition, are not only influenced by physical locations between the Pacific Ocean and Gulf of California, but the many people who create and negotiate new ways of living and working against the backdrop of global economic shifts.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Gary Garay (b. 1977) is a multi-disciplinary artist, performer, DJ, and record collector based in Los Angeles. His artistic practice is informed by his lived experiences crossing the U.S.-Mexico Border, recognizing and drawing attention to the rich and dynamic culture of everyday life. He is the founder of Mas Exitos music collective, host of the Dublab program Mas Exitos con Ganas, and co-founder of Discos Rolas, a record label and collaborative project dedicated to the cosmic sounds and musical histories of Latin America. Garay has exhibited and performed nationally and internationally, including exhibitions at Cell Gallery, Los Angeles (2016), Charlie James Gallery, Los Angeles (2016), The San Diego Museum of Art (2012), Santa Monica Museum of Art (2011), National Museum of Mexican Art, Chicago (2008), and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (2008), among others. He received his MFA from the University of California, San Diego in 2013 and BFA from ArtCenter College of Design in 2005.

Gary Garay

Flippin Bricks, 2013

Plastic bag, clear, tape, duct tape and brick.

1/2 x 8 x 8 inches 

(115.57 x 20.32 x 20.32 cm)

Photo by Monica Orozco

Gary Garay

Duty Free, 2013

Found wood and acrylic 

23 3/4 x 36 x 1/4 inches 

(60.3 x 91.4 x 0.6 cm) 

Photo by Monica Orozco

Gary Garay

Granite, 2018

Acrylic, Paint Flake on Wood 

20 x 20 x 2 inches

(50 x 50 x 5.0 cm)

Photo by Monica Orozco