'Reality of Illusions' Opens at Arushi in LA

“Reality of Illusions,” Arushi Gallery, Exhibition View. (Credit: Mara Friedman)

“Reality of Illusions” brings together works by Lindsey Nobel, LINZ, and Marta Solaz—three very different artists, united in their interest in artistic interpretation of inscrutable concepts of time, space, and emotions. In the artwork featured in the exhibit, Nobel, LINZ, and Solaz explore and attempt to answer three questions: “What Is?” that speaks to the present day and time; “What Was” that questions the past; and “What is to Come?” that tackles the idea of the future. The second overarching theme that unites these three artists addresses the emotional impact of space. The third theme is color: each of them paints in a very distinctive color that defines their work.

Speaking of the exhibit, Arushi’s founder and director Arushi Kapoor, says that the concept of this exhibit was born when she came across a line, believed to be by Albert Einstein, that said, “Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.” She adds, “The artists, Lindsey Nobel, LINZ, and Marta Solaz, showcase their starkly individual styles at the show. A key overlapping element in their artworks is that the artists translate the energy and vibrations they experience as females in Los Angeles onto their canvases. The artists were encouraged to deep dive into their lives and translate their experiences into their work. They invite the viewer to observe and explore their reality.”

WHAT: “Reality of Illusions” with artists Lindsey Nobel, LINZ, and Marta Solaz

WHEN: March 17 through April 10, 2022

WHERE: Arushi gallery, 1243 West Temple Street, Los Angeles

Lindsey Nobel, “Follow the moon,” 2022. Acrylic on canvas, 51 × 104 in (129.5 × 264.2 cm). (Courtesy: Mara Friedman).

Lindsey Nobel is an LA-based artist whose abstract expressionism is rooted in the principles of minimalism. Her work explores the unseen and suggested connections between human beings. Through paintings, she studies an apparent contradiction between the drive towards connection and persisting loneliness. In her “Gridded People” series, Nobel explores the digitalized connectedness humans now seek or are sucked into unknowingly. Her works focus on the point where we begin to lose control and surrender to the data-driven world. “My art is an expression of a deep-felt desire to create a future where our data is used to expand our consciousness and usher in a new era of peaceful coexistence for the benefit of humanity and the planet we occupy,” Nobel says.

Marta Solaz, “Coral Tree Diptych,” Part #1, 2021/2022. Acrylic and thread on canvas, 60 × 72 in (152.4 × 182.9 cm). (Courtesy: Mara Friedman).

Marta Solaz, who also lived in LA, explores the idea of resignification in her work—using a mixture of oil and acrylics combined with photographs, Solaz re-signifies women from the past to present-day situations. The artist says that “every aspect of our personality and life experiences can’t be removed but re-signified. We can give them a new meaning, transcend them and move on to the next level.” For this exhibit, Solaz presents her new collection entitled “We are Walking Trees,” which is focused on energetically growing. “Nourishing from the ancestral darkness of the roots to know who we are; then grow high seeking the light through our branches, creating fruits that will spread the seeds generating new trees, new creations, evolution.” She expands on the exhibit’s impact, noting that her art is about how we are all connected between ourselves, through space, and across time — to our ancestors—just like the roots of a big tree. “Any idea of separation is just an illusion. Colors are the vibration of experiences. Every lived experience is a color. This nuance that completes us is like a new color on the personal palette of our souls. That’s why I work on color ranges to absorb that vibration while I’m painting it.”

Marta Solaz, “I am a Walking Tree,” 2021. Acrylic and thread on canvas. 30 × 40 in (76.2 × 101.6 cm). (Courtesy: Mara Friedman).

The third artist featured is LINZ, also born and raised in California. She’s the first to admit that her art is “up for interpretation with a sense of chaotic order.” The artist uses her work to create an emotional connection to draw the viewer into an understanding of her world. Speaking of her bold pallet, she adds, “My colors express my projections of speaking loud, almost screaming. With art, I don’t feel judged; there is no wrong answer.” Her pieces for the exhibit reveal a strong and fearless artist who has found her voice and power within her work.