Alejandro Gehry
Razzle 1 (detail), 2021/2022, oil and acrylic on canvas, 48 x 72 inches
Editor-in-Chief Amanda Quinn Olivar catches up with longtime friend Alejandro Gehry about Dazzle, his new exhibit at Gallery 169 in Santa Monica.
There was a sizzle of excitement running through the air when I walked into your jam-packed opening. The walls were blasted with color, drawing my eye to every corner of the room… surpassing the crowd. Your new abstract series is a considerable departure from the figurative work you're known for. What fueled this new direction?
These paintings came from a collaborative project. I was involved in working with my father [Frank Gehry]. They began as decorative, abstract, painted treatments for a 3-D model of a building in the planning process. Some paintings done during this phase were a mixture of abstract landscapes. Others were based on the geometric "Razzle Dazzle" patterns painted on ships during WWI and the post-war era. Over time, I introduced bright and primary colors into the works.
Can you share more about how you activated the patterns?
Applying that pattern to 3-D models created something new, especially on curved shapes and forms. I started incorporating primary and bright colors to keep the work from looking nautical or militaristic. As the paintings developed, the combination of Razzle Dazzle and the abstract landscapes took on a voice of their own. Hence the show title, Dazzle.
Razzle Diptych, 2021/2022, oil and acrylic on canvas, 60 x 96 inches
When did your obsession with art begin? Did growing up in Santa Monica inform your approach or aesthetic?
I am fortunate to have grown up surrounded by art. My parents were both involved in the LA art scene. I went to art openings and dinner parties in homes with significant art collections in my youth. My father could also tell that I was a visual child. He made sure that I learned about art from an early age. I could only watch Saturday morning cartoons once we had looked at an art book together. It was an early step into art history lessons. I was also lucky to have great art teachers in high school at SAMO [Santa Monica High School] and after-school classes at the Brentwood Art Center when I was young.
Do you recall a memory that influenced or changed your life/career?
Both my parents were big influences. Also, growing up with friends of my parents like Larry Bell, Alexis Smith, Chuck Arnoldi, Laddie Dill, Tony Berlant, Billy Al Bengston, Robert Graham, Claes Oldenburg, Ed Moses, Peter Alexander, Ken Price… they were and are huge influences as well. We have lost a few in recent years, unfortunately.
Razzle 1, 2021/2022, oil and acrylic on canvas, 48 x 72 inches
Is music significant to your practice?
Music has always been part of my process. A few years ago, I did create some portraits based on the women of the early punk scene. I listened to a lot of punk when working on that series. I keep music in the studio eclectic when working. I listen to everything except for current pop and new country. I have been listening to Nation of Language, DIIV, and BRONCHO.
What's next?
That's tough. I will continue working in abstraction; I want to return to the figure. A combination of the two could be possible. It will be colorful regardless.
What is your favorite art accident?
A Happy accident.
Alejandro Gehry and Amanda Quinn Olivar, 2023
Alejandro Gehry
Dazzle
Gallery 169
Los Angeles
December 10 — January 29, 2023
Born in Santa Monica in 1976, Alejandro Gehry graduated in 1998 with a BFA in Illustration from the Rhode Island School of Design. He is also a teacher of illustration and painting at the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts. Gehry has primarily worked in oils on a large scale. Honing in on his skills and aesthetic development, he finds himself pushing against societal boundaries. Gehry currently lives and works in Venice.