Corey Helford Gallery For Immediate Release 3/27/2009 presents , CA Gary Baseman “La Noche de la Fusión”

Opening Reception Saturday, May 2, 2009 Festival begins at 6:30pm and Gallery Reception from 7 to 10pm On View May 2 until May 23, 2009

Corey Helford Gallery is proud to present “La Noche de la Fusión”, a colorful and climactic solo exhibition of new works by Perva- sive Los Angeles artist Gary Baseman. Joining Corey Helford for the fi rst time, Baseman will transform the gallery into a Carnivalesque festival celebrating the beauty of the bittersweetness of life. His new works of paintings and sculptures culminate in a synergetic event fusing visual art and a pan-cultural celebration. Open to the public, “La Noche de la Fusión” kicks off with an outdoor festival at 6:30pm followed by a gallery reception from 7 to 10pm on Saturday, May 2. Guests are encouraged to come in costume as their TRUE FANTASTIC SELF to the opening, and the exhibition will be on view until May 23, 2009.

For “La Noche de la Fusión”, Baseman breathes life into his characters in this latest collection of work, notably introducing his Carni- vale Girls, inspired by Brazil’s Carnivale, and the Enlightened Chou to the world. The Enlightened Chou breaks down the arbitrary walls imposed by societal convention that often prevent happiness and a true sense of self. While the globe is full of immense uncertainty, insecurity, and fear, Baseman’s work encourages us to destroy those negative forces in a ceremonial ritual, celebrating the madness of our lives. In addition to Baseman’s paintings and sculptures, a series of Enlightened Chous as interpreted by artisans from Thailand, India, Mexico, Brazil, Russia and the US will highlight the blending of Baseman’s various cultural infl uences as well as the craftsmanship found throughout the world. The exhibition will also feature new drawings rendered inside vintage books that Baseman acquired during his world travels last year. He transforms these found “ephemera” that are written in Hebrew, Russian, Japanese, and Chinese into the language of visual art. A unique celebration, the opening reception will be a one-of-a-kind live art experience featuring live performers, live music, beautiful women in Baseman-inspired Carnivale costumes, come-to-life Baseman characters, and a ritual transformation ceremony. An experi- ence not to be missed, the opening for “La Noche de la Fusión” will be a night of fusing and melting cultures, of blurring lines of real- ity, and of melting the walls and forces that hold one back. This past year, Baseman obliterated the boundaries of geography through his workshops, lecture series, and exhibitions in Russia, Brazil, Argentina, Barcelona, Italy, Cyprus, Thailand, Japan, and Israel. He observed the alarming rate at which the world is shrinking as a result of the accessibility of technology and discovered how closely fused so many different countries and cultures have become. During his travels, he fi lled sketchbook after sketchbook with characters infl uenced by the locales he visited. “Eventually I discovered a deity creature who can melt all the arbitrary boundaries away. He is formed from the same origin of one of my other creatures named ChouChou (the little fellow that takes away all the negative energy from girls and oozes out creamy, gooey love from his belly button). This new, all-seeing, all-knowing presence goes beyond the removal of fear and insecurity. He gives us complete freedom to know no limitations in our consciousness. He is an Enlightened Chou. It resembles my ChouChou character, only he has three more ChouChou heads on top of his head. It’s all part of fusing these different cultures and ideas together.” This new collection of work is also inspired by tales of desire, intrigue and living life to the fullest - the fi rst heartbeat, the last kiss, the fi nal breath, all of which exist in the mythical realm. A world we don’t often enter because society keeps us in the lines. Baseman’s paintings and sculptures evoke ideas of power and passion, of laughter and joy from a different dimension, and a true atmosphere of desire where insecurities and fears are destroyed. As Baseman says, “the bottom line is this is a hard, crazy life, but it is worth it, and we should celebrate. We all should celebrate.” {more} Gary Baseman: Pervasive Artist. Painter. TV/Movie Producer. Toy Designer. Curator. The describes his art as “ador- ably perverse.” One of the leaders of the Los Angeles underground art movement who coined the term “pervasive art,” Mr. Baseman blurs the line between toy culture and fi ne art with his strong iconic images, both playful and dark, childlike and adult, id driven and thought provoking. Mr. Baseman’s work is Surreal. Innocent. Lustful. Honest. Everywhere. In addition being a world renowned painter, Mr. Baseman is also the three-time Emmy award winning creator/executive producer of the animated series and fi lm “Teacher’s Pet,” a former artist for , Time, and , and the designer for the best selling game “Cranium.” Entertainment Weekly Magazine named Mr. Baseman one of the 100 Most Creative People in Entertainment. For more information about the artist, please visit www.garybaseman.com. Located in the Culver City Art District, Corey Helford Gallery was established in April 2006 by Jan Corey Helford and her husband, television producer and creator, Bruce Helford (The Drew Carey Show, George Lopez, The Oblongs). Passionate art collectors, the Helfords are producers on the art documentary The Treasures of Long Gone John and have partnered to open their fi rst gallery. Corey Helford Gallery presents a wide range of artists, from members of the new fi ne art movement, such as Gary Baseman, Andrew Brandou, Coop, Natalia Fabia, Korin Faught, Sylvia Ji, Eric Joyner, and award-winning photographer Chris Anthony, to early Mod- ernist William S. Schwartz. Notable shows include “Charity By Numbers”, which was co-curated by Gary Baseman and featured an unprecedented lineup of artists including Mark Ryden, Marion Peck, , Todd and Kathy Schorr, Camille Rose Garcia, and Michael Hussar. Corey Helford Gallery presents new exhibitions approximately every four weeks. For more information and an upcom- ing exhibition schedule, please visit coreyhelfordgallery.com. Corey Helford Gallery Press and Media Inquiries 8522 Washington Boulevard Angelique Groh | Charm School Culver City, CA 90232 [email protected] T: 310-287-2340 T: 323-363-9338 www.coreyhelfordgallery.com Open Tuesday - Saturday, Noon to 6:00pm

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