Angela Johal's Solo Exhibition "Chromesthetic Geometrics"
Bender Gallery is pleased to announce, “Chromesethetic Geometrics”, a solo exhibition featuring the stunning colorful geometric paintings of San Francisco Bay artist Angela Johal. Johal’s work is full of optimism and energy influenced, no doubt, by her growing up in the Bay area during the 1960s and 70s with the hard-edge, op art, psychedelic art and music from that era. She describes her work as “Neo Psychedelia” and “Chromesethetic”, as her intuitive approach to color theory is generated by the music she paints to. “Chromesthetic Geometrics” runs through May 31, 2021 during regular business hours. There will be a virtual tour of the exhibition available through Bender Gallery’s website.
Johal is a passionate disciple of the hard-edge geometric and Color Field painters of the 50s, 60s and 70s. Her meticulous work is informed by artists such as Ellsworth Kelley, Frank Stella, Kenneth Noland and Bridget Riley. The work can be described as “truthful”, with no external references or allusions, just the pristine smoothness of the surface and the bold colors. The clearly defined flat forms in Johal’s paintings appear rhythmic, hypnotic, and infinite, and often have a 3-D effect. Johal explains, “I use geometric shapes because they are understood by people of all ages, races, nationalities and cultures and I like my paintings to be easily understood and complicated at the same time."
Music is an integral component of Johal’s paintings and process. In fact, she is unable to paint without it. She selects the music for each painting and lets the music determine what colors she paints on the canvas. She calls her work “chromesthetic geometrics” because, as she states, “they are created in accompaniment to music where both together react directly upon the emotions, where there is a blending of the senses, a chromesthetic experience where heard sounds evoke an experience of sound on the canvas.” It is her hope that the paintings elicit the sense of a musical composition in the viewer.
Johal’s process is part painstaking and part intuitive. She begins by arranging cut out shapes or creating sketches of the overall composition, which is of utmost importance, balanced and full of energy. She then transfers the design onto a sanded canvas using tape, templates, or other tools to achieve a clean hard edge. Now the music begins. Using high quality acrylic paints, Johal spontaneously applies color to the canvas, letting the music guide her choices. Her understanding of Color Theory is instinctive yet effective and, along with her forms, creates a kind of dance on the surface.
Angela Johal (Mountain View, CA, 1962) lives and works in Livermore, CA. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Art (BFA) Magna Cum Laude in Painting from San Jose State University in San Jose, CA. Johal has taken part in solo and group exhibitions in prestigious institutes and galleries such as de Young Museum, San Francisco (2020), Mash Gallery, Los Angeles (2019), David Richard Gallery, Santa Fe (2018), SFMOMA Artist’s Gallery, San Francisco (numerous) and many more.
Johal's available work
Angela Johal Solo Exhibition Virtual Tour
Associated Artist
Associated Exhibitions
- Angela Johal Chromesthetic Geometrics
April 2, 2021 - May 31, 2021
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