Congratulations to TAG Gallery's 2020 California Open prize winners. Nakyung Lee, Keri Haarhoff, and Bryan Northrop take first, second and third place. Taz Essa, Andrew Leventis, and Joseph Moreno earn honorable mentions.
CONGRATULATIONS NAKYUNG LEE
2020 CALIFORNIA OPEN
FIRST PLACE WINNER
NAKYUNG LEE
IMAGINARY LANDSCAPES II
Juror Kate Mothes says:
“I am so drawn in by the texture and the depth of the paint and the material. It's mysterious to me as to how it was made as a painting, and an abstracted idea of a landscape. It's a place that I want to go, and check this place out and see what else is around me. To me one of the most powerful things when it comes to looking at a piece of work is when you want to somehow experience more.”
SECOND PLACE
KERI HAARHOFF
DEMENTIA
Juror Kate Mothes:
“Viscerally I think you can relate to this idea of memories or consciousness or this understanding of your surroundings seeping out of you and that your body is not quite with you in the way you thought it was. I think the texture of this in clay is so perfect to communicate those ideas which can be really tough and quite sad as we get old, but also as a means of reflecting on how the way things have come to be the way they are.”
THIRD PLACE
BRYAN NORTHUP
TRAP OF EXCESS
bryannorthup.com | instagram | facebook
Juror Kate Mothes:
“The material quality of this just got me. I could not let got of the sushi rolls. When I started looking at the details and the fact that so much is everyday materials like drinking straws and the dinged up cooler lid, it felt so real to me. There is something so fine about the detail in this, I want to take it off the wall and eat it!“
HONORABLE MENTIONS
TAZ ESSA
RACISM IS A PANDEMIC (HOLLYWOOD, CA 6.7.20)
Juror Kate Mothes:
“In this particular moment it captures all of the protests and activism that have been happening. This image spoke to me as the way she positioned this image is a monument for now and for our future. The message and the way she composed this image is really powerful.”
ANDREW LEVENTIS
FREEZER BOX (VANITAS)
andrewleventispainting.com | instagram | facebook
Juror Kate Mothes:
“I love this piece, and I think it's one of those hyper real moments. You know exactly what this experience is for yourself.
These last several months I've found myself staring into the freezer way more often than I normally do because I didn't have anywhere else to go. It seemed like a snapshot in time of this particular moment.”
JOSEPH MORENO
I KNOW ALONE
Juror Kate Mothes:
“It feels so simple when you look at it, you have to walk up to it. There's something about the beautiful way that the sun hits those lashes. The title made it powerful because there's something about the expression in the subject's face that makes me think It's a solo person in the image, but there's a lot of hope and confidence in this image and that's super powerful. There is depth and identity to this image.”
The art and artists of California Open 2020 exhibition are showing at TAG through October 1. We invite you to take a closer look at our Window, North, West, East, and South galleries, with social media links included to learn more about each artist in our expanded online showcase. Visit our online exhibit >
