Press Release for Walpa D'Mark Solo Show

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

EXHIBITION: WALPA D'MARK|A BRIGHT FUTURE

Dates:
March 5 - March 27, 2010
Reception: Saturday, March 6: 4 pm - 9pm

The Livingroom is proud to announce a solo exhibition of Los Angeles based artist Walpa D'Mark, featuring his massive sculptures, installation art, and paintings. Drawing from his Nicaraguan roots, the artist creates DIY cardboard and mixed media maquettes of primitive monuments that explore the metaphor of the artist as God. Or
gods? With overtones of von Daniken's book "Chariots of the Gods,"
Jason Rhoades, and Mayan archaeology, the works combine mastery of
bright colors using collage and the search for spiritual loci within
our media-saturated lifestyles. D'Mark search for solitude of the
celebration of the individual artist as shaman or priest parallels the
potential fall of mankind from the state of grace as a positive act of
discovering ultimate freedom. His sculptures, similar to religious
icons, focus on the juxtaposition of figurative theological symbols
with fanciful abstraction that explores the decorative pattern of
cultural archetypes as well as the lost innocence which marks our
transition into a world where people write their realities rather than
absorbing its wondrous beauty. The artist's use of everyday materials
such as light bulbs, a table top, foam, and faux rocks implies that
art serves an alchemist's function where ordinary media such as glue
and paper can comprise spiritual work that is embedded in powerful
ideas about history, religion, archaeology, and poetry. D'Mark hopes
to instill a sense of awe within his viewers as they walk through
these all-encompassing artifacts like a cathedral of creativity.

In conjunction with D'Mark's installation art, there is a separate
presentation of the large-scale paintings of the artist. With a
lyrical and profoundly humorous palette, the artist examines the
themes of theological icons and Latin American history within the
context of a globalized world where the visual poet constructs a new
world from the most basic of archetypes ranging from the sun to the
earth. These landscapes of a seemingly pristine paradise reflect our
obsessive interest in the occult as a counterbalance to an
increasingly scientific world view. D'Mark's perception of our
mysterious universe demonstrates his fearless approach in the
portrayal of the passionate conflict between identifiable forms and
amorphous mysticism.

Walpa D'Mark is a sculptor, painter, curator, and installation artist
who lives and works in Torrance, California. He is a graduate of
California State University, Long Beach and Claremont Graduate
University. He has exhibited in the East Gallery at Claremont Graduate
University, Gallery 314, Greenleaf Gallery, Track 16 Gallery, High
Energy Construct, and Mark Moore Gallery. "A Bright Future" is D'Mark
first solo exhibition in Salt Lake City.

THE LIVINGROOM is a contemporary art salon devoted to conceptual
projects founded by Salt Lake City artists Julie Dunker and qi peng.
The space is located in the Holladay district at 2105 Fardown Avenue.
The hours are Friday, 3pm - 6pm; Saturday, 10 am-3 pm; and by
appointment. For more information, call (505) 228-1268 or email:
thelivingroom.art@gmail.com.