At Lois Lambert Gallery “Truthiness”, opening September 7, 2019.

“Truthiness”, coined by Stephen Colbert, is the belief or assertion that a particular statement is true based on the intuition or perceptions of some individual or individuals, without regard to evidence, logic, intellectual examination, or facts. Truthiness can range from ignorant assertions of falsehoods to deliberate duplicity or propaganda intended to sway opinions. The concept of truthiness has emerged as a major subject of discussion surrounding U.S. politics during the 2000s because of the perception among some observers of a rise in propaganda and a growing hostility toward factual reporting and factbased discussion.

The chaos and controversy surrounding both cultural and political perceptions has prompted the Lois Lambert Gallery to invite 23 artists to address these concerns in their own particular way.

Martiros Adalian | The juxtaposition in Adelian’s pieces, between traditional subject matter and contemporary elements, seeks to question authority by giving historical figures of power a new and at times controversial context. The frequent use of caution tape throughout his work leaves no doubt at his skepticism for his subject. Martiros Adalian was born in Yerevan, Armenia and moved to the United States to pursue a career art.

Martin Bruinsma | “Meet You Half Way” and “Deceit” consisit of two 12-inch rulers that at a glance have all the acurate markings of a 12” ruler but are actually two different sizes. These are the first pieces of a new series for Bruinsma in which he explores the unsettling questions; “What if universal standards were arbitrary? And what happens when there is no mechanism to establish what truth is? How do we coexist when so many standards are currently in such a massive flux?” Bruinsma has exhibited in several galleries through out Los Angeles including the Lois Lambert Gallery in 2018.

Susan Connell | “My current work involves the study of women and the role of women in our society. I believe there is so much that society, particularly our society, believes about the form and role of women is true that is debatable.” Connell, who exhibited at Lois Lambert Gallery in 2017, continues her original process with oil stick, oil pastels, pencil and turpentine. She has shown her work extensively in Southern California and has worked closely with Tom Wudl, Phil Dike and Paul Darrow.

Geneva Costa | Geneva Costa uses the obfuscation of the female face as commentary on imposed identity and the censorship of thought. Her work was included in the collection of the Chancellor of the California State Universities. Costa has exhibited in California, Minnesota, Montana and South Dakota repetitively.

Chris Eckert | Chris Eckert continues, with this piece, to address the controversy about constant monitoring. “Every transaction, phone call, text, or place we visit is recorded and monitored by someone we don’t know, but who exactly does that information protect?” He has exhibited in Switzerland, Austria and throughout the US.

Michael Flechtner | “If the Shoe Fits” and “Angst Kraftwerk” (Fear Generator) are direct reactions to how easily cognitive dissonance and the propaganda power of repetitve lies influences the public and ultimately the elections. Michael Flechtner has exhibited his neon works extensively throughout the United States, Japan and Taiwan. He is the private collections of J.P. Morgan, Jean-Paul Gaultier in Paris, Merrill & Shirley Knopf, Frank Gehry, Katy Perry and Rihanna. He is also in the USPS Stamp Art Archives in Virginia and the public collections at the University of California, San Diego.

Chris Fraticelli | “What If You Don’t Have Bootstraps” challenges a long established American ideal that if you work hard enough you can accomplish anything. “We are told that to succeed in life all you have to do is pull yourself up by your bootstraps. This false motivation typically comes from people with power and money who have others pull their bootstraps up for them, but what happens if you don’t have bootstraps?” Fraticelli served in the marines as Captain and Platoon Commander diffusing and dismantling explosives. After his time in the military he worked in Los Angeles as a producer for Here Comes Honey Boo Boo and Jimmy Kimmel Live. Now, he creates assemblage art by breaking found objects and reassembling them.

Nancy Gifford | Gifford’s relationship with Leonard Cohen in the 60’s had a great impact on the use of text in her work. “My piece “Drowning Not Waving” is from a favorite poem. It was prescient in that I finished it a month before a major storm took out the mountain above our house in Montecito and a debris flow buried our village and friends.” “Rebekah is to Blame” has a performance element to it. There are cards on the wall with a website of that title for people to take away. It leads viewers to links which discuss the Mercer family and their impact on our election and Brexit.” Nancy Gifford’s film, Imaginary Novels, is currently on view in two venues in the San Marco Square at the 58th Venice Biennale. Her pieces can be found in the permanent collections of the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington D.C. and the National Gallery of Sydney, Australia.

Erick Jackson | “The Splendour” is a depiction of the mysterious death of Natalie Wood, inspired by one of the many rumors concerning a crime of passion that circulated during the investigation. “Even if the case is finally laid to rest there will still be a painting creating a pseudo truth of what happened versus what people choose to believe instead.” Erick Jackson exhibited at Lois Lambert Gallery in 2013 and has shown extensively throughout Washington D.C., California, Texas and more.

Jim Jenkins | “When I think of truthiness, I think of un-truths, false prophets, and weaselly folk. As it turns out the word “RAT” is an anagram of the word “ART” and thus the piece was conceived.” Jim Jenkins believes his role as a kinetic artist is best described as part sculptor, part engineer and part choreographer. Currently, he is a sculpture professor at California State University, Fullerton.

Phil Kho | In a world where people are digitally connected to each other, it is adversely true that people are more isolated and alone. Kho’s interest lies in the juxtaposition of the new and the old. Analog becomes a metaphor in his work for his interest in the past and ones roots. It reminds him that although the world is constantly changing there will always be a human longing to connect. For this show, Kho exposes the relationship between politics and it’s saturation by the press. Kho has been an urban designer for over 20 years and an artist for over 50 years.

David Krovblit | David Krovblit collages diverse references from popular culture, contemporary photography and 19th century botanical illustrations to create a fantasy universe in combination with a delicate weapon of destruction: the grenade. The union of fantasy and destruction creates a narrative about the relationship between the natural world and the world of war. David Krovblit’s career spans over a decade working as an advertising photographer shooting both national and international brands as well as his personal art photography.

Brian Leach | Leach’s work combines weaving calligraphic script with common Western and Japanese tattoo imagery. He reveals a quirky narrative, urgent impulses and forlorn musings. For Truthiness he once again uses a 5-sided box made of alderwood to address personal assertion regarding faith.

Dan Levin | Dan Levin’s piece, “WELCOME”, is made from a wooden fence with mirrors and security cameras attached to the top, a welcome mat sitting directly in front, and an american flag draped around the side. The piece is commentary on the unpredicatable situation at the US/ Mexico border. “Modern America was built by wave after wave of immigration. Historically, the US has welcomed newcomers when it was in the nation’s best interest to do so, and only then.”

Lucinda Luvaas | Lucinda Luvaas’ mixed media relief work transforms real life moments and scenery into a unique interpretation of the world. “Seeking Truth” is a protest to the rise of fake news by adovating that real truth is found not in the headlines but in nature. Luvaas’s work is a part of the permanent collections in the Brooklyn Museum, Bank of America and the Library of Congress.

David Quick | “My work seeks to provide perspective on how far we have come historically from an era when truthfulness was considered an ultimate virtue of the “super heroes” of American politics: George Washington who “never told a lie” and Abraham Lincoln whose nickname was “Honest Abe”, to the current circumstance where tens of millions of Americans seem totally unconcerned about honesty in the White House.” David Quick is an internationally renowned kinetic artist. He is a photographer-in-residence at Yosemite Museum, National Park Service and a founding board member of the Museum of Neon Art.

Joan Robey | Joan Robey’s “A Rose By Any Other Name” speaks to the tension at the US/Mexico border. Robey uses sanded plexiglass to create a hazed transparency over printed images. “The objects I use are specifically selected and are combined to become metaphors for psychological situations. Simple juxtapositions express and reflect tension and force, resulting in a multitude of dualities.” Robey has exhibited in museums and galleries across the United States for over fifteen years ranging from exhibitions at the Denver Art Museum to the Orange County Museum.

Daveed Shwartz | “Ministry of Truth” touches on the provocative censorship of book burning and an opposition to cultural, religious, or political expression. “Lipstick on a Pig” is a rhetorical expression, used to convey the message that making superficial or cosmetic changes is a futile attempt to disguise the true nature of a product or person. “I like to play with the process and experiment with nontraditional materials like cement, plaster, rubber, aluminum, and lead” Daveed Shwartz’s paintings and animation shorts have been exhibited nationally and internationally, including the inaugural show at The Skirball Museum in Los Angeles. He was awarded Winner of Best Animated Short at the 1MINUTO film festivals in San Paulo, Brazil in 2018.

Cynthia Sitton and Serena Potter | These two alumni painters from Laguna College of Art and Design have teamed up to paint realistic portraits of each other with a feminist twist: beards. The art world has a long and controversial history of masculine preference and malproportioned representation. These pieces are a response to the male dominated art world. “There are those who argue that women have as much a chance to succeed in the art world as a man, but the truth is that it takes much more. It takes a beard.” Serena Potter

Ted Swiet | Ted Swiet confronts the idea that there will always be another perspective outside of your own. His mixed media piece for the truthiness show forces the viewer to embrace one perspective while ignoring the other, creating a complicated, confusing and uncomfortable absorption of the truth. Ted Swiet was named one of San Francisco’s “Top 100 Innovators” by Levi Strauss & Co. His work has been collected all over the world including Japan, London and New York.

Guinotte Wise | Guinotte Wise is an award winning writer, a creative director and a well-collected sculptor. He is in the collection of Emprise Bank Collection, in Kansas—a progressive and arts-oriented business. Wise was last shown at Lois Lambert Gallery in 2017. Piece as of now, unknown.

Stephen Wolf | Stephen Wolf’s “Bicameral” is a multi-media installation representing the way voices and personas change when filtered through the prism of social media. The presentation encourages people walking through the room to question their belief system. A central theme of Wolf’s work is the disconnect between our actual lives and the world we think we live in. “On a daily basis and at an unprecedented rate, we are bombarded by aspirational images and messages that promise happiness, enjoyment and fulfillment. We buy into such promises and accept the reality-constructs supporting them but there is no true certainty that they will become real.” Stephen Wolf has exhibited at the Hoboken Gallery in New Jersey and the Angaelica Art Space in Washington. This is his first show at Lois Lambert Gallery.