This Saturday, May 10, Copro Gallery unveil three darkly wondrous exhibitions which will keep any lover of the darkly surreal satiated. Get ready for Rick Baker’s solo ‘The Good, Bad & Ugly (Mostly Ugly), Chris Mars’ solo ‘Symbiosis’, PLUS a Zdzislaw Beksinski Tribute group show featuring the works from 20 of today’s most talented and mystifying artists!
Taking you through the land of dreams and nightmares, into the depths of the human psyche and exploring the beautifully grotesque – don’t miss this special opening reception at Copro Gallery.
RICK BAKER ‘THE GOOD, BAD & UGLY (MOSTLY UGLY) – CHRIS MARS ‘SYMBIOSIS’ – BEKSINSKI TRIBUTE ‘UNTITLED’
Copro Gallery
Bergamot Station Arts Complex, 2525 Michigan Ave, #T5, Santa Monica, CA 90404, United States
Exhibition Dates: May 10 – May 31, 2025
Opening reception: Saturday May 10, 2025 – 7:00pm– 9:00pm. Rick Baker will be in attendance! Free and open to the public.
NEW HOURS: Friday 11-7PM- Saturday 1-5PM – Sunday 11-6PM
Ph: 310/829-2156
E-Mail: [email protected]
RICK BAKER’S ‘The Good, Bad & Ugly (mostly ugly)’ //
‘The Good, Bad & Ugly (mostly ugly)’ solo exhibition is artist Rick Baker’s first solo exhibition with Copro Gallery. The exhibit includes 22 original paintings and some incredible curiosities from Rick’s personal collection. Prints, books and posters will be signed and available and Rick will be present at the opening night May 10th.
Rick Baker is best known for his groundbreaking work in special effects makeup and is regarded as a living legend of the film industry. For over 40 years, he created some of cinema’s most iconic and innovative characters. He’s the record-holding winner of seven Academy Awards for Best Makeup and in 2012 was honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Although Baker retired from the film industry in 2014, he has never stopped honing his craft as an artist and continues to find ways to be creative every day. “I am fortunate to spend my retirement dedicated to my practice as an artist and the continuous exploration of creativity. This collection is the culmination of an intense and passionate period of painting. Through this medium, I uncover and explore the beauty within the grotesque”.
CHRIS MARS ‘SYBIOSIS’ //
This solo exhibition will be Chris’ 6th exhibition with the gallery, a relationship which started in 2004 when he began his journey from pastel into oil painting. His latest exhibition features over 20 amazing new oil paintings.
In his own words:
“The interaction between two different living organisms should be advantageous to both. Symbiosis is a natural state of being, essential in some form to each and every creature in existence. The evolution of symbiosis is mutualism, a subset of symbiosis in which interaction between two or more living organisms is specifically positive and beneficial to each.
This body of work reflects symbiosis, in each individual canvas in some way, and also in the act of its being taken in. The work requires being seen in order to be heard. It needs you, the viewer, to be relevant. My hope is that the dialogue it provokes advances the constructs of mutualism as well.”
Chris Mars
Chris Mars was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he still lives and works today. His pieces are held in numerous public collections including The Minneapolis Institute of Arts, The Erie (PA) Art Museum, The Tweed (Duluth, MN), The Longview (TX) Museum of Fine Arts and The Minnesota History Center. Public exhibition venues have additionally included The Mesa (AZ) Museum of Contemporary Art, The American Visionary Art Museum (Baltimore), Laguna (CA) Museum of Art, The Steensland Art Museum (Northfield, MN), Fredrick Weisman Art Museum (Minneapolis, MN) and Art Center South Florida, among others. His debut monograph, TOLERANCE, was published in late 2008. In addition to his painting, Mars endeavours in film and animation. An accomplished musician, Mars also released four solo albums (on Polygram and Bar None) subsequent to his tenure as drummer in The Replacements, a band he helped found in 1979 with Bob Stinson, Tommy Stinson and Paul Westerberg.
Zdzislaw Beksiński Tribute group art exhibit ‘UNTITLED’ //
Zdzislaw Beksiński was a Polish painter, photographer, and sculptor specializing in the field of dystopian surrealism. Beksiński made his paintings and drawings in what he called either a Baroque or a Gothic manner. Despite the grim subjects, Beksiński claimed some of his works were misunderstood; in his opinion, they were rather optimistic or even humorous. For the most part, Beksiński was adamant that even he did not know the meaning of his artworks and was uninterested in possible interpretations; in keeping with this notion, he refused to provide titles for any of his drawings or paintings. Before moving to Warsaw in 1977, he destroyed a selection of his works in his own backyard, without leaving any documentation concerning them. He inspired many artists and is considered a founder of the Dark Art movement.
For ‘Untitled’ these artists pay tribute to the master: Allen Williams, Brian Viveros, Chet Zar, Chris Mars, Christopher Ulrich, Craww, Dan Quintana, David Stoupakis, Dos Diablos, Gabe Leonard, Jeff Nentrup, Joe Vaux, John Chen, Mark Garro, Mark Covell, Matt Mrowka, N.C. Winters, Patrick Thai, Sonya Palencia, Vanessa Lemen & more.
About Copro Gallery //
The gallery, located at Bergamot Arts, is divided into two exhibition spaces, sometimes featuring a single artist but often two or three. Large group exhibitions are also featured often in conjunction with outside curators. In following with its original mission, Copro Gallery participates in International Art Fairs and curates outside exhibits to help promote their artists.
Focusing on museum quality installations showcasing emerging artists, Copro Gallery also exhibits many established and master painters. Placing works in private collections throughout the world, Copro strives to assist collectors new and experienced in building the most exciting collections possible.
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