Contemporary Art Matters is proud to present The Devil’s in the Details, an exhibition of works by Los Angeles area based artists Amir H. Fallah, Asad Faulwell and Wendell Gladstone.

Contemporary Art Matters is proud to present The Devil’s in the Details, an exhibition of works by Los Angeles area based artists Amir H. Fallah, Asad Faulwell and Wendell Gladstone. Part of the art world is the coming together of artists, having colleagues and friends with whom to discuss ideas, techniques and share the trials and travails of being an artist. These three are close friends and though they each have their own unique voice, they share a global perspective, a sensitivity to the human condition and a style that pays close attention to every detail. The exhibition runs from September 22nd to November 3rd.

As making art is a solitary endeavor, the artistic support of artist friends is vital. Each community of artists gather, debate, learn from and compete with one another, offer support, commiserate and celebrate together. There are famous haunts from the Cafe de Flore in Paris to the Cedar Tavern in New York where artists, writers and philosophers gathered. With today’s global art community, there are pockets of culture flourishing in locales around the globe. Los Angeles has a vibrant art scene with a rich and diverse artist community. These three artists reside in different corners of the city, yet remain close friends. Sometimes getting together, sharing knowledge is practical, offering tips on materials and resources, while other times it can be just fun. In all cases, artists need one another to grow, to push each other, bring out the best in each other.

Amir H. Fallah was born in Iran, and relocated to the United States as a child. His highly detailed style is inspired by the art of his heritage and a wide range of sources from children’s books to Post-war art, all with a progressive and inclusive global perspective. The artist’s use of patterning and hatch marks harken back to the lush patterns of Islamic and Middle Eastern Art. The works in this exhibition may appear deceptively uncomplicated at first glance, but within the figure and the bouquet-like arrangements there lives an immense intricacy and depth of mark making. The hatched marks that tick up and down across to create the patterning draping the figure in Peace (2022) boggle the mind on close inspection- as well as the dot pattern bands that literally frame all of his paintings.

Asad Faulwell is American born and also of Iranian descent. His works are very much influenced by those roots, as well as the Pattern and Decoration movement of the 1970’s. He mines mythology for inspiration to explore cultural identity and shifting power structures. His densely packed paintings fill the canvas, leaving nothing untouched by a mark, a map pin pushed through the surface, or other collaged elements. The subjects and the narratives are enhanced with the decorative techniques as compositional elements and speak to other cultures and histories.

Wendell Gladstone takes his own approach to comb a rich trove of resources from Surrealism to Aztec carving that make up his narrative and technical approach. The large figures are presented in a dreamlike state, integrated into the abstract composition using various materials and techniques. The complex surfaces offer texture and enhance the images represented. The artist interests are vast and the combinations of imagery vary, the overall results have a retro feel paired with a 21st century vision.

Each of the artists in this trio represent the new generation of painters that is well versed in art history, abreast of world affairs, critically minded, culturally savvy, with a global perspective and mad painting skills. They offer art that entices the viewer with beauty, intellect and challenges them with new visions for the future.