Capturing the magical glow of the golden hour, the wealthy blue of early night, and the butter-yellow of morning, Seth Armstrong transports us to Southern California in his ongoing sequence of oil work. Vibrant bungalows, electrical strains, palm timber, and shrubs dot the foothills that form Los Angeles, with the San Gabriel Mountains usually rising within the background.
Greenery performs a central position in Armstrong’s suburban portraits, revealing and concealing roads, houses, and infrastructure—evocative of the town’s status as a spot the place any dream appears doable. But its sprawling neighborhoods, immense wealth, and locus of the leisure business are inclined to obscure undercurrents delivered to gentle by current immigration protests or final yr’s devastating wildfires.
Subsequent month, Armstrong opens a solo exhibition titled Subrosa at Unit London, borrowing from the Latin phrase “under the rose,” signifying secrecy or discretion. The artist attracts upon his personal observations of his L.A. neighborhood throughout lengthy, early-morning walks together with his younger son.
Considered from a distance, the hillside neighborhoods seem idyllic, even paradisiacal, however he hints at out-of-frame parts on this metropolis always in flux: simmering socio-political tensions, scorched mountains and fire-leveled houses, and palpable financial disparities. Typically persons are current, half-hidden in home windows and infrequently solely noticeable when seen up-close. “There’s substance behind the forms,” Armstrong says. “Sometimes you get a peek inside. Sometimes you don’t.”
Subrosa runs from July 9 to August 17. See extra on Armstrong’s web site and Instagram.
