Stephania Gambaroff is announcing her first solo exhibition titled “Augmented” which examines the cultural and interpersonal implications of new technologies. Known for her socially-conscious art and film projects, Gambaroff’s work questions technocratic boundaries with a visionary perspective. The exhibition will open on Saturday, March 31, 2018 from 6pm – 10pm at the Keystone Art Space in Downtown Los Angeles.
“In this show, I explore the physical and moral dissonances generated as our bodies merge into ‘virtuality,’” says Gambaroff. “Information is becoming more disembodied in this age of artificial intelligence and even with frequently-reoccurring, emotionally-numbing events like mass shootings. There is an incongruity that exposes the urgent need for society to undergo a radical shift and to create a new framework for impactful actions, ideas and social relations. This is how a real revolution can occur, and why I choose a specific medium for this body of work.”
The show will feature large scale pieces created with spray paint and stencils and smaller scale sculptures created with street-inspired, contemporary materials like cement and plastic. “Stencils have historically played a key role in starting revolutions,” says Gambaroff. They are like a self-replicating algorithm. Even though most of my stencils are only used once, I am fascinated with stencil street art for its distributive nature. One piece can create a swarm and quickly spread all over the world. It’s also reflective of how social media works with images being infinitely shared and reproduced.”
Gambaroff’s creative process is almost entirely digital. She first draws images on her iPad Pro and then creates multi-layered stencils. “It is only when I spray paint that my process has something to do with the past,” she says. Her work seduces the eye with bright florescent colors, and then the viewer realizes there’s a deeper message, a provocative questioning. Her images range from a yellow two-headed anime-eyed creature in a wheelchair, to a large blue three-headed hybrid baby, and a portrait of two-headed hybrids with prosthetics, and bodies clad with VR headsets.
“This is what humanity will look like in the near future,” says Stephania. “And this is the human/machine merge of today.”
Guests at the exhibit will also be invited to take part in an interactive virtual reality experience during the show.
ABOUT STEPHANIA GAMBAROFF
Stephania Gambaroff is a Russian-born American artist and filmmaker based in Los Angeles. She produces videos, paintings and sculptures during the day and develops responsive systems and algorithms at night. She received her BFA in Sculpture at Concordia University in Montreal, and a diploma of Sculpture from Serov Art School. She has also lived and exhibited in Montreal, New York and San Francisco.