Topanga Canyon Gallery to Exhibit Two New Solo Shows

By LILY TINOCO | Reporter

Palisadians have the opportunity to view two different “yet complementary” solo shows opening Saturday, January 29, at Topanga Canyon Gallery: “Pounds” by acrylic artist Ksenia Sadavodava, and “Unequivocal,” a first-time collection by photographer Patrick Ramsey.

Sadavodava is new to the gallery and comes to Los Angeles from Belarus, according to a press release.

She enjoys the “creative process … the positive feelings and emotions” that her work brings to people. She is self-taught in photography and traditional painting techniques, according to Topanga Canyon Gallery’s website.

“In an environment and time where art goes hand-in-hand with social rhetoric and narratives, I create something that does not carry a message of protest or satire,” Sadavodava said in a statement. “Simplicity is valuable to me. Ideas come from everywhere, but they grow best in solitude. Awareness is important, also the way you think and observe the world.

“I like contradictions and I think freedom is not something we can achieve, it is what we choose to have from the start in creating unconventional distinctive works.”

And although the show features a number of different themes, including social/political commentary, “poetry of city dwelling” and “intensity of women,” the commonality is the “uncompromising nature” of each image, according to the press release.

“Black and white is my preferred medium because it brings the entire focus to the subject,” Ramsey explained in a statement. “The subtleties of the infinite shades of gray, which is what we call black and white, gives form and dimension without distraction.”

Ramsey said every component of his work enhances a message, according to the Gallery’s website.

“My work centers on catching people being who they are, doing what they are doing, and of connections with people sharing something of themselves,” he said. “While the beauty may attract me, it’s the feeling of it which asks me to capture it.”

The shows will run from Saturday, January 29, through Sunday, February 13; 2 to 7 p.m. on Fridays and 12 to 5 p.m. on Sundays.

Masks are required inside and social distancing will be enforced.

For more information, visit topangacanyongallery.com.