Wilding Cran Gallery is currently showcasing PSYCHOMANIA, an exhibition of recent oil paintings by Los Angeles-based artist Alex Becerra. This collection of works reflects on Becerra’s travels to the Yucatan Peninsula, presenting a fantastical landscape that delves into the complexities and curiosities of the human condition.
The exhibition features three large-scale canvases, each a terrain inspired by the artist’s emotional experience of the Yucatan’s vibrant scenery, heritage, and folklore. Becerra invites the viewer into a vivid world of contrasting pigments and rich textures.
Becerra’s artistic approach is maximalist, engaging in an improvisational dialogue with his materials. He utilizes a variety of techniques, from traditional brushwork to using his fingers, a palette knife, and even the last remnants squeezed from paint tubes, to cover every inch of his canvases.
One featured painting, Chiccharon (Happy Pretty), depicts a scene overflowing with dense jungle greenery. Striking reds and oranges cut through layers of lush greens, blues, and yellows, creating moments of unexpected intensity. The work balances abstract and representational elements, resulting in a controlled chaos that offers entry points and moments of clarity for the viewer.
The spontaneous brushstrokes and vibrant colors in Becerra’s canvases reflect his investigations into the ecstasy and catharsis of creation, exploring both raw freedom and vulnerability. In Bathers (After a lot of other Painters in the history of Art), Becerra references art historical depictions of nature as a setting for solace and renewal. Amidst deep purples and bright oranges, the outlines of four female figures in neon green allow the jungle backdrop to permeate their forms, intertwining them with their surroundings. Inspired by Yucatan folklore, this painting evokes a spiritual connection to the land, capturing both the tranquility of the jungle and the internal conflicts it can stir.
Throughout the gallery space, the jungle of PSYCHOMANIA mirrors the emotional landscape of creation – a realm where joy and frustration, curiosity and anxiety, are deeply intertwined. Through his exploration of both his internal world and his travel experiences, Becerra invites viewers to discover the stories within each painted gesture, encouraging them to lose themselves in a labyrinth of consciousness.
Alex Becerra (born in Piru, California) lives and works in Los Angeles. His work spans painting, drawing, and sculpture, exploring modern perspectives.
Rooted in the history of Modern European painting, and specifically influenced by German Neo-Expressionism, Becerra demonstrates a unique ability in his handling of oil paint. He applies it in thick, sweeping lines of impasto, often raised inches off the canvas. His compositions incorporate classical painting subjects, including self-portraiture, the female nude, still life, and genre scenes, often punctuated with recurring, context-specific objects like beer bottles and car rims.
These seemingly ordinary symbols carry personal significance, relating to Becerra’s upbringing in Southern California and his subsequent entry into the international art world. Becerra’s highly referential work possesses a distinct aesthetic and energetic vibrancy.
Becerra has had solo exhibitions at Galerie Timonier, New York, NY; Shane Campbell Gallery, Chicago, IL; Karma International, Beverly Hills, CA and Zürich, Switzerland; Weiss Berlin, Germany, and One Trick Pony, Los Angeles, CA. His work has also been featured in numerous group exhibitions, including those at VETA by Fer Francés, Madrid, Spain; Jeffrey Deitch Gallery, Los Angeles, CA; Kunstraum Potsdam, Germany; Wilding Cran Gallery, Los Angeles, CA; The Journal Gallery, New York, NY; Richard Telles Gallery, Los Angeles, CA; The Green Gallery, Milwaukee, WI; M+B Gallery, Los Angeles, CA; Journal Gallery, Brooklyn, NY; and Ben Maltz Gallery, Westchester, CA.
PSYCHOMANIA is Alex Becerra’s first solo exhibition with Wilding Cran Gallery.
