Downtown Los Angeles’ Corey Helford Gallery is proud to announce their next major solo show with the return of Soey Milk. The Los Angeles-based, Korea-born portrait artist will premiere her third solo show at the gallery, entitled Ribbons and Connotations, on Saturday, July 3rd in the Main Gallery. Opening event details TBA.
A versatile artist, Milk works primarily with oils and watercolors to create an outstanding narrative universe that is at once tender and strange. Characterized by the high level of meticulousness, attentiveness to details, and powerful combinations of colors and shapes, her work evokes a certain level of sensibility and mysteriousness, floating between realism and abstraction. The porcelain faces of her often-nude muses reveal an interior less innocent and pure than lead on to believe at first glance.
Regarding her upcoming show at CHG, Milk shares: “I continue my diaries on this timeline called life. I gently look back and weep on what we have lost and soak in what’s been learned. The past year, the ribbon of connection I took for granted was slashed overnight, and it brought in what seemed like an endless storm of fear and anger.
In Ribbons and Connotations, I share my most recent works created during the coronavirus pandemic. Through creating in the time of new emerging rules and regulations of everyday life, I explore the simple gaze I longed for, the touch, the kiss, the powerful shared silence of understanding, and of course, love. Here, I present everything with appreciation.”
She adds, “Our ever so unique and shimmering bands of life have been detached from each other, created blunt cuts and frayed edges, but I believe in the mending and healing of cuts, which will become a base for a new bloom. Whether it is a cut or a new flowering, the stories I know and tell are the ones I have lived and know.”
In their interview feature to promote her last solo exhibition at CHG, 2018‘s Inflorescence, WOW X WOW described Milk’s work as, “The figurative paintings of Soey Milk combine the raw power and confidence of her bold brushwork with the profound intimacy she infuses into the rendering of her stunning protagonists. A master at making opposites sing together in harmony, Milk interweaves realism with abstraction, innocence with maturity, sweetness with devilishness, to create beautifully intelligent imagery, offering multi-layered dimensions of not only an aesthetic nature, but on an emotional level also. Her often large-scale works serve as a means for Milk to process meaningful life events, discoveries and emotions, and upon each works completion, her library of mark making becomes a library of thoughts and feelings, a diary if you will, only one which has the ability to speak to us in ways where mere words would fall short.”
Ribbons and Connotations premieres Saturday, July 3rd in the Main Gallery, alongside a solo show from Korin Faught in Gallery 2. Corey Helford Gallery is located at 571 S. Anderson St. Los Angeles, CA 90033, and normal hours are Tuesday – Saturday, from 12:00 pm – 6:00 pm.
Please note: The gallery has resumed partial visiting hours (Thursday through Saturday from 12:00 pm – 6:00 pm). In accordance with LA County Public Health restrictions, maximum occupancy is restricted to 12 people at a time, mask-wearing and social distancing are mandatory. In accordance with CDC guidelines, guest temperatures will be checked using an infrared scanner upon entry.
About Soey Milk:
Born in 1989 in Seoul, Korea, Milk moved to Los Angeles at age 11. She earned her BFA from The Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA. Milk’s early path was leading her to become a ballerina, but after she was first introduced to painting, she forthwith found a new passion to pursue. Some of the ballet dimensions remained, as she was still strongly drawn to human anatomy, which was a cornerstone for the development of her painterly pursuits.
Milk has exhibited her work nationally and internationally, in addition to her work being featured in Juxtapoz, Beautiful Bizarre Magazine, American Art Collector, Hi-Fructose, and on multiple online platforms. In 2017, she was commissioned by John Mayer to create the cover and sleeve art to his album The Search for Everything.
She currently lives in Pasadena, CA with her partner, Kent Williams, seven beautiful chickens, and a cat-dog Shiba Inu. Milk also teaches as part of the Mentor/MFA Program at The Laguna College of Art and Design in Laguna Beach, CA.
About Corey Helford Gallery:
Corey Helford Gallery (CHG) was first established in 2006 by Jan Corey Helford and her husband, television producer and creator, Bruce Helford (The Conners, Anger Management, The Drew Carey Show, George Lopez) and has since evolved into one of the premier galleries of New Contemporary art. Its goals as an institution are the support and growth of young and emerging, to well-known and internationally established artists. CHG represents a diverse collection of international artists, primarily influenced by today’s pop culture and collectively encompassing style genres such as New Figurative Art, Pop Surrealism, Neo Pop, Graffiti and Street Art. CHG is located in Downtown Los Angeles in a robust 12,000 square foot building presenting new exhibitions approximately every six weeks. For more info and an upcoming exhibition schedule, visit CoreyHelfordGallery.com and connect on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
