Modern Minimalist Ramses Granados & Substrate Gallery
Chiaroscuro and Icelandic music are passions of mine – They aren’t often mentioned in the same context, but as with all things L.A., anything is possible, and their pursuit strangely led me to cross paths with a fellow contemporary artist & kindred spirit of both.
Just off Melrose and walking distance from Paramount Pictures and Hollywood’s notorious Lucy’s El Adobe Cafe, lies one of L.A.’s best known secrets, Substrate Gallery. A curious haven for the eyes and the ears, Substrate is owned by artist, curator, and sound architect, Ramses Granados. Substrate has been shaking up the L.A. art scene for the past decade, kicking out avant-garde exhibits that incorporate not only visual, but also performance, installation, and sound art, with an impressive body of work that in addition to Ramses’ own creations has included Factory Records designer, Peter Saville, Echo & the Bunnymen’s Will Sergeant, the U.S. debut of British artist, Natty Brooker (Spacemen 3 & Spiritualized), as well as performances by Iceland’s Singapore Sling.
Unique to Substrate is that it is the only gallery in L.A. exclusively devoted to exploring the interpretation of contemporary art in association with music. As an artist who uses music extensively as a means of creation, Substrate is high on my list.
Also a musician and member of the L.A. Indie band, The MEEK, Ramses grew up in the Coachella Valley of Southern California. Home of the Coachella Music Festival, the valley runs from Riverside County to the post-apocalyptic landscape known as the Salton Sea. It is a place where fans of Dean Martin or Dean Wareham can strangely coexist, a surrealistic place where it’s always 1962, a place where mid century modernist dwellings are the rule rather than the exception.
I have a gallery in the desert, and with each drive down I am captivated by the openness, the Googie architecture, and the endless star strewn skies; it is a comfortable austerity. The California desert has long been a favourite pilgrimage for musicians, artists, and spiritual seekers. I know the influence well; it gets under your skin. It’s a feeling that something magical could be possible here. When I first saw Ramses’ paintings, I recognized the subtle undercurrent that only time spent in just such an atmosphere can leave on an artist.
In keeping with this aesthetic and the interplay of darkness and light, but in the abstract sense, the artworks are monochromic statements of black, white and shades of gray; notably absent is color. “I am trying to simplify my art. I’m interested in expressing myself and conveying a mood with the least amount of information.” “If you look at a 1950’s desert house, there are no secrets about what you are looking at or how it is constructed. I feel my work reflects that same idea.” Some of his installation pieces employ the reflective use of aluminum panels and chrome. “Chrome allows association. My art is made of asymmetrical shapes with solid fields of space. I want to make these unfamiliar shapes approachable and familiar.”
Blending the elements of space and form, the large graphic panels are reminiscent of some of the Gemini G.E.L. artists of the 60’s, Frank Stella and Ellsworth Kelly come to mind -- the sort of art you would expect to find on the walls of John Lautner’s Mullholland Drive, “Chemosphere” house, an icon from my youth. In contrast to the sensory overload that is Los Angeles, Ramses aims to create work that is both subtle and welcoming; in this he has created just such a feeling.
Substrate is an atmosphere that aims to please not only the eyes and ears, but all of the senses, harmoniously bundled into one creative space. It is the reflection of an artist with a keen appreciation for not only the shapes that are visible, but also the spaces that are not.
The gallery is open Tue. through Sun. 12-6, or by appointment.
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