EXHIBITION 010

CONTROL Gallery is pleased to announce EXHIBITION 010: Cheap Thrills & Tons of Smoke for Maximum Joy, a collection of new works from Los Angeles-based artist Guillaume Ollivier.

Bringing to life a unique assemblage of everyday objects, Ollivier’s paintings find beauty and joy in the excesses of modern life, embodying the global, interconnected exuberance of the present age. His work asks whether we are on the brink of a precipice or the dawn of something new, creating dialogue that unfolds between the artificial and natural realms, compelling viewers to embrace fabricated environments without forsaking the beauty of nature. Employing the canvas as a symbolic representation of human dominion over natural spaces, Ollivier transforms these elements into aesthetic treasures.


 

“I want to contribute to the world in the right way. Maybe through laughter and awe. Seeing our crazy obsession with over-the-top stuff always cracks me up. It’s wild. There’s a weird beauty in excess and going overboard. Sometimes it creates this unpredictable thing that’s a bit messy or ugly, but it’s always amusing. I love exploring how this connects us all, making art that celebrates our quirky togetherness and reinforces our sense of shared identity and harmony," shares Guillaume Ollivier.


For his latest body of work, Ollivier pays homage to the intricate cultural and historical journey leading to our present era, marked by constant fusion and transformation. This new collection of paintings serve as unpredictable symphonies that seamlessly integrate with a fading artificial landscape. Rooted in American culture and design, these works invoke the spirit and extravagance of the late Baroque era, skillfully merging that period with the allure of modern design, reminiscent of both Las Vegas hotels and the grandeur of Versailles.

In his artistic universe, which he considers his ‘gardens,’ Ollivier blends architecture, building and decaying opulence with the indulgent, the beautiful, and the excessive, creating deeply moving and thought-provoking art that stands at the intersection of historical movements and contemporary societal narratives.

 

  

“Guillaume Ollivier’s work is exciting and nostalgic in both an anthropological and art historical sense. He explores concepts of excess and hyper-stimulation through the laborious layering of time-specific cultural ideals, and stylistic references to the past. Each painting is composed of intentional moments of opulence and modernity in competition with time and natural space; the ornate stained glass and ultra-polished surfaces reflecting a glimpse of a forest-scape, a nod to Albert Bierstad’s “The Last of the Buffalo” slowly being overwhelmed by carnival lights and carousel horses, an overlap of artificial lights and gaudy carpet patterns of a casino floor giving way to peepholes of clear skies. Though there is a visceral sense of eventuality, throughout this body of work, the way one knows a bowl of fruit will rot, or that a metal pipe will rust, these respites of calm and clarity seem to punctuate a sense of hope in the chaos of impending decline,” shares CONTROL Gallery Director Aurora Fisher.

 


EXHIBITION 010: Cheap Thrills & Tons of Smoke for Maximum Joy opens on March 1, 2024 from 6PM-9PM, with the show running through April 13, 2024.

Gallery and Retail Hours:
Wednesday – Saturday: 11AM - 6PM
Sunday – Tuesday: Closed
Extended Hours During Frieze: Open Sunday, March 3, 2024: 11AM - 6PM

Address:
434 N La Brea Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90036

 

 

About Guillaume Ollivier
Guillaume Ollivier is an American artist born in Paris, France and raised in Los Angeles. A graduate from the San Francisco Academy of Art with a seasoned background in advertising, his pieces are portals into the gardens of his imagination and are deeply rooted in the realm of surrealism, creating a dialogue between the real world and a world that lives in his mind.

Ollivier's artwork dances on the edge between excess and reflection, an inviting chaos that somehow finds tranquility in the turbulence of overflowing culture and ever-changing surroundings. He strives to press a mental ‘reset’ button, inviting viewers into a world where every vibrant, chaotic detail is a step towards seeing our environment with fresh, ‘beginner’s’ eyes. Ollivier seeks to dissolve and rearrange structure, weaving a tapestry that harmonizes the seemingly discordant elements of our hyper-abundant era. Through the symphony of his art, he explores human behavior, self-reflection, and our relationships to our ever-shifting surroundings. Guided by a belief that there is nothing nature can’t mend, his work stands as a celebration and gentle critique of our era of availability and excess. Ollivier invites you to step into his gardens, to find a moment of 'awww' amid the chaos, and perhaps, to perceive the world around you with reinvigorated wonder and curiosity.

Ollivier has exhibited his work at The Brand Museum & Library (Glendale, CA) in 2022 and at The de Young Museum (San Francisco) in 2023.

EXHIBITION 010

Guillaume Ollivier

Cheap Thrills & Tons of Smoke for Maximum Joy

03.01.24 - 04.13.24

CONTROL Gallery is pleased to announce EXHIBITION 010: Cheap Thrills & Tons of Smoke for Maximum Joy, a collection of new works from Los Angeles-based artist Guillaume Ollivier.

Bringing to life a unique assemblage of everyday objects, Ollivier’s paintings find beauty and joy in the excesses of modern life, embodying the global, interconnected exuberance of the present age. His work asks whether we are on the brink of a precipice or the dawn of something new, creating dialogue that unfolds between the artificial and natural realms, compelling viewers to embrace fabricated environments without forsaking the beauty of nature. Employing the canvas as a symbolic representation of human dominion over natural spaces, Ollivier transforms these elements into aesthetic treasures.


 

“I want to contribute to the world in the right way. Maybe through laughter and awe. Seeing our crazy obsession with over-the-top stuff always cracks me up. It’s wild. There’s a weird beauty in excess and going overboard. Sometimes it creates this unpredictable thing that’s a bit messy or ugly, but it’s always amusing. I love exploring how this connects us all, making art that celebrates our quirky togetherness and reinforces our sense of shared identity and harmony," shares Guillaume Ollivier.


For his latest body of work, Ollivier pays homage to the intricate cultural and historical journey leading to our present era, marked by constant fusion and transformation. This new collection of paintings serve as unpredictable symphonies that seamlessly integrate with a fading artificial landscape. Rooted in American culture and design, these works invoke the spirit and extravagance of the late Baroque era, skillfully merging that period with the allure of modern design, reminiscent of both Las Vegas hotels and the grandeur of Versailles.

In his artistic universe, which he considers his ‘gardens,’ Ollivier blends architecture, building and decaying opulence with the indulgent, the beautiful, and the excessive, creating deeply moving and thought-provoking art that stands at the intersection of historical movements and contemporary societal narratives.

 

  

“Guillaume Ollivier’s work is exciting and nostalgic in both an anthropological and art historical sense. He explores concepts of excess and hyper-stimulation through the laborious layering of time-specific cultural ideals, and stylistic references to the past. Each painting is composed of intentional moments of opulence and modernity in competition with time and natural space; the ornate stained glass and ultra-polished surfaces reflecting a glimpse of a forest-scape, a nod to Albert Bierstad’s “The Last of the Buffalo” slowly being overwhelmed by carnival lights and carousel horses, an overlap of artificial lights and gaudy carpet patterns of a casino floor giving way to peepholes of clear skies. Though there is a visceral sense of eventuality, throughout this body of work, the way one knows a bowl of fruit will rot, or that a metal pipe will rust, these respites of calm and clarity seem to punctuate a sense of hope in the chaos of impending decline,” shares CONTROL Gallery Director Aurora Fisher.

 


EXHIBITION 010: Cheap Thrills & Tons of Smoke for Maximum Joy opens on March 1, 2024 from 6PM-9PM, with the show running through April 13, 2024.

Gallery and Retail Hours:
Wednesday – Saturday: 11AM - 6PM
Sunday – Tuesday: Closed
Extended Hours During Frieze: Open Sunday, March 3, 2024: 11AM - 6PM

Address:
434 N La Brea Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90036

 

 

About Guillaume Ollivier
Guillaume Ollivier is an American artist born in Paris, France and raised in Los Angeles. A graduate from the San Francisco Academy of Art with a seasoned background in advertising, his pieces are portals into the gardens of his imagination and are deeply rooted in the realm of surrealism, creating a dialogue between the real world and a world that lives in his mind.

Ollivier's artwork dances on the edge between excess and reflection, an inviting chaos that somehow finds tranquility in the turbulence of overflowing culture and ever-changing surroundings. He strives to press a mental ‘reset’ button, inviting viewers into a world where every vibrant, chaotic detail is a step towards seeing our environment with fresh, ‘beginner’s’ eyes. Ollivier seeks to dissolve and rearrange structure, weaving a tapestry that harmonizes the seemingly discordant elements of our hyper-abundant era. Through the symphony of his art, he explores human behavior, self-reflection, and our relationships to our ever-shifting surroundings. Guided by a belief that there is nothing nature can’t mend, his work stands as a celebration and gentle critique of our era of availability and excess. Ollivier invites you to step into his gardens, to find a moment of 'awww' amid the chaos, and perhaps, to perceive the world around you with reinvigorated wonder and curiosity.

Ollivier has exhibited his work at The Brand Museum & Library (Glendale, CA) in 2022 and at The de Young Museum (San Francisco) in 2023.