Art Show: “Her Good Qualities”
Saturday Sept. 30th
6917 Melrose Ave. LA. CA. 90038
7PM-12:30am

Lavish on Melrose explores the possibilities of the art exhibition outside of the traditional realm. “Her Good Qualities” is both the culmination of team work and the beginning of a new, localized art movement that promises to redefine the art forum.
Be prepared for an evening of art, fashion, food and music featuring the recent work of the talented Cate Nelson. Dj. Huan will be filling your ears with mellow expressions that will complement the works, ambiance and delicious delicacies catered by the neighborhood Café Marly specializing in French cuisine. The evening will take you out of the conventional gallery setting and shed new light on what it means to be an artist in Los Angeles. Combining a neighborhood sensibility with a vastly urban outlook, the evening will explore the boundaries of the classic art opening. Featured works include photographs, paintings, and mixed media installations.

The upcoming monthly shows at Lavish on Melrose will feature other multi talented artists including Brooke Bailey and Natalia Fabia stay tuned to inspire your senses.

CATE NELSON- Artist Biography

THE WORK
Cate Nelson is an artist, photographer, and filmmaker. Her use of different
mediums is reflective of her mood at the moment, and the content with which she is dealing. From layered paintings rich with color, to installations combining electrical light sources, found objects, and images, to poignant black and white photographs…Nelson’s work is all over the map. However, her wide spectrum of experimentation speaks loudly of her theory and mission as an artist and individual.

In Nelson’s work there is a constant sense of self, both as artist and observer. It is a reflection of Nelson’s feeling that the individual’s obligation to the society in which she lives is to accurately represent the self and her perspective. At which point she opens up the observer to either connect or disconnect with her art. According to Nelson, both responses elicit a validation for the observer as well as for her as artist.

Nelson is an adamant believer that the one thing we as individuals have to offer the society in which we live, if nothing else, is to deliver the most honest piece of ourselves at any given moment. Her work at times follows trends of self–deprecation and criticizes romanticism, while she ultimately remains a romantic. At other times we see trends of subtle voyeurism, and at other times even an outright feeling of total abandonment of any form or reason whatsoever.

It is this pursuit of connection between individual and society, and the machinations of disconnection, that leads at times to a feeling of frustration. But the work itself is where Nelson seeks to overcome these pitfalls, and where this dynamic is laid bare in process and effect. Nelson’s work deals with the human condition, which she finds is comprised largely of our emotional response to our surroundings and our selves.

THE PAST
A graduate of Bard College with a B.A. in film studies, Nelson came to Los Angeles in 2003 to work in film production, but has since move forward to the world of visual arts, seeking a more daring and truthful exploration and expression of human emotion.

Her work has hung in several juried shows in LA, and Nelson herself has curated multiple art shows and events.

Work currently on display at “Lavish on Melrose”

THE FUTURE

“Due to my interest in the human condition, I feel a social obligation to pursue a better understanding of it and to enhance awareness. I feel that art is the most viable means of communication and has the potential to ultimately lead to a kind of enlightenment. It is one’s duty to strive to reach their artistic potential; and “art,” incidentally, is a term that should be interpreted loosely in this case.

I encourage the use of artistic expression as a forum for honesty and accuracy. To this end, I am in the midst of preparations to open a space that will function as a gallery presenting visual art, installations, and live performance; studio facilities; and a meeting place for professional
and emerging artists and members of the public interested in current art. This space is projected to open in 2007.” --- Cate Nelson