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Transmission Gallery is pleased to present Dave Yoas: Individually Twisted; see it IRL through July 10th.
Appropriately Socially Distanced Artist’s Reception: June 5th, 1-4 pm
Meet the artist, see the work in the Real!
Yoas is not shy about tweaking potentially loaded subjects or venturing into raucous territory in these wildly imaginative and colorful cut tin collage pieces. The work invites a careful viewing to take in the complexities, revel in the imagery and discover the hidden surprises. Of special note is So Shoot Me, an extravagant lighted cut tin shooting gallery piece, reminiscent of carnival shooting galleries, chock full of heroes, villains and sidekicks. Richly evocative, this piece sets up a fascinating sense of glee, counterbalanced with the discomfort of recognizing historic paragons of virtue lined up with the world’s worst villains as equal opportunity targets, just for fun. That kind of edge runs throughout the exhibition, holding the work open to layers of meaning; everything is not as it seems at first glance.
Largely self taught, Dave Yoas started out as an artist making ceramic sculpture. Intrigued by hand stamped tin along the way, he eventually found his creative passion in the imagery and process of assembling tin collage, a passion he’s pursued for more than 2o years. 12 of those tin collage works comprise his solo exhibition at Transmission Gallery, several of them available to the collector for the first time.
A step into Yoas’ East Bay studio is a step into a wonderland of cartoon characters, marketing icons, aliens, dinosaurs, the wild kingdom, carnival strongmen, clowns, and flamboyantly pretty women. From this riotous cacophony of image and color, Yoas deftly pulls out the bits and pieces he needs just so and, wearing cut-gloves and long sleeves, he goes to work.
Inspired by the turn of a phrase, a twist on a theme or the color and pattern printed on tin toys, cans, trays, or boxes, he painstakingly snips away, releasing the parts he needs next. Ultimately the work comes together in a 3-d or dimensional tableau that is so satisfying to see in the real. Though detail photos begin to communicate a sense of the physicality of the work, it’s well worth experiencing in person.
Photo Credit: Philip Cohen
