Taylor Blue and Alan Kocharian: ‘Rising Stars Winter Edition’

Celebrating Each Others' Works

Most Los Angeles art gallery experiences are fairly consistent: white walls interrupted by the occasional brick wall for some industrial flair, all sparingly adorned with well-crafted but often bland pieces, and perhaps a striking large-scale work in the center of the gallery to serve as an eye-catching centerpiece, a rare reminder that art doesn’t just belong on walls.

But not The Hive Gallery. This deceptively large venue makes you feel like you’re entering the mind of a brilliant, if slightly twisted, artist. Whereas most galleries accentuate the empty space to draw attention to the works themselves, The Hive populates almost every space with not just artworks, but also elaborate set pieces that are nearly as dazzling as the works on display, along with brochures, stickers, posters, and a bevy of knick-knacks available for sale from its many resident artists. The gallery is less a traditional art gallery and more of an underground cave/hangout where only the most provocative artists kick back to celebrate each other’s work instead of fiercely competing with one another in the more cutthroat mainstream L.A. arts scene.

Look Up!, Taylor Blue

The Rising Stars show spotlights two featured artists, Taylor Blue and Alan Kocharian. Blue’s works convey a whimsical, almost storybook innocence in awe of their adorable creatures and dreamy atmosphere, but always with a hint of dread. His standout piece, Look Up!, depicts a childlike figure portrayed in all white, standing in a misty azure forest, looking up at a large, human-tree hybrid creature lumbering in the distance. The oil painting seems to say that, no matter how wondrous and fantastical are the fairytales we grew up with, there are always monsters lurking around every corner, looking to destroy the purity of childhood.

The Navigators Lift Off (pt. 1), Dylan Jones

Kocharian’s mixed media works also dive into fantastical territory, but do so in a more primal way, accentuating the contours of the human form. These elements are on full display in his arresting When Pigs Fly. Featuring an androgenous figure with a massive mane of hair wearing a bird-skull-like helmet, the figure rides a boar-esque creature backdropped by a vibrant sky. It’s almost as if John Martin had painted a heavy metal album cover from the 1980s. Seamlessly blending heavenly landscapes with sensuous figures, Kocharian also incorporates a dose of primordial intensity.

Jessica Simone O’Dowd (Ravenous Art)

While Blue and Kocharian are the main attractions, they’re far from the only artists whose works are on display. Wander past the main room, and you’ll soon realize how the gallery got its name; The long corridor is populated with mini-galleries showcasing the works of more than 20 resident artists, all comprising a honeycomb of imagination. On display are Dylan Jones’ intricate, day-glo surrealist illustrations; Opal Unicorn’s melancholy girl-goth paintings;Jessica Simone’s ravishing grotesqueries; and other works across various media that walk a thin line between beauty and bizarre. The Rising Stars exhibition ultimately proves that L.A.’s future isn’t in safer, sleeker spaces — it’s in the messy, fearless ones.

Cover image: When Pigs Fly, by Alan Kocharian; all images photographed by the author.