For years, Richard Heller Galllery has balanced group shows with a both a depth of skill and sense of humor. For the times we live in, a little serious absurdity seems like the proper mood, a sense of self-reflection for otherwise chaotic mood swings in media and social interactions. That is why this particular group show catches our eye. On January 11th, Neil Farber, Charlie Roberts and Hirosuke Yabe will each showcase a series of new works, from paintings, elaborate drawings to wood-carved sculptures. 


6 Neil Farber We 2019 3258 412
For the past few years, Neil Farber (whose work for this showing is titled Accounted For) has been making paintings comprised of multiple thin layers of clear acrylic pouring medium. Paint is applied both to the wet medium and in between layers, as well to ink and collage materials. This layering adds a third dimension. A painstaking and labor-intensive process that takes time to develop, many of the paintings in the exhibition were started over two years ago.

Charlie Roberts Gym Hardos 2019 3255 412
Charlie Roberts, who named his body of work Mercurial Matters, uses a wide range of materials, mastering both a furious force as well as a sensitive subtleness. Roberts' new figurative mixed media on linen and watercolor on paper works depict everyday life from a uniquely fresh perspective. Reflections create a story within a story; a dog makes an unusual acquaintance; a woman takes out her frustrations at the gym in a new and interesting way; and a girl finds a decidedly ingenious solution to cool off her friend on a hot summer's day.

Hirosuke Yabe Untiled 2019 3250 412
Richard Heller Gallery is proud to introduce the work of Japanese sculptor, Hirosuke Yabe, in his California gallery debut with the body of work Fixing A Hole. Yabe creates his sculptures from logwood, as well as recycled and discarded wood taken from demolished Japanese houses, that are often more than 100 years old. Inspired in part by the symbolism of African masks and the spirit with which they are imbued, his own work often melds abstract geometric forms with figurative references to human emotion and psychology. The resulting pieces appear in moments as people, animals, anthropomorphic creatures, and even monsters. For Yabe, each one serves as a metaphor for the human condition, as he examines the existential questions of what it is to be human.