Downtown LA Art Walk Sept. 13 Phantom Galleries

Phantom Galleries Downtown LA
Santa Fe Lofts, 131 East 6th Street
Los Angeles, CA 90013

"Occupied"
Daniel Brodo and Bill Wheelock
September 13 through October 31, 2007

Phantom Galleries is proud to present

Occupied: works by Daniel Brodo
and Bill Wheelock, curated by Daniel Brodo. Located in Phantom
Galleries' Downtown Los Angeles space the show opens on September
13th, the evening of the Downtown Artwalk and remains on display
throughout October.

The word "Occupied," declares that a space has been claimed, a strategy
that Phantom Galleries deploys to the benefit of both the empty
storefronts that host artwork and the public who sees it. Occupations
in terms of our jobs, have taken over our identities; while the term
Occupation in reference to foreign lands is a euphemism for aggressive
seizure. From a sign on a train seat, to the sign on the bathroom
door, "Occupied" designates ownership like a flag: this space is
currently being used, even in the tenant's absence.

The works in this exhibition are by two artists who are preoccupied
with the political, emotional, and psychological issues of presence,
and the aesthetics and politics of its display. To what degree does
squatting equal ownership or ownership equal power?

Brodo occupies his time producing labor-intensive site and time
specific works, which, while they approach classicist themes of
sculpture, drawing, and architecture with a child-like enthusiasm,
lack a child's naivet. One Hundred loosely modeled terracotta figure
studies perch on ramshackle stands cobbled together out of scrap wood.
Upon closer inspection, the figures are revealed to be both heavily
armed and naked.

Bill Wheelock's long-exposure photographs spell out words written in
fire, created by waving a candle in the dark. Trails of flame cast an
eerie glow back on the writer who appears as a ghost image behind each
letter. The words depicted in a hellish fire font, reveal the fear of
terror latent in the refrains of children's stories.

Phantom Galleries LA is a Los Angeles County-based organization that
transforms unoccupied storefronts and spaces into temporary art
galleries. Exhibits are curated by local arts organizations, Los
Angeles-based galleries, independent curators, and Los Angeles-based
artists. The project gives artists an opportunity to exhibit their
work, while promoting the creative community to a broader audience and
keeping the area looking vital and culturally exciting.

For more information about Phantom Galleries LA, please contact:
Liza Simone at 213.626.2854
www.phantomgalleriesla.com