Devin Troy Strother's exhibition at Richard Heller Gallery, Santa Monica,CA

The current exhibition “Front, Back, Side to Side”, of Devin Troy Strother’s mixed media collages and sculpture at Richard Heller Gallery is a mix of clever, playful works made from paint, strips of multi-colored papers, glitter, balsa wood, and other mainly ‘sandbox’ materials. Don’t misunderstand – the materials may come from elementary school art class, but the work expresses important themes relating to current and past stereotypes of African Americans, some harkening back decades to the 1940’s and 50’s. The political and pop culture references to hip hop and counter culture are disguised in some very humorous, well crafted narratives that ask the viewer to examine their own points of view on race and social happenings. Add to that the long titles of each work such as “Diana Ross and the Supremes Aboard the Technical Slave Ship(Gurrrrl We Goin’ Home) “  or “Contemporary African Compositional Arrangement/Guuuuuurrrrrllll, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, “I told you it was all about space relations and limitations”. These and other titles comment on the themes of each work and Strother has a wonderful way of enchanting us with the stories his works tell. This exhibition runs  through November 3^rd.