Emerging artist Susan Ghahremani is one crafty kitten. This Rhode Island School of Design graduate enjoys painting miniature scenes from nature, but there's nothing natural about hedgehogs who live in houses, ducks who hang out in rowboats, or cats who enjoying knitting. In "The Wild Life," her new show at Giant Robot, Ghahremani will debut over a hundred painted wooden pieces picturing animals in domesticated environments hanging overhead in a way that's designed to make visitors feel surrounded by her art world.

The inspiration for this solo exhibition came from Ghahremani's recent experiences at Project Wildlife in San Diego where the artist has volunteered since last year's wildfires. "It's hard work and there are a lot of baby mouths to feed," she says. "I'm learning a lot about native wildlife and seeing how amazingly they adapt to humans and all the stuff we do that interferes with their lives...that got me thinking about an imaginary world where wildlife lives as people do!"

A world that you can instantly experience thanks to her 3-D installation. "There will be a mural on the walls of the gallery echoing the feel of a nursery, so with the paintings it's a bit like a mobile," she explains. "The plan is to transform the bustling space into a calming and cozy environment where you feel drawn to the art and comforted by it, just as the animals within the artwork are comforted by their spaces, too!"

"The Wild Life" opens with a reception on August 16th at Giant Robot, 2062 Sawtelle Boulevard, 310-445-9276; for more information on the artist visit www.boygirlparty.com.

- Caroline Stanley

Similar Topics:art, gallery, painting

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