**Raul Guerrero,** _A Few Varieties of Desert Cacti_, 2018 oil on linen. 30 x 40 x 1 1/2 inches (76.2 x 101.6 x 3.8 cm). Photography: Elon Schoenholz
Courtesy of David Kordansky Gallery, Los Angeles
House Parté, an art show curated by Carlye Packer, is now showing in Palm Springs. Presenting site-specific multimedia installations, the show features works by contemporary iconoclasts such as John Waters, as well as up-and-coming artists like Gabriela Ruiz. Bright, bold, and colorful, the pieces explore the contemporary American idea of "home"—a house packed with things that speak of excess, individualism, and consumption.
“House Parté was dreamed up a month ago, when I saw my friend’s pink house in Palm Springs and thought immediately about John Waters’ work. I was connected with John’s gallery and after he saw pictures of the house, he agreed. From there it snow balled into a crazy swirl - deconstructing a house and reimagine it as a sort of acid trip or something - the result is a wild combination of people, blue-chip museum showing artists such as Tala Madani, who has an upcoming mid-career retrospective at MOCA in LA, emerging artists such as Zimbabwe-based abstract painter Helen Teede and México City-based ceramicist duo SANGREE, as well as fashion designers such as Barragan, Maisie Wilen, and Manuela Soto Sosa,” says Carlye Packer, curator of the exhibition.
Transformed into an oasis of creativity, [the house](https://www.palmspringsrentals.com/vacation-rentals/desert-rose) is also available for rent from Oranj Palm with a rotating showcase of art.
**Ruby Neri,** _Woman with Flowers_, 2019 ceramic with glaze. 44 x 38 x 23 inches (111.8 x 96.5 x 58.4 cm). Photography: Jeff Mclane
Courtesy of David Kordansky Gallery, Los Angeles
_Flaunt_ spoke with one of the artists, Gabriela Ruiz, about her piece, her story, and her message.
On artist Gabriela Ruiz, Carlye Packer, curator of House Parté, says, “Gaby works in a pop culture bubble that sucks you in through these colors and almost psychedelic wild shapes, then as you get closer you start to see so much more below the surface—layers of commentary on race, queerness and class emerge. Similar to John Waters, she delivers a punch of color and fun while challenging you to look below the surface.”
Photo courtesy of the Artist, Tim Hans and Carlye Packer, Los Angeles.
**What can you tell us about the show?**
The show is taking an entire living space and using it to show work. I’m so happy to be a part of it, because there are amazing artists that I love taking part as well. I am obsessed with John Waters. Just the fact that I can be in a group show with John Waters, that’s just, that’s it. He has been a big inspiration of mine since I was in high school. I watched all his films. I am a huge fan.
And so the space is going to have all these different artworks in the home, and I am making furniture pieces for the site. It’s my first time working with Carley so I am really excited. She is amazing. She is so sweet, and so positive. I love it.
**Can you tell us a little about the piece you are making for this exhibition?**
I am doing a found object. It’s not complete yet, but I am making these furniture pieces and then I am adding the foam that I usually add to my pieces. My piece, like much of my work, talks about home and everything that has to do with home in terms of how I feel home is the thing that sculpts you as a person, and how all the traumatic things from your childhood will impact you for a while, unless you work on them. I think the home is the most important thing for any human. The foundation of everyone comes from the home.
**You use a lot of fluorescent colors and lights in your art, is it for a specific reason?**
I think that color affects my mood a lot. This is going to sound insane but I get really sad when I am around very dull and dark colors. It brings me down. So I need a constant pop of color in my life. Visually I wear a lot of color, when I wear a dark color my friends are always like ‘okay something is up.’ I am very attracted to vibrant colors. If I see a key chain or something my first instinct is to look for the brightest color. But I also think that is my personality. I think I am bright and open, so I am just generally attracted to that.
**What would you say is the biggest influence on your art?**
I think environments. My neighborhood, my family, my friends. A lot of my environments. And stores. Going shopping. Just looking around and seeing things I love really inspires me. Also looking back at happy moments in my life.
**Aaron Curry,** _Pretty, Ugly, Thing_, 2020. acrylic, vinyl, gold leaf, LED, and paint on wood 74 1/2 x 39 x 32 inches (189.2 x 99.1 x 81.3 cm). Photography: Lee Thompson.
Courtesy of David Kordansky Gallery, Los Angeles
**What is the process of creating one of your artworks? Where do you draw inspiration from?**
I usually think of colors that I want to incorporate in the piece, and then that transforms into an idea. Then I think about a subject. I think a lot of the pieces that I make come from myself. I just think of things that I would like to talk about, that sometimes are hard for me to talk about. So it’s easier for me to put them in a piece, and then add color to it, and then talk about it.
**What is the message you want to send through your art?**
I would like people to feel joyful and happy when they see my work. Also, for people to be able to relate and understand that they are not alone. That there’s things that a lot of people go through that might make them feel a little alone, but they are not. Just connecting with people is really important to me.
**In your interview with the Los Angeles Times you said “My goal is for people like my family, and people that don’t have a general understanding of art, to connect with the art.” How do you approach this? How do you think those people connect with your art?**
I want to hear what they want to say about the work. If I ever see someone looking at a piece I will always be like ‘so what do you think of it?’ And them communicating back to me makes it worthwhile. It makes me feel understood. I know my works are very different sometimes, but if they can comprehend that, it makes me feel like I am actually doing something.
**As a latina, how difficult was it to break into the art world?**
I don’t think my work really says my identity. I am making work that I would like to see, so if that resonates with anyone, that’s really cool. You don’t want to get put in a box and have to make work like this or that. I want to be “me.” But it is a challenge coming from the background that I do. Being a first generation and not having any sort of art background. No one in my family has ever done that, and I come from a very small family too. So having these sorts of obstacles, I am really proud of myself for how far I’ve come. And I just want to make more room for other people like me. I know a lot of women, who come from the same background and have to deal with the things that I deal with, and it’s hard for them, so if I can break the rules of the type of people that are constantly showing, that’s beautiful.
Photo courtesy of the Artist, Jacob Messex and Carlye Packer, Los Angeles.
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