Rele Gallery Los Angeles is pleased to present new works by David Otaru. Titled ‘Party Series’, this body of work explores ideas around party culture and social events. Combining drawing and painting techniques,
Otaru references personal experiences as well as popular culture in creating illustrative scenes of euphoria and merriment. These paintings at once convey the different textures to ‘partying’ as well as the social negotiation of space. From bodies writhing against each other in bright lights to a quiet day at the pool with friends, they serve to create dynamic and diverse considerations on relaxation and communal fun.
In the wake of social distancing and isolation, Otaru points to a need for moments of companionship and pleasure that social gatherings afford. Moments that help to ease one out of the rigours of daily life. Here, the hedonistic functions as a means to recenter the self, a pause from the mundane. From elaborate house parties to more intimate gatherings, the artist invites us into a celebration of the moment, into a space to unwind and maybe find respite, however brief.
