Simone Gad : Animal Rescue Drawings

IFAC is pleased to announce a solo exhibition of Los Angeles based artist Simone Gad. Animaux Rescues, a series of 30 new works on paper which present expressive and spontaneous portraits of rescued pets and offer a subtle metaphor on the human condition. Gad’s dogs, cats, and bunnies, many found on rescued animal pages on the internet, are personally cathartic and a way for her to shelter the found images by incorporating and immortalizing them into her work.

Self taught and highly prolific, Gad’s work is reminiscent of the drawings of the CoBrA/Situationist artist Asger Jorn, early Andy Warhol, and Art Brut. She is more well know for juxtaposing these pets to provocative female pinup photographs of women from the 1950s, 60s, 70s. Her work engages a dialogue between inter-species relationships, self reflection, and the underbelly of Hollywood in an attempt to provide comfort for the human and the animal to overcome personal and societal trauma from war and abuse.

Simone Gad, Born in Brussels, Belgium to holocaust survivors from Poland, she moved with her family to Los Angeles in the early 1950’s as a young child. She is a painter, assemblage/collage, performance artist, and actress who rose to prominence in the Los Angeles art scene in the 1970’s. After being introduced to the Fluxus movement in 1972 by Al Hansen and Wallace Berman, she began making collage and assemblage painting collages. Gad’s work is a feminist critique on Hollywood that explores ideas of celebrity and stardom and provides a unique insight into the world of fame. Exhibiting Internationally, her career includes numerous exhibits and performances including the Hammer Museum, LAICA Downtown, Molly Barnes Gallery, the Getty Museum's Pacific Standard Time, and among others. Gad is highly regarded in the Southern California art scene, being the recipient of numerous awards and grants, as well as being included in many publications and texts. Animaux Rescues is Gad’s first solo exhibition at IFAC arts