by Jessica Robles,
COS Art Gallery Director

The COS Art Gallery is proud present steven labadessa: hallucinatory realism as our second show this Fall 2015 semester! The show will run from Tuesday, October 6 through Friday, October 30, with a reception held on Wednesday, October 7 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., here at the COS Art Gallery.

This exhibition features paintings and drawings focusing on portraiture that defies current western standards of beauty, influenced by popular Japanese culture (ranging from Butoh to anime), western comic book art, Northern Renaissance art and Baroque art. “The work encapsulates a story of disenchantment wrought by the disillusionment with being raised in a failing capitalist society that engenders a false perception of reality that – in the wake of a stunted adulthood/expanded childhood – in our heavily media-aided/medicated age – avoids, threatens, and aggressively denies it,” describes Labadessa.

Steven Labadessa
FAIRY TALE D4. Non-photo blue pencil & acrylic on paper

Labadessa, a New York native, earned his BS in psychology and BA in studio art focusing on drawing & sculpture from Brooklyn College in 1990. He earned his MFA in painting from the University of Pennsylvania in 2001. He has been teaching for 16 years and currently works as a part time faculty member at Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York, where he teaches foundation drawing. You can find more about him and his work at his website, www.stevenlabadessa.com.

The COS Gallery can be found in room 214, on the first floor of the Kaweah building on the Visalia campus at 915 S. Mooney Blvd. Visalia, CA 93274. Parking is free the night of the reception in lots 3 and 7. Parking passes are also available at the entrance to lots 3 and 7 for the remainder of the show, following the reception. Contact the COS Art Gallery for any questions. The Gallery hours this semester are Tuesday, Thursday, Friday from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM and Wednesday from 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM. Contact the COS Art Gallery for any questions or additional information regarding the show at (559) 737- 4861 or at the COS website: www.cos.edu. Be sure to “like” us on Facebook to receive updates on upcoming events.

Jessica Robles was born and raised in Visalia, California. She studied fine art at the College of the Sequoias, then went on to receive her BFA from the Kansas City Art Institute and her MFA from Northern Illinois University, both with an emphasis in printmaking. She is now an adjunct art instructor and the Gallery Director of the COS Art Gallery at the College of the Sequoias.