LOS ANGELES, March 2024 —Yael McShane Wulfhart is The Art Wolf, an experiential gallerist amplifying the work of contemporary women artists in sculpture, painting, photography, and ceramics. The Art Wolf’s Female Gaze exhibition is on view from March 8th – April 30th at the Pacific Design Center (8687 Melrose Avenue West Hollywood, Suite B653) and features the work of Susanna Speirs Ali, Lareina Holsopple, dopez, Justina Blakeney, Sofia Peters, Lois Samuels, and Osiris Zuñiga.
“The art world is 90% male artists. I am not looking for equality. I want a world that is 90% women,” says Wulfhart. “Almost every image we see of women is art directed, photographed, produced, and written by men. The Female Gaze is a world where all the images of women are by women.” From the vibrant self-portraiture of Justina Blakeney, to Osiris Zuñiga who inflates, braids, and weaves steel, and Susanna Speirs Ali a pioneering woman professor in the male-dominated field of metal arts, The Female Gaze dedicates a room to each oeuvre of work to tell the story of each of these contemporary women artists.
“Curating this show has been a process of love, joy, and womanhood,” continues Wulfhart. “From my artists I feel nurtured, protected, and seen. One woman said, after seeing the paintings of Justina Blakeney, she felt better about her body. As a feminist gallerist I can ask for nothing more.”
The Art Wolf has been making her mark on the Los Angeles Art & Design world, and if you meet Yael in person, she may introduce herself with a howl. Collaborations with leading designers include Byron Risdon, introducing Outdoor Photographic Art at the Kips Bay Dallas Showcase, Keia McSwain, President of the Black Interior Designers Network, Rydhima Brar for the Pasadena Showcase House, Una Malan, Alvin Wayne, Phillip Stites, and others.
“Working with Andre Jordan Hilton on the Galerie Magazine House of Art + Design in the Hamptons was a dream,” says Wulfhart. “I love working with designers to show art in context and how we live with art.
When art and design are united in vision is when you really start tapping into harnessing the energy of a room.”
For more information on The Female Gaze and The Art Wolf Gallery, visit www.artwolfgallery.com. Artist bios included below, and you can follow the hunt on Instagram @artwolfgallery.
About Yael Wulfhart, The Art Wolf
Originally from Philadelphia, Wulfhart studied Postmodernism at the University of California. She serves on the advisory council of Automatic Arts and has been a long standing member of Women In Luxury Design and the Institute for Classical Art and Architecture. The Art Wolf Gallery has been highlighted in Galerie Magazine, Architectural Digest, Interiors, and California Home & Design. Wulfhart lives in Los Angeles with her family.
About Susanna Speirs Ali
Susanna Speirs Ali is the head of the Metals Program in the School of Art at California State University, Long Beach where she teaches classes in Sculptural Metal Working, Metalsmithing, Casting, Foundry and 3-Dimensional Design.
She holds a M.F.A. (1996) from The University Of Washington, Seattle, WA, as well as a B.F.A. (1993) from Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY. Susanna Speirs Ali has also studied at Temple University’s Tyler School of Art and Pilchuck Glass School. She has been published in Metalsmith Magazine and exhibits her work internationally.
About Justina Blakeney
Justina Blakeney is a Los Angeles, California-based artist, designer, and author known for her vibrant, colorful, and eclectic style. Drawing upon themes of identity, spirituality, and connection to the natural world, Blakeney’s art serves as a visual exploration into the essence of the “true self” and the concept of being a “human being” rather than a “human doing.”
Blakeney often incorporates mixed media elements such as wire, textiles, and natural elements into her pieces. Her artistic vision emerges from a diverse array of references, from wrestling with and celebrating her curls, curves, and curiosities to explorations of pattern, cubist abstraction, and magical realism. Through her work, Blakeney seeks to uproot binary thinking and to inspire others to embrace their creativity, celebrate diversity, and honor the interconnectedness of all living things.
About dopez
dopez is a New York City street photographer and poetess. Raised in the fog and hills of San Francisco, dopez captures the collision of light and life in the metropolis and the ocean. dopez has shown in New York City, Istanbul, Paris, Toronto, and Los Angeles. dopez is represented by The Art Wolf Gallery.
About Lareina Holsopple
Lareina Holsopple is a contemporary oil painter working in Northern California. Holsopple works in a classical language depicting people and places in timeless settings. Able to capture light in oil paint, Holsopple invites the viewer to engage and enjoy the atmosphere she has harnessed on canvas. Holsopple’s work has been featured in the Galerie Magazine House of Art & Design and in The Art Wolf Gallery Fall Preview exhibit at the Pacific Design Center. Lareina Holsopple is represented by The Art Wolf Gallery.
Sofia Peters
Sofia Peters is currently a student of art at the University of California, Los Angeles. The Art Wolf has been in awe of her talent from a young age since she used to babysit her. The emotional flame and the skill with which she is able to wield it out of the paintbrush and onto the canvas is a gift to us. Art Wolf Gallery is honored to debut her work in The Female Gaze.
About Lois Samuels
Lois Samuels is a Jamaican-born artist that seamlessly blends her extensive background in fashion and design with her passion for ceramics. With a modeling career spanning collaborations with renowned Parisian fashion houses Lacroix, Mugler, Miyake and Givenchy, to covers of German Vogue and American Essence, Samuels launched her own capsule collection and is celebrated as one of the fashion industry’s pioneers.
Lois now channels her creativity into crafting one-of-a-kind hand-built ceramics, alongside seasonal signature pieces from her clothing capsule and other artworks including photography and collages. Her journey has taken her from studying wood firing in Italy to establishing her pottery studio in the vibrant creative hub of Los Angeles. This Spring, Lois is set to participate in an artist residency in Greece exploring traditional Greek craftswomanship with contemporary ceramics.
About Osiris Zuñiga
Osiris Zuñiga inflates, braids and weaves steel to evoke the power and limits of human emotion through raw material and form. Born in Cali, Colombia, she was raised in Brooklyn, NY and is now based in Los Angeles. Osiris Zuñiga is represented by The Art Wolf Gallery. Her work was featured in Galerie Magazine and in The Art Wolf Gallery Fall Preview exhibit at the Pacific Design Center where she was nominated for a Star of Design Award, Artist Category.
