SaveArtSpace is proud to present Interdependence, a public art exhibition on billboard ad space in Los Angeles, CA, during Frieze Los Angeles, opening February 23, 2024, curated by Aaron Huey and Cleo Barnett of amplifier.org.

The Interdependence selected artists are The Groovy Girls: Jenna Elise Alexander & Lisa Celeste, Lars Bergquist, and Holy Moly.

In the intricate tapestry of life, each thread—no matter how seemingly insignificant—is essential to the grand design. We are deeply intertwined with each other, from the systems we live within to the shapes and patterns of the natural world. This connection is both our strength and our responsibility. As mirrors of one another, our shared humanity reflects many of the same hopes, dreams, fears, and aspirations.

In a world where the shortcomings of individualism are increasingly evident, seen daily in our news and the failing systems around us, the concept of interdependence emerges not just as an alternative, but as a necessary path forward. It highlights our deep connection with nature and each other, reminding us of our role in a larger universe and the responsibility we carry in shaping the systems that surround us.

Opening February 23, 2024, SaveArtSpace will launch public art installations for each selected work on billboard ad spaces in Los Angeles, CA. The public art will be on view for at least one month.

Selected Artists

Location: Lincoln Blvd & Grant Ave, Los Angeles, CA

Meet The Groovy Girls, an entrepreneurial artist team comprising Jenna Elise Alexander and Lisa Celeste. Hailing from Columbus, these dynamic women have seamlessly blended their artistic prowess into a creative partnership. With a shared passion for street art, they bring a vibrant energy to every project they undertake. 

Jenna Elise Alexander, known for her funky psychedelic style, has not only painted captivating murals at festivals like Interstellar, the A&R music Bar and Urban Scrawl but has also showcased her design talents in festival wear across the US. In 2022, artist Jenna Elise Alexander birthed Soul Vision Co, a vibrant brand encompassing festival, streetwear clothing, art, and accessories. The brand thrives on versatility & can not only be found at Hostful in Old Town East but the brand has also been featured at Bonnaroo Music Festival. Soul Vision's motto echoes a powerful message — BE YOUR UNIQUE SELF — inviting individuals to embrace their distinctiveness through the vibrant tapestry of this dynamic and eclectic brand. Her works, often adorned with intentional eyes, tell stories from her soul, creating a unique narrative in each piece.

Lisa Celeste, aka 'Sweet Thang', is the other half of this dynamic duo. With a strong influence from the grandfather of mural work, she brings a graffiti-inspired touch to their collaborative projects. She has been involved in the mural scene for 10 years & has proven to break barriers & boundaries as one of the few women spray painting in a male dominated world. Consistently proving herself she can indeed hold her own within the male dominated sphere. Lisa's extensive experience within the Columbus mural community includes collaborations with Dress for Success, the Short North Alliance,  University District, Catalyst Columbus, Linden Murals of Empowerment, Lookout Supply, and much more, reflecting her commitment to public art as a means of fostering community and belonging.

As entrepreneurs, The Groovy Girls are excited to bring their artistic vision to new spaces. With an impressive portfolio that includes the Short North Arts District Summer Spray project on Goodale & High St, Mnches Taco Establishment in Newark, OH, and collaborations with local establishments like Half Baked Brewery, they are now eager to apply their unique artistic touch to your mural job, bringing a fresh and vibrant perspective to any canvas they encounter. 

Through each piece that they bring to life they set the reminder that we are all connected through the shared human experience.  

Artist Statement: Our heart & soul merged into this collaboration. We hope to set a gentle reminder to anyone who views our pieces that life is a trip and that we are souls sharing a human experience. At the end of the day we are all apart of the cosmos and consciousness itself. Our piece hopes to awaken the dust from the viewer so that they are pulled in to stop & ponder what else is out there in the Universe. The Skeleton surrounded by the cosmos and energy speaks to what lies beyond & if death really is the end?  While painting a traveler stopped and asked us if the skeleton was alive or dead? And our question to you is which do you think it is? 

Connect with The Groovy Girls on Instagram at @groovygirls614, @jennaelisealexander, @sweett_thanggg.

Location: W Olympic Blvd & Le Doux Rd, Los Angeles, CA

Lars Bergquist is a Los Angeles - based visual artist, who's photorealistic paintings have appeared on the sides of buildings and on the street corners from Athens to Buenos Aires, Lisbon to Seattle. His art in unsanctioned spaces often deals directly with political and social issues at home and abroad.

His work often explores the relationship between humans and animals, as so much of his life has been intricately woven into the environment. Lars grew up in Alaska, the son of a commercial fishing family. He started working on his dad's boat in the late 1980's and saw first hand the catastrophic effects of the Exxon Valdez oil spill. This event was deeply influential in his life, informing much of his artwork moving forward and making clear the impact humans can have on the environment.

Connect with Lars on Instagram at @no_touching_ground.

Location: W Pico Blvd & S Barrington Ave, Los Angeles, CA

Carl Cozier, perhaps better known as Holy Moly, is a multi-disciplinary neurodiverse artist based in Bristol (UK). His work merges loud color and pattern into energetic expressions of optimism and unity. Whether it’s inventive typography to inspire, joyous wearable patterns or surreal worlds to get lost in, it is always underpinned by an obsession with color! 

Connect with Holy Moly on Instagram at @holymolyuk.

Curators

Aaron Huey is a National Geographic photographer, and Founder + Director of Labs at Amplifier.org.  As a photographer Huey has created over 30 stories for the National Geographic magazines including several cover stories, and is also leading new projects inside the brand from VR and AR to metaverse spaces.  Huey’s 2019 Bear Ears Virtual Museum VR experience promoted the protection of sacred lands and won the Webby for best VR Interactive Design, and is currently being made into spatial web experiences to teach pre-Colonial History in K-12 schools across the country.  As a Stanford Knight Fellow and then as one of the first d.School Media Experiments Fellows, Huey evolved his storytelling into many projects beyond traditional photography, including his art and advocacy non-profit Amplifier, most known for creating the global art phenomenon called "We The People" with collaborator Shepard Fairey.   Huey is currently working on both the promise and the threats of AI in image generation, most recently with a Stanford Starling Lab Fellowship mapping Web3 ecosystems and new frameworks for data integrity.

Connect with Aaron on Instagram at @argonautphoto.

Cleo Barnett is a New Zealand-born creative director, multi-media artist, and impact strategist based between Mexico City and Los Angeles. Since 2009, Barnett has collaborated with renowned artists, philanthropists, movement leaders and impact driven businesses to dream into reality public art interventions, festivals, immersive experiences and impact campaigns that aim to develop critical thinking and nurture our capacity for compassion on a global scale. Cleo´s work is deeply grounded in community empowerment through the arts and mass media experiments. Cleo is currently the Creative Director of Amplifier, a non-profit design lab that builds media experiments to amplify social and environmental movements. Her work has been featured at the Brooklyn Museum, The New York Times, NPR, PBS, CNN, VICE and elsewhere. Cleo holds an M.A. in Art and Public Policy from New York University, and a double B.A. in Political Science and International Business from the University of Auckland.

Connect with Cleo on Instagram at @cleobarnett.

SaveArtSpace

Founded in 2015, SaveArtSpace is a non-profit organization that works to create an urban gallery experience, launching exhibitions that address intersectional themes and foster a progressive message of social change. By placing culture over commercialism, SaveArtSpace aims to empower artists from all walks of life and inspire a new generation of young creatives and activists.