Mr.StarCity Unites Poetry, Performance, and Painting at The Pit Los Angeles
Photo of Mr.StarCity, Courtesy of the artist, New York.
Follow Mr.StarCity on Instagram and you’ll find yourself front row at the artists’ escapades through affirmations found on his stories to simple captures of his daily life (which if you’re wondering, is super imaginative). Once you do, you’ll understand why his new solo show is a 10 out of 10. In an exciting fusion, David ‘Mr.StarCity’ White blends together poetry, performance, and painting practices in his first solo exhibition, “Garden of Love” at The Pit, Los Angeles.
Corresponding to lines from the second stanza in Mr.StarCity’s “Loverboy” series, the exhibition features 10 mixed-media portraits of the hopeless romantic character himself. Since 2020, his “Loverboy” series has been an ongoing project that Mr.StarCity intends to keep expanding.
“During the pandemic, I found peace in creating the Lover Boy series, imagining a whole universe for this character. Lover Boy, a roaming saxophonist, florist, and gardener, created a beautiful garden with his partner but faced a conflict when he desired to play his saxophone again, causing their relationship to unravel.”
The “Loverboy” series began with a poem "MoonLit Roses And Heartache," with each line inspiring a corresponding painting. Mr.StarCity describes stepping into the Lover Boy exhibition as like entering a poetic realm where each painting unfolds from the poem's verses.
“In all my exhibitions and painting series, the poem is the core element, sparking the creation of the artwork. I knew I wanted to be an artist from the moment I first picked up a paintbrush, and my passion for exploring new forms of self-expression took off. I believe everything in this world has a purpose and can communicate a message. Through painting, poetry, and music, I channel creative energy from my subconscious onto canvas, paper, or sound.
The traveling jazz musician, Loverboy, chronically falls in love each day and night, yet finds himself habitually alone and heartbroken. Unable to offer his heart, Loverboy leaves each woman with a piece of his love in the form of a radiant blossom.
Loverboy’s vibrant portraits, created by Mr.StarCity using soil, sand, pumice, charcoal, and acrylic, are confined within a tightly cropped frame. Both intimate and unnerving, fields of color and texture merge together like pieces of a puzzle to form Loverboy’s wide-eyed gaze. In each portrait, a flower is placed over Loverboy’s mouth as if conveying all that he cannot say.
“It's incredible to be back in Los Angeles showcasing the Lover Boy series once again. The first time I presented this series was in 2020 at the Kantor Gallery. I enjoy exploring the city and finding fresh sources of inspiration. Los Angeles is teeming with creative people and places, always offering something new to discover.”
The“Garden of Love” is on view from June 15 to July 27.
