Eastern Projects is a contemporary art gallery located in the heart of Chinatown. Location and hours are:

Tuesday - Saturday | 12pm - 6pm or by Appointment

900 N Broadway #1090 LA CA 90012

"The Show Must Go On"

Eastern Projects is pleased to present a new series of works by Guadalajara-born artist Mario Maplé.

This is the artist's debut SOLO SHOW with the gallery. Mario was born in Guadalajara, Mexico (1992). He graduated with a bachelor of Plastic Arts from the University of Guadalajara. His work reflects on the nature of drawing, it’s physical and sensitive burden, and how it lives and germinates itself. His work (and himself) is characterized by obsession. Obsession, is understood with intense attention to the details. Mario multiplies exponentially the surface of what he draws, to such a degree that it would not be difficult for one to think that his drawings already exist as a sculpture, a photograph or in the most exaggerated of cases, as a circus phenomenon. His work has been exhibited in galleries and museums in Sweden, France, Spain, United States, and Mexico.

"The body of work that is going to be shown was created during an extremely difficult time in my life, both personal and physically.
When I returned to pottery two years after my first approach, I brought some pieces to Texas from Guadalajara to work on. The first day, after I set up everything to paint a vase, (traced and all), I tried to put it in a "safe place” but it fell and shattered. It was an omen, but I put it in the kiln and painted the broken vase regardless. This was the genesis of my current work. I had to go forward, no matter what.
I am very interested in exploring the clash of opposing assumptions: beautiful/grotesque, innocent/sinister, scum/treasure, hope/paranoia, group/individual, art/no - art

My “Dufy” and "Dot” characters seen in several pieces, are pretexts that I use to interlink my different disciplines and to explore the idea that "style and virtuosity” in my work are part of exploration, and not the purpose.

The obsession is clear" -Mario Maplé