Sam Kavenchy, the Basra born, Los Angeles based contemporary artist, announces the launch of a new website and extends an invitation to local gallerists to visit his studio.  KavenchyArtGallery.com provides a virtual tour of the artist's recent works, from tortuous inception to compelling completion. Kavenchy's studio in Beverly Hills houses offers works in progress as well as finished canvases.

Haunted by a seven-year stint in a desert refugee camp after his escape from Saddam Hussein's Iraq, Kavenchy's work serves as a tool to confront the past while neutralizing horrific memories. The paintings therefore tend to evolve from biomorphic nightmares to bold abstractions that capitalize on shifting degrees of darkness and light. 

According to Kavenchy, for many years he was fearful of exploring his artistic side. "Freedom," he has said, "was a hard won privilege. After the refugee camp, I was in a series of unstable situations in different countries. Each in its own way, with its own pressures about the future, prevented me from exploring artistic freedom."  As his work evolved and took on layered subtleties, he reckoned with the past, the present and the future.

Kavenchy begins with a primed canvas, fleshing out a visual as he goes. When the images are self-portraits they tend toward the shocking.  These stage one images reflect strengths, weaknesses, and feelings of helplessness or power.

From these primary images comes a concept - such as the toxic green flower as in the painting "2555 Days RC II" - that inspires a larger, more abstract canvas revealing a universal theme. One evolution is seen in "Symphony of Life," in the site's Gallery I.  As Kavenchy puts it, he moves from "an internal place of turmoil to a place of visual triumph."

Although Kavenchy shies away from being labeled, much of his work lies within the realm of figurative abstraction. With loose references to the influence of Umberto Boccioni, the early 20th Century Futurist, Kavenchy's work synthesizes every nuance of the moment; the addition of rapid movement effectively moves the viewer through the painting.

Kavenchy's  work has already found appeal with both collectors and celebrities.  Its honesty is apparent. Its political references are timely. It is, overall, a body of work that resonates with authenticity.  For details, please visit Kavenchy Art Gallery.