Joe Sola

Joe Sola (born June 16, 1966) is a contemporary artist who lives and works in Los Angeles, California. He is known for his satirical video works, most notably Studio Visit (2005) and Saint Henry Composition (2001), unique exhibition installations such as A Painted Horse by Joe Sola (with Matthew Chambers, Sayre Gomez, Rudy K. Slobeck, and others), (2015) and Portraits: an exhibition in Tif Sigfrids’ ear (2013), as well as his collaborative performances with composer Michael Webster. Life and education Sola was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1966. He studied American Literature at University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan, graduating with a B.A. in 1989. He went on to study at Otis College of Art and Design, Los Angeles, California, receiving his M.F.A in 1999. Work Sola's works flirt with disaster. Working with video, painting, installation and performance, Sola's practice merges the absurd with cultural critique, referencing both high and low culture found in Hollywood, German philosophy, adult entertainment, and art history. His works, which often use cinematic imagery, question notions of authenticity and aspects of masculinity within contemporary society, prompting viewers to “consider the impact popular culture has on our contemporary psyche". Using himself, other artists, non-artists, high school football players, professional actors, bodybuilders and models, Sola muddles the boundaries between conceptual art, Hollywood film, performance and social experiment. Such examples include: Employing car salesmen to sell his paintings at an art fair (Car Salesmen Selling my Paintings at Art Los Angeles Contemporary Art Fair, 2015); Getting tackled by high school football players (Saint Henry Composition, 2001); Explaining his drawings to escorts (Talking about my Drawings with Escorts, 2010); Inviting film actors to make conceptual art (Film Actors Make Conceptual Art, 2005); Installing miniature paintings into his dealer's ear (Portraits: an Exhibition in Tif Sigfrids’ Ear, 2013). In 2014, he turned his art gallery into a collectors dining room and hung abstract paintings by contemporary artists on the walls. For Sola's contribution he painted an abstract pattern on a miniature horse and allowed the horse to roam free in the gallery during business hours.