Michiko Itatani’s “Cosmic Codes” and “Laura Rokas: A Meal in Itself” are perfectly paired shows at Rebecca Camacho Presents. The ornate theatrical spaces presented in Itatani’s paintings and Rokas’ strangely captivating food paintings are both about controlled excess and present a certain sense of being suspended in time.
Itatani’s grand spaces are at a grand scale, allowing you to immerse yourself into the views of opera houses, ballrooms and other places of gathering. Rokas’ works are smaller, referencing the recipe cards and advertisements from Betty Crocker and Weight Watchers they’re meant to evoke.
Both have a sense of the stilted and artificial that wink at camp, but both artists have something to say. The evolution of Itatani’s spaces allows us to contemplate the arc of history while there’s a distinct feminist commentary under the gorgeously painted, but slightly grotesque, dishes.
-Tony Bravo
