Ruth Root
at 356 Mission

Ruth Root, Untitled (2017). Fabric, Plexiglas, enamel paint, and spray paint, 93.25 x 56.5 inches. Image courtesy of the artist, 356 S. Mission Rd., Los Angeles and Andrew Kreps Gallery, New York. Photo: Brica Wilcox.

Previous Ruth Root paintings were more polished and straightforward—geometric arrangements on cut sheets of aluminum that hung slightly off the wall. But a few years ago, Root took a wild detour and has arrived at a funky destination that feels full of freedom. Each of the 11 untitled adjoined diptychs included at 356 Mission hang flush against their own freestanding walls, each its own delightfully peculiar wall-puzzle.

The material qualities of the works confound: Textile becomes tactile; graffiti becomes decorative; décor becomes disruptive. The digital depictions compound: A pizza slice pops and recedes among its counterparts; a French film title transforms into a fashion label advertisement; a Frank Stella painting is just another computer desktop icon. Together, the disparate segments expound: Content and form support each other, never allowing references to become too shallow or heavy-handed, whether it be a foggy polka dot pattern or a repeated portrait of Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

By giving each of these strangely shaped, persistently flattened objects their own apportioned domain within the immense gallery space, Root suggests, or perhaps even demands, an individual voice among a collective consciousness—a sentiment that has largely gone astray in this current cultural moment. Her cohesively fragmented works question what might happen if every person were mindfully audacious among their cohorts. Root jerks at conventionality and proves that plans can always change, and often they should, especially in times of tumult.

Ruth Root runs from September 15–November 12, 2017 at 356 Mission (356 S. Mission Rd., Los Angeles, CA 90033).

Ruth Root (2017) (installation view). Image courtesy of the artist, 356 S. Mission Rd., Los Angeles and Andrew Kreps Gallery, New York. Photo: Brica Wilcox.

Ruth Root, Untitled (2017). Fabric, Plexiglas, enamel paint, and Neocolor, 99 x 52.5 inches. Image courtesy of the artist, 356 S. Mission Rd., Los Angeles and Andrew Kreps Gallery, New York. Photo: Brica Wilcox.

Ruth Root, Untitled (2017). Fabric, Plexiglas, enamel paint, and spray paint, 107 x 52 inches. Image courtesy of the artist, 356 S. Mission Rd., Los Angeles and Andrew Kreps Gallery, New York. Photo: Brica Wilcox.

Ruth Root (2017) (installation view). Image courtesy of the artist, 356 S. Mission Rd., Los Angeles and Andrew Kreps Gallery, New York. Photo: Brica Wilcox.

Keith J. Varadi is a Pittsburgh-born, Los Angeles-based artist, poet, critic, and curator who has been employed by multiple intelligence and investigations firms, mostly focusing on corporate due diligence. Previously, he was a researcher for the long-running television game show, Jeopardy!. He runs the gallery Gene’s Dispensary out of an old medical office building near MacArthur Park.

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