Jake Clark: Carolwood

albertz benda is delighted to present Carolwood, New York-based Australian artist Jake Clark’s exhibition of outdoor pieces. In this exhibition, Clark pays homage to Los Angeles through a series of eccentric ceramic sculptures, fashioned to reflect the diverse iconography of backyard domesticity in the city. Clark’s vibrant, animated works transcend nostalgia, offering a contemporary reflection on the complex interplay of memory, identity, and belonging within an ever-evolving urban landscape. Los Angeles often plays itself in the popular imagination, a city with a distinct interconnection between its interior and exterior identity.

This arrangement of ashtrays fashioned to mimic pools, tennis courts, and patios extends a bird’s eye view into the glamorous backyards of Hollywood homes. Devoid of people, each ceramic arrangement becomes a miniature tableau, highlighting the objects that represent the essence of a lifestyle that is simultaneously aspirational and enigmatic. Often considered luxurious, the proliferation of private pools and tennis courts are ubiquitous in these neighborhoods and serve as quintessential architectural elements. Through these whimsical pieces, Clark creates an intimate yet lovingly humoristic portrayal of the City of Angels.

Within Carolwood, Clark integrates an assemblage of handwrought ceramic sculptures such as bird baths and largescale planters into the Los Angeles gallery’s outdoor spaces. These objects, positioned throughout the grounds, are painted with iconic imagery associated with classic LA locales. Adorned with Hollywood imagery, the bird baths in this exhibition serve not only as functional objects but also as tranquil oases. 

For the first time since albertz benda's opening in West Hollywood, and for the first time in the gallery's existence, an artist has designed an exhibition exclusively for the outdoor spaces, incorporating the uniquely domestic West Hollywood setting of the Los Angeles location's backyard, pool, and terrace area.

From the iconic Beverly Hills Hotel pool to the allure of the Chateau Marmont's storied history, Clark's works evoke a sense of longing for the bygone era of Old Hollywood while simultaneously celebrating the enduring appeal of these legendary establishments, and the history of Los Angeles itself.