Homeland: Pontus Willfors

Edward Cella Art & Architecture is pleased to announce a solo exhibition titled Homeland that features new works by Los Angeles-based artist Pontus Willfors. In this new body of works the artist explores the theme of the home in a series of sculptural works made of wood and metal that are re-creations of domestic furniture.The exhibition will take place in the gallery's adjacent project space and is organized by Director Carl Berg.

Home is a term filled with nostalgic attributes. Phrases like "home sweet home" and "there's no place like home" carry ideas of a singular utopian place preferable to all others, a place where you return, a shelter from the stormy world outside, a safe haven. We spontaneously factor these calming ideas into our image of home. Inside is better than outside, inside means protection and calm, outside equals uncertainty. But is this a gross simplification? Is the home always a shelter? Or a safe place? Is it always the place preferable to all others? We all want safety and security. While the need for safety has been and still is essential to us, are there limits before it becomes an obsession that negatively impacts our lives? Or viewed in another way, is there a point when the shelter turns to prison, when the safe haven becomes dark and the home no longer is as sweet?

These are questions that form the basis for Homeland, an installation of recognizable domestic forms, made of wood and metal. Through this exhibition the artist explores not only safety and security, but also the role of the family and the home’s impact on our identity.

Pontus Willfors has been active as in artist in Los Angeles since graduating from the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) in 2009. He has shown his work throughout the continental U.S. including Ben Maltz Gallery at Otis in Los Angeles, CA; Irvine Fine Arts Center in Irvine, CA; Read Contemporary in Dallas, TX; Royale Projects, Palm Desert, CA; and was part of the curatorial show at Art Miami in 2012. Willfors is currently developing a massive installation project for terminal 3 at LAX that will be premiered this fall.