La Noche de la Fusion Anniversary

May 2 is the 11th Anniversary of La Noche de la Fusión!

Inspired by his travels to Brazil, Italy, Thailand, and Israel, Gary Baseman created La Noche de la Fusion to celebrate the bittersweetness of life. An exhibition of more than a dozen paintings, an installation featuring The Enlightened Chou, a mythical deity that takes away collective fears and anxieties, and an opening performance with live dancers, La Noche de la Fusion brought to life Baseman’s creativeness in a moment of unique joy, of freedom and celebration of life in which social boundaries are dissolved.

In this body of work Baseman conceives a world of characters that seek joy and happiness in the midst of chaos. Influenced by a visit to the Vladimir Nabokov museum and childhood home in 2008, Baseman shares the writer’s passion for butterflies as it can be found in the iconography of La Noche de la Fusion where female figures depicted in Baseman’s work can be seen wearing intricate costumes and opulent headdresses – inspired by popular carnival attire with colorful wings and details resembling butterflies, deep and powerful representations of life. Other images composed by well-known Baseman characters depict ChouChou, Hickey Bat, and Lafayette, this last one a symbol of freedom and independence in Baseman’s work.

La Noche de la Fusion was exhibited in 2009 at the Corey Helford Gallery.