An Emotional Expression of Trauma and Rebirth
Ultra Super New Kura gallery’s new exhibition, “As The Sun Rose,” will showcase the intimate paintings of Alejandro M. Lopez.
Lopez’s paintings takes audiences through a first hand account of the devastating Eaton Canyon wildfire that terrorized California in 2025. All of the exhibited works were painted from inside the fire zone. Lopez, who was a resident of Altadena, expresses the deep trauma, melancholy and the rebirth of nature through emotional pieces.
As a survivor of the Eaton Canyon fire, Lopez used art to process and connect with the unfathomable destruction and human suffering in his community that was sparked by climate change. The exhibition aims to create a dialogue around how climate change impacts people’s lives.
Alejandro M. Lopez was born in Los Angeles and after finishing his studies, he spent 25 consecutive years living and painting across four continents. He now resides in California and Japan. Rather than realistically painting what he sees, Lopez reflects his emotions onto the canvas — which are handmade canvas boards made from raw Belgian linen in order to work in the most organic, natural way possible. Lopez’s painting style also draws inspiration from Japanese techniques such as through his training with sumi ink, washi paper and silk.
The exhibition will run from February 7 to February 27 at Ultra Super New Kura gallery, from 13:30 to 19:00. The gallery will be open by appointment only from Tuesday to Friday, and freely open to all on Saturdays. Please visit the gallery’s website to make a reservation. An opening reception will be hosted on February 6, from 18:00 to 20:30.
The gallery will also host two talk shows to accompany the exhibition:
- Climate Talk with Chris Russell & Alejandro M. Lopez
February 11
19:00–20:30 - Talk with Maya Sobchuk: On the Space Between War and Peace
February 25
18:30–21:00
