Hotel Bel-Air
701 Stone Canyon Road
Los Angeles, CA 90077

Rogan Gregory
June 14, 2023 –

Hotel Bel-Air, a Dorchester Collection hotel, is delighted to announce the highly anticipated debut of its stunning Sculpture Garden with an exclusive exhibition by acclaimed artist Rogan Gregory. Showcasing a captivating collection of thought-provoking sculptures, Gregory's exhibition will immerse guests in a world of artistic brilliance.

Recognized for his mastery of transforming raw materials into awe-inspiring works of art, Rogan Gregory has gained international acclaim for his unique approach to sculpture. Beginning at a very early age, Rogan spent any spare time using his hands in the studio working on a sculpture or artwork. Time spent in the studio making art began to take up all of his time and eventually eclipsed his fashion career. Gregory began making sculpture at intimate and large scale. Through this three-dimensional expression, Gregory was able to articulate his true vision. “I produce works that encourage sensory and emotional engagement with the evolutionary processes deeply embedded in our consciousness.”

Gregory meditates on line and proportion to achieve incongruous balance and asymmetrical harmony; ultimate truths in nature. He works in a wide range of time-honored materials such as stone, bronze and wood, pairing these known materials with those less familiar to develop aggregated surfaces that elude simple classification.

The exhibition features three pieces. Venus I and Venus II, are sculptural works consistent with Gregory’s ongoing Fertility Form series, where he sculpturally interprets the cycle of life— sexual intercourse, fertilization, cell division, and subsequent processes— placed in situ, these two sculptures take part in the historical tradition of the Venus form and are integral to Gregory's ongoing lifecycle saga. The works draw on personal biology, figuratively and literally, through forms of machination. The last piece, Pink Sphinx, is a prime example of his ability to merge the sculptural and functional while participating in, like Venus I and Venus II, an ancient practice of carving a Totem sculpture out of living rock. In this case he perpetuates another one of the oldest known sculptural traditions, the mythological Sphinx form, through his own lens of organicism and abstraction in the use of pink lioz marble, quartz, and sedimentary stone

Hotel Bel-Air's Sculpture Garden, an enchanting haven of artistic expression, is designed to enhance the hotel's existing lush landscape and provide guests with a harmonious blend of nature and creativity. Set against the backdrop of verdant gardens and the iconic Swan Lake where the swans gracefully glide across the lake, the garden serves as the perfect backdrop for Gregory's sculptures.

The exhibition was curated by James Hedges, the hotel’s previous Curator of the Arts. It is complimentary and open to the public seven days a week. All sculptures are available for purchase through Hedges Projects.

About Rogan Gregory

Rogan Gregory’s (b. 1972) work reflects his life-long interest in abstract forms, geology, ecological systems, evolutionary biology, and the impact of humans on the natural world. Inspired by the ways in which elements and the continuum of time shape our world, Gregory works repetitively—fluent with the recurring developmental processes of life on earth. 

Gregory began his career in the fashion industry. In 2001, he designed his first eponymous clothing line and later became a leading voice in sustainable fashion. His early Manhattan atelier featured monumental wood benches, tables, and chairs that he had designed and made himself. The space reflected Gregory’s incredible ability as a craftsman, and his attention to the ways that objects are experienced in space and in dialogue as a cohesive whole—sensibilities that he has carried forward in his career. Beginning at a very early age, Rogan spent any spare time using his hands in the studio working on a sculpture or artwork. Time spent in the studio making art began to take up all of his time and eventually eclipsed his fashion career. Gregory began making sculpture at intimate and large scale. Through this three-dimensional expression, Gregory was able to articulate his true vision. “I produce works that encourage sensory and emotional engagement with the evolutionary processes deeply embedded in our consciousness.”

Gregory meditates on line and proportion to achieve incongruous balance and asymmetrical harmony; ultimate truths in nature. He works in a wide range of time-honored materials such as stone, bronze and wood, pairing these known materials with those less familiar to develop aggregated surfaces that elude simple classification. This process is best realized in Gregory’s Fertility Form series, where he sculpturally interprets the cycle of life— intercourse, fertilization, cell division, and subsequent processes— to create functional objects that take on a presence of their own. The artist has also begun to experiment with upholstery, using shearling to further encourage physical engagement with his work and defy the boundaries between art, design, and sculpture. Altogether, Gregory shows a unique mythos that is elegantly executed through minimal forms and distinct materials, seamlessly translated into sculptural and functional pieces.

“We have become separate from our evolutionary past and from each other...as so many aspects of our daily experiences are mediated through flat screens. My work reintroduces asymmetrical amorphous forms, textures and colors into our uniform, rectilinear environments. In doing so, I hope to evoke joy, and emotion more broadly, to encourage new connections to and awareness of our biosphere because it is critical to our existence, to our health, and to our conversations about sustaining life...”—Rogan Gregory

Rogan Gregory has been featured in prominent media outlets including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Architectural Digest, Elle Décor, Wallpaper, Surface Magazine, and more. Gregory’s work has been exhibited in galleries across the country, and in notable institutions such as the Shelburne Museum, Shelburne, VT. Gregory is currently based in Santa Monica, California.

© 2024 The Hedges Projects, LLC