“COSTUME OBSKURA” RYAN HESHKA
““The paintings in Costume Obscura had their origins in a backlog of fashion-curious drawings I had created over many years, which accumulated in my sketchbooks, and rescued ideas.””
Downtown Los Angeles’ Corey Helford Gallery (CHG) is set to launch its first major exhibition of 2025 with Costume Obscura, a mesmerizing solo show from celebrated Canadian artist and illustrator Ryan Heshka. Opening on February 1st in Gallery 3, this much-anticipated collection continues Heshka’s surreal exploration of pop culture, fashion, and the fantastic.
A Visionary of the Strange and Sublime
Heshka, a Vancouver-based self-taught artist, has garnered international acclaim for his dreamlike paintings, infused with references to comic books, science fiction, pulp magazines, and vintage advertisements. His distinctive style, reminiscent of Hollywood’s golden-age B-movies, creates an uncanny, nostalgic world where reality bends in favor of the bizarre.
Having previously exhibited Vile-O-Vision (February 2022) and FREEKS (August 2019) at CHG, Heshka has established himself as a master of blending retro aesthetics with contemporary storytelling. His past works include the critically acclaimed Frog Wife comic book and the graphic novel Mean Girls Club: Pink Dawn. Now, with Costume Obscura, Heshka delves into a new realm of sartorial surrealism.
Unveiling Costume Obscura
Heshka describes his latest series as a deep dive into a visual archive of fashion-inspired sketches, cultivated over years and rescued from obscurity. “The paintings in Costume Obscura had their origins in a backlog of fashion-curious drawings I had created over many years,” he shares. “Vague paper doll-like collages of clothing and characters began to reveal themselves as I explored my sketchbooks, forming the seeds for this exhibition.”
With this collection, Heshka introduces audiences to what he calls his ‘costume morgue’—a curated repository of unrealized, unconventional fashion concepts, assembled into hauntingly beautiful compositions. The works feature enigmatic figures adorned in eccentric ensembles, blending lighting, textures, patterns, and backdrops into a carefully constructed aesthetic reminiscent of avant-garde fashion photography. These paintings, in essence, function as staged studio shots for a fantasy couture collection—an homage to both renowned and obscure designers, as well as the very essence of fashion as an art form.
The Art of Transformation
Beyond fashion, Costume Obscura serves as an exploration of identity and self-expression. Heshka’s works unravel the dual nature of clothing—as both a medium of personal expression and a shield that masks deeper truths. His subjects exist in a realm where the lines between costume and character blur, where attire becomes an extension of the individual, shaping and distorting their identity in equal measure.
As CHG prepares to unveil this striking exhibition, art enthusiasts and collectors alike can expect an enthralling journey through Heshka’s surreal sartorial universe. Whether you’re a longtime admirer of his work or a newcomer to his peculiar yet captivating world, Costume Obscura promises to be a spectacle of imagination and intrigue.