May 31 – June 29, 2024 UTA Artist Space

403 Foothill Rd, Beverly Hills, CA 90210

(Beverly Hills, CA – May 2024)

UTA Artist Space is thrilled to announce the opening of Ruler of the Tides, a collection from artist Sasha December. 

The artist encapsulates the spirit of the exhibition with her statement:

As girls we are positioned to expect change that we cannot control. 

With this change comes things no one can ever prepare us for, and we often face it alone, inside. 

Strength doesn’t come easy, but control can be taken back. 

Like the pull of the moon shaping the tides, we control our destiny. 

Know it’s effortless nature; it’s the way it’s meant to be. 

And through self-realization comes an understanding of the harmony of existence. 

These paintings are a representation of several journeys, spiritual and physical. As they illustrate a path from innocence to enlightenment, girlhood to divinity, it’s also an important distinction that I painted these all since I moved to Tokyo last year. These paintings are an amalgamation of what I’ve experienced since. Awe, appreciation, homesickness, and transformation.

This body of work is representative of December’s journey coming into her own in a new place and season of life as this is the first body of work entirely made in her new home in Japan. The work illustrates December as she chronicles the different stages of her life by depicting girls that are meant to be the artist’s avatar. These avatars inhabit multiple spiritual and emotional states with a bold and, at times, bewildered strength and vulnerability. 

The centerpiece of this exhibition is, “It’s always been known,” which explores a celestial being experiencing the tug-of-war of human life and harnessing the power of autonomy to navigate the world. This artwork evokes a profound sense of fluidity, capturing the essence of navigating life’s turbulent waters with grace and adaptability.

Ruler of the Tides will be on display from May 31st to June 29th at the UTA Artist Space in Beverly Hills. 

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Sasha December is an independent fine artist based in Tokyo. December graduated Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles with a degree in Fine Arts and a focus in Painting in 2020. She began her career in New York City, establishing placements in notable private collections, selling her work through word of mouth and gallery presentations. December’s paintings explore the societal pressures she grappled with as a young girl, including femininity, popularity, self-fulfillment and loneliness; all while embodying a sense of ownership over the past and a hopeful outlook towards the future. With settings that are callbacks to her childhood, she brings to life what she wants to see and feel, through places she’s both felt at peace and wishes she had had during times where she didn’t.