Safi Alia Shabaik’s exhibition Personality Crash: Portraits of My Father Who Suffered from Advanced Stages of Parkinson's Disease, Dementia and Sundowners Syndrome explores the human condition when altered by disease, from an intimate perspective. The work presents her family’s personal story, but also serves as a universal reminder of what it means to be human.
In-Person Artist Talk with Safi Alia Shbaik: Sat, Jun 10, 2 PM
Safi Alia Shabaik (Egyptian-American, she/her/hers), known by her moniker flashbulbfloozy, is a Los Angeles-based interdisciplinary artist working in photography, collage, sculpture, and experimental video. She discovered her visual voice at a young age, setting her on her path to earn a B.A. in Fine Art with honors at UCLA. Under the mentorship of Catherine Opie, she learned the art of large-scale color printing in Opie’s custom-built darkrooms. Upon moving to New York, Safi became fashion stylist, photographic documentarian, personal assistant, travel companion, and confidante to the legendary icon Ms. Grace Jones, in her personal and public lives.
Safi’s photographic work explores identity, persona, transformation, daily life, and the humanity of all people. Her subject matter spans the self, family, street life, fringe culture, and counterculture – people who push their bodies to extremes and challenge societal norms.
Safi exhibits her work nationally and has been featured in publications such as The New York Times, Black + White Photography, Lenscratch, Alta Journal, Catalyst: Interviews, The Advocate, Parkinson’s Life, CameraCraft, Artillery Magazine, Edge of Humanity, Upworthy.com, and in Grace Jones’ book: I’ll Never Write My Memoirs. She has been featured on The Candid Frame (episode 465), and her work has earned her recognition in PhotoLucida's Critical Mass Top 50. In collaboration with the Parkinson’s Foundation, Safi is the proud recipient of a Visual Arts grant from the National Endowment of the Arts (NEA) to exhibit Personality Crash nationally. She is the first (ever) recipient of the Las Fotos Project Foto Award for Self-Expression, presented by the Photographic Arts Council Los Angeles. Safi is a founding member of the Los Angeles Street Collective. By invitation, she has presented her work at Open Show, Alta Asks Live, and at several high schools and colleges in the greater Los Angeles area. A lover of the human form, the artist is also an award-winning mortician.
Gallery Hours: Wed-Sat, 12-5 PM