Presents

Or You Could Panic

By Ben Ashton

"Swipe Right" (oil on panel, 47” x 32”)

Click here to download a sample of exhibit images

OPENING RECEPTION

March 15, 2025 | 7:00 pm – 11:00 pm

ON VIEW

March 15 – April 19, 2025

COREY HELFORD GALLERY

571 S. Anderson St. Los Angeles, CA 90033

Open: Tuesday-Saturday, 12:00 pm – 6:00 pm

(310) 287-2340

Downtown Los Angeles’ Corey Helford Gallery (CHG) is proud to announce its next major solo show. Or You Could Panic, featuring new works from British contemporary figurative artist Ben Ashton, is set to premiere March 15^th in Gallery 2. On view through April 19^th, the exhibition marks the artist’s largest show to date and first solo show at the gallery.

Ashton’s work reimagines traditional portraiture through the lens of modern anxieties and cutting-edge technology. Known for blending classical painting techniques with experimental distortions, the artist’s work explores themes of identity, history, and the impact of artificial intelligence on creativity. In his recent work, Ashton has embraced learning models to create figures and compositions that feel both familiar and unsettling. Drawing on datasets of his previous paintings, portraits of his family, and imagined settings, these AI-influenced works reflect his ambivalence about technology’s role in art and society.

left: “Just About Holding It Together" (oil on panel, 34” x 28”)

right: "Hello Sailor" (oil on panel, 36” x 28”)

Regarding his new series of works, Ashton shares, “Or You Could Panic is a new collection of paintings on hand-shaped panels, exploring my ambivalence toward artificial intelligence and its growing impact on the art world and society. The title captures that tension—this feeling that maybe we should panic, but also the futility of doing so. In many ways, this series is a culmination of everything I’ve done so far - while the paintings feature people who don’t exist, wearing costumes that have never been made, in realities that can’t be inhabited, their existence is rooted in an intimate and specific identity. Through exhaustively training learning models on my family, my past works, and my imagined settings, I’ve created something that feels familiar yet deeply unsettling.

I’ve always been drawn to portraiture for its role in history as a symbol of power and status. But by distorting and disrupting these traditions—adding glitches and warping the imagery, I aim to make the past feel unsafe, even absurd. It’s my way of grappling with how societies look backward in times of uncertainty, how that nostalgia can lead us to dangerous places, and my frustration with the inevitability of these historical cycles. This exhibition is a reflection of my own questions and anxieties about where we are headed, it’s about the tension between history and the future, tradition and technology. Whether to panic or not—I’ll leave that up to you.” In advance of his upcoming show at CHG, Ashton has started sharing a number of work-in-progress videos of pieces that will be featured in the show (watch here and here).

left: “Between the Bars" (oil on panel, 37” x 29”)

right: “Or You Could Panic” (oil on panel, 45” x 32”)

Open to the public and free of charge, Or You Could Panic is set to debut on Saturday, March 15^th from 7:00 pm – 11:00 pm in Gallery 2, alongside Toys As Art, Art Inspired By Toys: Mattel's 80th Anniversary Group Exhibition honoring the legendary toy maker’s iconic brands in the Main Gallery and Gallery 3. The shows will be on view at CHG through April 19^th.

About Ben Ashton:

The work of British contemporary figurative artist Ben Ashton reimagines traditional portraiture through the lens of modern anxieties and cutting-edge technology. Known for blending classical painting techniques with experimental distortions, the artist’s work explores themes of identity, history, and the impact of artificial intelligence on creativity. In his recent work, Ashton has embraced learning models to create figures and compositions that feel both familiar and unsettling. Drawing on datasets of his previous paintings, portraits of his family, and imagined settings, these AI-influenced works reflect his ambivalence about technology’s role in art and society.

Ashton’s practice extends beyond the canvas, incorporating intricately shaped wooden panels that he designs and handcrafts. These panels, with their gilded edges and meticulously layered brushstrokes, mirror the distortions within his paintings, pushing his exploration of form into three dimensions. This approach combines the precision of historical techniques with a playful experimentalism, exemplified by his use of recyclable materials (such as plastic bags and cardboard) for costume creation.

With a fascination for portraiture’s historical role as a symbol of power, Ashton subverts these traditions by introducing glitches and disruptions that destabilize the imagery. These elements challenge viewers to reconsider the legacies of the past and their implications for the present.

Ashton’s work is a reflection of his own questions about the future of art and society, offering a unique perspective on how history and technology collide in our modern world. His most recent series Or You Could Panic, set to debut on March 15^th at Los Angeles’ Corey Helford Gallery, marks his most ambitious show to date.

About Corey Helford Gallery:

Established in 2006 by Jan Corey Helford and her husband, television producer/creator Bruce Helford (The Conners, Lopez vs. Lopez, Anger Management, The Drew Carey Show, and George Lopez), Corey Helford Gallery (CHG) has since evolved into one of the premier galleries of New Contemporary art. Its goal as an institution is to support the growth of artists, from the young and emerging to the well-known and internationally established. CHG represents a diverse collection of international artists, primarily influenced by today's pop culture and collectively encompassing style genres such as New Figurative Art, Pop Surrealism, Neo Pop, Graffiti, and Street Art. Located in downtown Los Angeles (571 S. Anderson St. Los Angeles, CA 90033) in a robust 12,000-square-foot building, CHG presents new exhibitions approximately every six weeks. The gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday from 12:00 pm – 6:00 pm. For more information, visit CoreyHelfordGallery.com and follow on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and YouTube. For available prints from CHG, visit CHGPrints.com.

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Aaron Feterl | aaron@chummypress.com