FP Contemporary is pleased to announce the opening reception for “The Art of Finding Love”, a solo exhibition featuring works by internationally acclaimed sculptor Michael Kalish. This exhibition coincides with the debut of the large scale, 20-foot interactive public art sculpture, The Art of Finding Love, at The Grove in Los Angeles on February 10th – 16th. Then, this large, mostly chrome sculpture will be at the gallery exhibition on February 18th accompanied by a smaller 6-foot cherry red version with an automotive finish. In addition to these two sculptures, his recent body of work contains multi-dimensional wall sculptures and standing sculptures consisting of layered laser cut aluminum, a material that contrasts the delicate subject of the works in this exhibition - all things relating to love.

Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O no! it is an ever-fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken

William Shakespeare’s "Sonnet 116" may be the purest yet perplexing analysis of love ever put to words, but no matter how one interprets it, its power remains steadfast. Throughout time, it is the one emotion that gives us hope. No politics, no country, no race, no religion is so strong as to keep people from seeking true love, despite the obstacles in their way.

Perhaps no modern artist has spent more time contemplating this notion than Michael Kalish. In his most daring and bold expression of the force of nature known as love, the renowned sculptor will unveil his own artistic sonnet in sculpture form – "The Art of Finding Love", a 20 foot x 6 foot x 6 foot interactive sculpture. Kalish has designed the contemporary piece so that the viewer must find the exact vantage point where the sculpture is no longer abstract and "Love" literally comes into focus. A series of these large-scale public monuments will travel across the United States starting in February 2017.

Michael Kalish grew up in Atlanta, Georgia. He pursued his passion in both baseball and art, noting that some days he would sneak away from baseball practice to take figure-drawing classes or make art. During this time, Kalish had the opportunity to try out for major league teams such as the Atlanta Braves and the Yankees. He was a very talented player, though a serious back injury kept him from furthering an athletic career.

Michael Kalish was fascinated with license plates and perhaps it was his upbringing in the Deep South that culled his interest in Americana. He began cutting and welding the license plates into maps, flags and large scale sculptures. Kalish gained recognition for his transformation of ordinary, everyday objects into meaningful works of art that reference a broad spectrum of American culture from political issues to cultural icons. Kalish’s passion for metal has recently evolved from salvaged parts to more refined laser cut aluminum and mirrored stainless steel sculptures with references to American culture, produced under Kalish Editions.

Michael Kalish has completed several large-scale public installations for which he is well known, including “reALIze”, a large-scale multi-dimensional Muhammad Ali sculpture in downtown Los Angeles. The monument is larger than life, as is Ali’s legacy: an appropriate testament to the essence for the legend the world has come to know, simply, as “The Greatest.” The breath-taking effect is an enormous, 360-degree, two-story structure composed of five miles of stainless steel cables, two miles of aluminum tubing, and 1,300 boxing speed bags.

His most recent monumental sculpture, Raise The Caliber™, is a tribute to all victims of illegal gun violence in America. This three-story sculpture was created from 2,000 pounds of illegal gun parts bought off the streets through gun buyback programs. It was unveiled in Hartford, CT on September 3, 2014 with plans for the monument to travel to other cities including Detroit, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Kalish has been the featured in the NY Times, The ARTnews Review, Wired Magazine, Time Magazine, The LA Times Magazine, People Magazine, Hollywood Life Magazine, US Weekly, American Way Magazine, Elle Magazine, Art in America and USA Today. He has also made TV appearances on CBS Sunday Morning and CNN’s “Route to the Top”. Most recently, he was the host of Discovery Channel’s “Final Offer”. His work is in countless prominent art collections around the world.