Gallery Exhibitions

Sixth Planet from the Sun

1.22.22 - 3.6.22
Kioto Aoki Pamela Ramos

LVL3 is proud to present Sixth Planet from the Sun, a two-person exhibition featuring work by Kioto Aoki (Chicago, IL) and Pamela Ramos (Los Angeles, CA).

In Sixth Planet, Aoki and Ramos explore the physical and relational nature of photography. As artists, they each approach the tangibility of light and its workings, as it navigates and decays across space. Both their practices nurture a careful examination of site-responsive encounters, as they pertain to time and the material body. Aoki unpacks the very notion of what it means to collect, document, and recall one’s life through the photographic process. The artist exposes the realities of the daily routine as a series of romantic possibilities. Ramos’ work depicts and aims to demystify set definitions of the self and the other. Through symbiotic decay, one may uncover the lasting impressions of close, interpersonal bonds. By reimagining forgotten objects and material Ramos reclaims context and authorship in anonymity. In Sixth Planet from the Sun, Aoki and Ramos walk viewers through a soft haze of nostalgia, prompting deliberate and sentimental considerations of the self and the everyday.

Press Release

Opening: Saturday,  January 22nd, 6 – 10 pm!

Gallery hours are Sundays 1-4 pm and can also be made by appointment. Email team@lvl3official.com or call/text 312-469-0333 to reserve a time outside of gallery hours.

Proof of vaccination and masks are required for all visitors during opening events, regular gallery hours, and all private appointments.

Image Description: This is an installation shot of the gallery. Close to the edge of the wall is a photograph of a clown in a blue satin frame. A pair of binoculars hangs from the ceiling in the center and there is a small black and white photo hung close to the floor.

Image Description: This is a photograph of a clown in a blue satin frame. The clown has its hands grasped in from of it and is wearing a multi-colored wig and mask. The clown is wearing a blue and white polka dot outfit.
Pamela Ramos | Clown | 2022 | 17.8″ x 20.5″ | Inkjet print, wood frame, satin
Image Description: This is a hanging instrument that somewhat resembles binoculars. There is a small wooden handle at the bottom. When you look through the lens, there is a negative of grasses and flowers.
Kioto Aoki | Not a Realist | 2020 | Gelatin silver print | 2.5” x 7”
Kioto Aoki | Not a Realist (Detail) | 2020 | Gelatin silver print | 2.5” x 7”

Image Description: This is a very dark photograph of the interior of the gallery. The photo documents two windows and one pillar. The image is also matted.
Kioto Aoki | LVL3 LVL3 | 2022 | lumen print [negative exposed on darkroom paper through the duration of the show] | 4” x 5”
Image description: This is an installation shot of the gallery. Straight again, close to the edge of the wall is an image of a clown by Pamela Ramos. Hanging in front of the other wall to the right is a set of binoculars looking at a negative. Image Description: This is an installation shot of the gallery. Hanging in front of the center of the wall is a set of hanging binoculars pointed at a negative image. Hung near the floor in the bottom left corner, is an image of the gallery. Both pieces are by Kioto Aoki. Image Description: This is an installation shot of the gallery. There are three photographs both on the walls and on a pedestal. There are two bouquets of flowers wrapped in photographs and ribbons on the floor.

Image Description: This is a framed photograph of a hand sitting on a pedestal. The photograph is propped up against the corner of the wall. There is a beam of light moving down the center of the hand.
Kioto Aoki | 左手(Left Hand) | 2022 | Gelatin silver print | 8.5 ”x 10”
Image Description: This is a detail shot. This is a framed photograph of a hand sitting on a pedestal. The photograph is propped up against the corner of the wall. There is a beam of light moving down the center of the hand.
Kioto Aoki | 左手 (Left Hand) (Detail) | 2022 | Gelatin silver print | 8.5 ”x 10”
Image Description: There are two floral bouquets laying on the floor. Both bouquets are wrapped in photographs printed on newsprint. There are green and pink ribbons tied around them.
Pamela Ramos | Untitled (Bouquet #1) | 2022 | Newsprint, flowers, ribbon | Dimensions variable

Image Description: This is an installation shot of the gallery. The photograph is facing the windows of the gallery. There are several pieces hung on the walls and sitting on the floor.

Image Description: This is a negative black and white image of a hair bun. The bun is fully white. The image is also matted by black matte board.
Kioto Aoki | Signature Bun | 2022 | Gelatin silver print | 5” x 7”
Image Description: This is a black and white image of two people kissing. There are two kiss marks on the image. The photograph is framed in a pink satin frame.
Pamela Ramos | Beso, 1942 | 2022 | Inkjet print, wood frame, satin | 15.5 “ x 15.5 “

Kioto Aoki | 右手 (Right Hand) | 2022 | Gelatin silver print | 9” x 12”
Kioto Aoki | Understand | 2022 | Gelatin silver print, mirror, wood | 11” x 14”

Pamela Ramos | Locks of love ( Mechón, 1940) | 2022 | Inkjet print, wood frame, satin | 13.7“ x 15.5”
Untitled (Bouquet #2) | 2022 | Newsprint, flowers, ribbon | Dimensions variable
Kioto Aoki | test print prints | 2022 | Gelatin silver print, edition of 22 | 5.5” x 7” | takeaway