Johnny "KMNDZ" Rodriguez: Little Beasts

About

KP Projects is proud to present a solo exhibition of new paintings by Los
Angeles based artist Johnny ‘KMNDZ’ Rodriguez.
KMNDZ paints from memory and experience. His compositions are
reflective visual narrations filled with rich, vibrant imagery of animals,
robots, and humans melded with alchemic materials found in nature such
as glass, wood, metal and flowers. These robot-animal amalgamations
become "Little Beasts,” guardians of memory, wisdom, illumination, and
our personal stories.

Glass eyed robots, drawn from rusted metal pieces that have been worn and repurposed conjoin
beautifully with animals and flora to become magical time-travelers symbiotic with nature and the
life force that surrounds them. The robots are an integral theme in Rodriguez’s work as sage
seekers and protectors tied heavily with the origin of his own moniker, KMNDZ.
Little Beasts emerge from luminously abstract backgrounds as holders of time and place, memory
and emotion. In this world, birds of all species represent thought and imagination, transcendence,
and strength. Wolves and other canids represent loyalty, ritual, spirit, and togetherness while
expressing electrifying emotion through accents of neon red or green. The symbolism of
the crying tiger speaks to the sheer depth of our emotional ferocity and infinite devotion to those
we love.
Little Beasts are here to create harmony and provide guidance in an otherwise chaotic and
confusing world, serving as vessels and time capsules for all that is most important to us.
“When I first started painting retro-style robots I wanted to tell a story about myself, centered
around mistakes I had made which I wish I could take back or “undo.” KMNDZ (command Z on
an Apple keyboard) allows me to “undo” mistakes digitally, and in reflecting upon my past, I
wished there was a similar command that I could use to remedy things I have said or done that
may have caused pain. Hitting the undo button is an absolute perfect action that doesn’t exist in
the real world, so my moniker KMNDZ is a reminder to constantly check myself and do better. In
the far distant dystopian future, these robots hold important memories, making sure no one can
simply forget important truths.”
Circling back to his Latino roots and the animistic belief that objects and creatures all possess a
distinct spiritual essence, Little Beasts become a way of relating to a world inclusive of
contradiction and beauty. The work is a celebration of the small distinctions in life’s equations
that help us evolve.