Utilizing molten bismuth on woven glass, Seffa Klein choreographs “paintings” that glimmer with the energy of frozen waterfalls and underground rivers. The iridescent, shimmering qualities of the material’s controlled oxidation performs a series of effervescent shifts based on the viewer’s proximity and the time of day. All of the works are made of bismuth metal and gypsum on woven glass. Klein’s mastery over the behavior of molten metal, and her quirky art historical wit, creates a body of work that is simultaneously ancient, familiar, and futuristic, capturing the precise moment when fluid energy commits to a form.

        The immediate impact of the work is optical and elemental, equally evoking the mystical light of William Blake and the dancefloor strobes at Studio 54. Several pieces play with a high-contrast black and gold color-story that carries a dramatic Gilded Age energy here and there, as with No Enemy and Grace Factor. These two pieces are infused with a hypnotic deep blue that the artist’s grandfather would appreciate. Overall, however, the works feel entirely untethered from contemporary trends. It would be entirely plausible if these panels were found in a dusty European attic and attributed to a newly rediscovered avant-garde pioneer.

        In works such as Crying Upwards and Decorated in particular, Klein leverages the inherent qualities of her eccentric mediums to generate flickering, geological spectacle, demonstrate theatrical fidelity to the laws of physics, and take on the vulnerable spaces of object quality and elusive memory in subtle works that not only reward but demand in-person viewing. The dazzle of the shimmer belies an ultimate subtlety, carving out a refreshed, anomalous space to celebrate the refinements of studio painting and the rush of discovery.

Shana Nys Dambrot is an art critic, curator, and author based in downtown LA. Formerly the L.A. Weekly arts editor, she is a contributor to the LA Times, Alta Journal, PBS/SoCal, and other culture publications nationally.