journal

Artist in Residence | Emil John Ravelo

We're thrilled to showcase the work of Los Angeles photographer Emil Ravelo in our second floor gallery. Experience Ravelo’s series, "Retrospective Rollercoaster", documenting his journey to “making it” — an exploration of the winding path of our individual journeys.

In whatever field, the ride to success is hardly linear. Zig-zags, ups and downs, unsuspecting curve balls and delicious highs are a few of the routes experienced along the way. The show takes the viewer on a journey through the many periods Ravelo has observed through his camera and his own non-linear path to where he is today.

With scissors in one hand and his dad’s paper clips close by, Ravelo’s interest in image-making was sparked from trimming historical images from his middle school textbooks and adolescent collection of mid-2000s fashion journals. As a product of the MySpace generation and growing up in the flatland suburbs of the San Joaquin Valley, Emil adopted photography as a release of self-expression; he didn’t imagine it could be a viable career possibility until his early 20s. His work infuses vivid color and collage, with a nod to cinematography and rooted in Los Angeles. This is his first solo exhibition.

Retrospective Rollercoaster will be on show through 5/31/23 and is open to hotel guests and the visiting public. The Culver Hotel is located at 9400 Culver Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232.