On view through Sunday, March 24 at the Bedford Gallery at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut, California, “Altered States” isan exhibition that highlights the natural cycles of our complex environment and offers goers an opportunity to slow down and reflect on the interconnectedness of the sun, mood, air and tides.
The show features artists Kim Abeles, Mari Andrews, Chris Duncan, Tanja Geis, Sonja Hinrichsen, Jay McCafferty, Klea McKenna, Sam Perry and Victoria Wagner. They cross multiple generations living and working along the California coast who harness natural elements and/or the environment to create their artwork.
Klea McKenna engages in a meticulous practice of rubbing photo paper onto tree bark, then exposing the textured surface to moonlight; a process that can take up to a full day to complete with the majority of the work occurring in the shroud of darkness.
Chris Duncan employs the sun as the engineer of an ongoing experimental series in which the artist carefully arranges fabric in specific locations for periods of six months or longer. When the materials are finally reclaimed, they are transformed into sun bleached fabrics that serve as an homage to the celestial powers at work. All Duncan’s new, site-specific work for Altered States will be harvested from the rooftop of the clay studio in Walnut Creek.
Victoria Wagner sands, cuts into, and resurfaces pieces of fallen Oak and Redwood gathered from Occidental and Sebastopol, two small towns in Northern California. She then adds rich geometric oil patterns across the smooth surfaces of the wood that mimic its natural crevices and the sound vibrations she feels are mapped into the trees based on where they lived.
Kim Abeles creates a clever commentary on public health, emissions and environmental policy with her Smog Collectors series, in which she leaves stenciled images on fabric on the roof of her studio. Over a period of time, particulate matter in the heavy Los Angeles air falls upon them and, once the stencil is removed, the image is revealed in smog.
Tanja Geis partnered with the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center to create a series of drawings that imagine how the Olympia oyster—a species at risk of extinction—might repopulate the San Francisco Bay.
The exhibit is curated by Heather Marx has extensive experience in the fine art industry as an art advisor, gallery director, and curator. She says about the show, “I feel nature is animated and when you pause and take the time to look, you recognize patterns and truths that mimic the human condition.” More at: http://www.hmxaa.com/about.
For more information on the Bedford Gallery and other participating artists, see: www.bedfordgallery.org