Weird Science

Asger Carlsen, James Case-Leal, Adam Cvijanovic, Jay Heikes, Elizabeth Jaeger, Dean Levin, Dashiell Manley, Ruairiadh O’Connell, David Opdyke, Jacolby Satterwhite, Nick van Woert, Letha Wilson

Organized by Aniko Berman

The revelation of the unseen or unknown is a pursuit inherent to both science and art, and the ensuing discoveries suggest worlds beyond and within that which we accept as our own. Through experimentation and invention, the artists in this exhibition produce works whose content or process attests to this inquiring quest, and the mystifying possibilities it suggestively evokes. Humorous, grotesque, beautiful, the works on view present varied visions that tease out the strange potential of the everyday. Within this group, certain common themes arise: the fantastical, “unnatural” body or landscape; the sublime reimagined; quotidian items, forms or designs as archaeological specimens. The processes used to create these works similarly present a compelling spectrum of artists’ practices today – classical painting to digital imaging to more conceptual multimedia endeavors that dissolve and challenge traditional artistic boundaries. Together, these works offer a selection of concepts and practices that elevate contemporary artistic and socio-cultural preoccupations to uncanny heights, disclosing the lurking landscape where fantasy and reality intermingle.